Sean Penn on Acting "Directors don't get performances out of actors. Actors give great performances to directors." -- Sean Penn, Toronto, September 9, 2007

I couldn't disagree more. You can read what Sidney Lumet has to say on the subject, in his book, "Making Movies". In the book he recounts the experience of working with Paul Newman while making The Verdict. As the story goes, Newman began reading his lines, etc, and Lumet was not happy at all, as he knew Newman was not capturing the essence of the character. He had a heart-to-heart with Newman and they both slept on it. The next day, Paul Newman showed up in top form, and acting in the manner in which Lumet envisioned the character. The movie was a great critical success, largely due to the fine performance given by Paul Newman...as directed by Sidney Lumet.

I feel that Sean Penn is one of the finest actors working today. Perhaps he thinks that giving credit to directors is somehow a slap to good actors. I don't think this is true at all. Directors and actors can both be great, but great directors have been responsible for many a fine performance, and many humble actors will tell you so.