“In the initial take of the scene, though, Freeman seems to be under no real pressure. It’s a straight-forward and solid reading of a potentially emotional scene and, if you didn’t know better, you’d think it was just fine. After a brief conversation with “Fargo” series creator Noah Hawley, Freeman settles in and although his scene partner delivers a performance that’s nearly identical to the first take, Freeman’s reading is now completely different. It’s not just that the emotion has been dialed up, though. Emphasis has been put on a different assortment of words and without changing a breath of the dialogue, Freeman has shifted the heft of the scene. The camera and lighting set-ups change and, again, Freeman’s co-star remains consistent—and really good, don’t get me wrong—but Freeman again steps up the emotion and punches a different assortment of words, highlighting a different potential meaning … this is what the “Office” veteran does. He starts off with the basics, but builds with each take and tries to give directors as many choices as possible, tries to give himself as many choices as possible. After watching many actors on many sets, I can assure you that this isn’t the case with everybody. Freeman is notable both for how responsive he is to direction, but also for the variations he imposes on himself.”

http://www.hitfix.com/the-fien-print/martin-freeman-compares-fargo-to-sherlock-on-the-set-of-the-fx-drama (via youshouldhaveletmesleep)

April 19th +1149 via / source