10 More Insane Rules Movies Weren't Allowed To Break
2. No Eyebrow Movement - Nosferatu (2024)
During the lead up to the release of Robert Eggers' superb reimagining of Nosferatu, star Nicholas Hoult revealed that Eggers had one very peculiar rule for the entire cast - don't move those eyebrows.
Hoult arrived to shoot his role in the horror film and soon discovered to his surprise that Eggers hates it when actors move their eyebrows during takes. Eggers himself has elaborated on his rationale, saying:
"I don't like actors to move their eyebrows... [Be]cause you just waste a lot of energy and the actor doesn't seem as focused and doesn't seem as committed."
However, there's probably an argument to be made that if an actor has to spend time and energy focusing on their eyebrows, they're probably not going to have their attention fully dialled in to performing the scene itself.
Still, it's tough to argue with the end result given Eggers' track record, even if few watching Nosferatu have likely noticed the lack of eyebrow acrobatics.