8 Genius Ways Actors Made Sure You Noticed Them In Movies
4. Geoffrey Rush Stood On The Left Side Of The Screen While Shooting Pirates Of The Caribbean
Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa is one of the most entertaining supporting characters in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series, and during the 14 years he inhabited the role, the actor made use of a clever trick to ensure he was always catching the eyes of his viewers.
Rush has a theory: that audiences watch movies in the same way they read books. He thinks that people automatically zone in on the left side of the screen and work their way to the right, scanning each shot in this manner. This means that characters on the left side of the screen effectively stand out more than those on the right, which is why Rush always ensured he was positioning himself for maximum impact.
While shooting the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, the actor became concerned that his more attractive cast members - mainly Keira Knightley - would hog the spotlight, so he requested that he be placed to the right of them where possible. This way, he would be on the left side of the screen in the finished movie, the space where audience members will generally focus their gaze first. Sneaky pirate!