The profession of directing is a solitary role where the director is ultimately responsible for every aspect of the work, from starting the day to cleaning up after it is finished.

“it's a lonely profession yeah director and you're the one that turned on the light to open the bar and you're the one cleaning the vomit at the end of the day and you turn off the light”

Directing requires meticulous preparation with department heads to establish an atmosphere.

“I was really excited to deal with a production designer and a cinematographer and an editor and a composer to try to you know kind of four-wall an audience into an atmosphere where things are unsettling”

The director's role is akin to being a caretaker or janitor because they are responsible for checking every detail of the film's production.

“i often think of myself as the caretaker or the janitor you know because there's just so much checking of stuff that you have to do and in the end you're the one doing it”

A director should be both incredibly precise and technical while also allowing for a complete freestyling free-for-all during the filmmaking process.

“it was just like that really great combination where you're like wow what a director who's operating on both ends of the spectrum of like incredibly precise and Technical and then also a complete freestyling free for all”

Paul Mescal describes Lenny Abrahamson as a director who is both rigorous and gives actors a lot of creative freedom.

“he is so both rigorous but gives a lot of freedom I feel like the way he investigates and interrogates a script is so detailed but it never feels overbearing and unset he's willing to change he's willing to take a line out Adeline in”

The role of a good director is similar to that of a good mother who provides clear guidance while also listening to the collaborators' input.

“A good mother says, "I want to hear your opinion. I'm in charge, but I want to know what you have to say. I know where we're going. I've I've looked into it. Come aboard. It's going to be okay. Let's not panic." like all the things a good director says is what I think a good mother says.”

Once an actor is set for a role, they take ownership of the character and the director's role becomes that of a coach.

“you've just handed ownership of that character to somebody else at that point you're just a coach you may be an Olympic coach but you're just a coach”

When directing actors, one should hand over ownership of the character to them because they can contribute a unique interior life.

“I want them to feel almost the sense of they have a secret from me even though we're doing my my script and my that my words I even like to encourage things like I'll have I mean you know I'm part of costume fittings and all of that but I also want them to actually do it separate”