Michael Stuhlbarg
The Traitors actor on lunches, long-shots and learning…
What was it like working on a UK set on
Traitors?
I love the UK. So any opportunity to get the chance to be there, or particularly to work there, is one that I always hope that I can reach out and take. The atmosphere on this set was very focused, very collaborative, amenable and full of fun. Everyone, I think, really was passionate about the project. That always makes a huge difference. Part of the fun of the job is you get to dive into – deeply – the world that these people are living in. I knew very little about post-war Britain, the OSS and London spies. So I enjoyed learning all about it.
What’s the first thing you do when you get to set?
I usually meet the second or third AD who brings me to where my trailer happens to be on any particular day. I drop my bag of research and notes and I will look at the sides [A5 prints of the script shooting that day]. If they don’t need me right away, I will usually grab a cup of decaffeinated coffee and sit there, looking over my notes, learning my lines.
Do you have any on-set superstitions?
I have a bag that I bring with me pretty much everywhere I go. It’s usually filled with my script, a book with my notes in it, my pens, and my reading material – so I can just keep working all the way through. Even after a scene might have been done, there are things that one can learn about the trajectory of the arc, of the story you’re trying to tell.
Are you a hot or a cold lunch person?
[laughs] I’m a no-lunch person. I usually like to have a solid breakfast, and then I don’t eat much during the course of the day. Just enough to keep my attention and my mind active.
Do you sleep on set?
If I have time, sure! Particularly as the days and weeks or months progress. Your hours are quite random [so] a nap in the middle of the day can be quite useful.
Best on-set experience?
I think with every project I’ve done, I’ve had moments that have been unique. On Call Me By Your Name,[there was] this beautiful piece of text I was given that happens towards the end of the film [Stuhlbarg’s speech to his on-screen son], and that I had been working on, and I had been in Italy for two months getting to know the other actors. And finally, it shows up on the day, when you’re feeling like you’re ready to do it. Call Me By Your Name was an amazing on-set experience – it was a dream.
What’s the longest day you’ve ever spent on set?
I remember one evening on The Shape Of Water when we were shooting one of the climactic scenes at the sand piles, and my character gets shot and dragged by Michael Shannon. That was a particularly cold evening… I was getting thrown around, we had prosthetics and blood to deal with, and stunts – all kinds of things going on. And we had to get it done that night before the sun came up. So there was this sense of: you had to put all your distractions out of your mind, and stay focused. So that was quite a challenge.
Any skills you’ve learnt for a role that you’ve kept up?
I don’t know if I’ve ever really held onto anything. I didn’t continue to study Russian! What I do bring with me is tricks of the trade that a director might impart. I remember Joel Coen saying to me – I guess my character was pausing a lot between the things he had to say. Joel said: “If you tie all of these thoughts together, there’s a better chance that the camera will linger on you for longer periods of time. Whereas if you give an editor a space, they will cut it.” That was a very valuable aspect of filmmaking which I hadn’t thought of before. Those are the kinds of things I take with me. JC
ETA | FEbruAry / TrAiTors broAdcAsTs nExT monTh on chAnnEl 4.
‘this set was very focused, very collaborative, amenable and fun’