Mike Flanagan Says He Casts the Same Actors Over and Over for an Extremely Relatable Reason
Every introvert gets this.
Mike Flanagan is a horror writer, director and producer known for his scary and emotionally moving films and miniseries like Gerald’s Game (2017), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), Doctor Sleep (2019), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021) and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023). He’s also a movie nerd. Flanagan’s Director’s Commentary podcast interviews filmmakers and has watch-along episodes meant to mimic the DVD director’s commentaries of yore.
On the episode discussing 2022’s Watcher along with writer/director Chloe Okuno, the two directors discussed how scary it can be to work with actors as each one has their own work style and approach to the craft. For instance, some actors will take direction for blocking (how the actor will be positioned and move throughout a shot) and some actors feel thinking about technical details distracts from their performance. Flanagan says the relationship between the director and their cast can be “seismic” because a conflict can not only disrupt a day on set, but erode the director’s confidence.
He also revealed that this is why he prefers to work with the same cast members in his own projects. “One of the reasons I work with the same actors again and again and again is because I don’t have to be scared of them. So that takes some of that anxiety out. But every time I have somebody new on set I’m freaked out and I don’t know what to say to them and how to talk to them.” In addition to frequently working with his wife, actress Kate Siegel, Flanagan also has cast Victoria Pedretti, Samantha Sloyan, Carla Gugino, Rahul Kohli, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Trucco, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas and Mark Hamill among others on multiple projects.
Okuno added “I definitely had that and still have that. I really got lucky with Maika [Monroe]… I kind of got the best possible person to work with for my first feature.” Flanagan also praised Monroe, the lead in Watcher, as a talented performer who is obviously aware of where the camera is and how that impacts her work as an actress. The two directors maintained respect for actors and what they do during the conversation. They agreed that this is just the reality of working in the industry as actors have to be in touch with their emotions in order to perform their role, so they are more vulnerable than the average person in the workplace.
You can listen to the whole conversation here:
Watcher (2022) is currently streaming on Netflix, and episodes of Director’s Commentary with Mike Flanagan are available on Spotify.
Further reading:
- Horror Movie Fans Are the ‘Happiest Human Beings’ According to Director Mike Flanagan
- Netflix Has the Best Horror Movie Directed by a Woman (Ever)
- 9 Maika Monroe Horror + Thriller Movies, Ranked
