Shannen on being a Director
Question: The last episode of the 2nd season of Charmed has been directed by yourself. How that it occurred?
Shannen Doherty:
The directing requires rigor and discipline: It is necessary to check all the scenes, ensure the places of the shooting, to take part in the meetings with the authors to supervise the script and to arrange the sets. It is also necessary to manage the budjet, the special effects, the communication… In other words, That experience was interesting but infernal. I've touched some fields which were completely unknown for me.
Q: Why do you think you've been so successful as an actor?
Perseverance. Perseverance and faith in a higher power that this is in fact what I'm supposed to do with my life. That no matter how frustrating it gets I always believe in myself.
Q: You've stepped up and become a director on the show this season. Is it hard to boss your co-stars around?
I think it helps, if you're an actor, to direct other actors. On the episode I directed, I was able to push the girls more - because I knew them. I know how far they can go. That helps me as a director. When you've been acting for 20 years you become observant. I observe other directors and study them. I study their angles and lenses and how they tell a story. It makes me better as both an actor and a director. I also observe other actors - maybe more than (another) director would.
Q: Which directors have you borrowed from the most?
I'm a huge fan of Oliver Stone. He's one of the filmmakers that I would aspire to be. His shots are simply fantastic. Jarring. In your face. But he's most amazing in the editing room. I'm amazed by every aspect of how he tells his story - his cuttings and depth of his shots. He gets extras in the background to make an impact in the film. I also love John Woo and the Wachowski brothers who did The Matrix. I love action movies, and nobody does them better. I'd like to use my imagination the same way with our show, but they have $100 million and we have $1.9 million. It's hard to get the same kind of results with that kind of budget. Action is hard to shoot on TV, but we do what we can.