Suicide Squad: 15 Major Reveals From The New EW Details

14. David Ayer's Directing Style Makes Actors "Vulnerable"

A lot was said of Zack Snyder's directing style for Batman v Superman, but it sounds distinctly at odds with Suicide Squad's David Ayer's approach.

According to EW's interviews with the cast, Ayer asks a lot more from his cast, in order to channel something personal into their performances. His pre-filming set-up also helped encourage a strong dynamic between the cast, as Will Smith confirmed:

“They were technically rehearsals, but not really. It was much more about David spending time going through everyone’s lives, connecting our life experiences to our character’s life experiences and finding those parallels. What we didn’t realize was what he does in the process is he learns our buttons. We are really bonding but David is grabbing all of your deepest emotional issues so he can throw them back in your face on set.”

That sounds pretty harsh, but it definitely sounds effective. Margot Robbie doesn't sound like she was particularly keen:

“It was a pretty vulnerable place to go. He wants to know about your personal history and your relationships and your childhood, things like that that you don’t really want to tell a stranger... Then you have to share that with the rest of your squad as well. I really didn’t like that.”

Ayer actually explains to EW why he works the way he does (it's all about rapport) and it makes perfect sense:

"Acting is very lonely. I don’t think people realize how much these people live out of suitcases and just show up. If you can give them a sense of connection and family and build support around them, then you get the trust. I think trust drives performance." “It can’t be [comfortable.] You’ve got to open up. Actors are super cagey. ‘I’m not going to let you see any of my tools until I get to set and then I’m going to surprise you because they are so awesome.’ [My approach is more], ‘No, No. Let’s burn through the tool box now and start making some new tools.’"