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August 26, 2012 4:57 pm  #1


Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

When I watch a crying scene that I like I'm always curious about how genuine the crying is. Which is why I'm interested in hearing about what the actors do to trigger it. I'm making a thread to collect these stories. Please share any that you might know of:

Let's begin:

- As we all know, Stanley Kubrick was a visionary genius as well as a colossal bucket of dick. On the set of "The Shining" he kept actress Shelley Duvall on the edge all the time, to the point where she started losing her hair out of stress. Kubrick was also a perfectionist whose shoots were long. According to Duvall, she cried so much during her scenes that she had to keep a bottle of water with her at all times to stop becoming dehydrated.

- According to Wes Craven, Drew Barrymore told him a story from her home town about a boy who set fire to a puppy. She burst into tears while relating this story. On the set of "Scream" whenever Craven needed her to cry he would remind her of that story and the waterworks would begin.

- According to John Carpenter, Kurt Russell hates crying. Doing crying scenes tend to frustrate and anger him. Fortunately, these emotions will eventually translate and become fuel for the waterworks.

- Apparently there was friction between Winona Ryder and Gary Oldman on the set of "Dracula" due to different acting methods. According to Ryder, Oldman is a very emotional person who can cry on command, whereas for Ryder it takes time to get to that place and trigger the emotions (as well as turning it off afterwards).


Ugly crying is pretty crying
 

August 26, 2012 5:56 pm  #2


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

- Jensen Ackles from Supernatural has quite a few crying scenes.  In one episode called Heaven and Hell, he describes to his brother what Hell was like.  He is very emotional in the scene, and found the scene so overwhelming, he had to take a walk afterwards to stop crying.

- In A Time to Kill, Matthew McConaughey gives his closing argument and seems to surprise himself by becoming emotional at the end.  That's because the tears were unscripted and genuine.  And the scene was done in all one take.


"...men do not cry. They will do anything BUT cry. They stop themselves crying. And eventually they do cry if it is bad enough. So that's how you know with a man how bad it is for him. Because he would've stopped himself...Men always cry like that. They don't cry and in the end they do and if they do then it's overwhelming." ~Michael Caine
 

August 27, 2012 3:05 pm  #3


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

yellowrose wrote:

- Jensen Ackles from Supernatural has quite a few crying scenes.  In one episode called Heaven and Hell, he describes to his brother what Hell was like.  He is very emotional in the scene, and found the scene so overwhelming, he had to take a walk afterwards to stop crying.

- In A Time to Kill, Matthew McConaughey gives his closing argument and seems to surprise himself by becoming emotional at the end.  That's because the tears were unscripted and genuine.  And the scene was done in all one take.

- In Ten Things I Hate About You Julia Stiles also got emotional when delivering her poem to the class


Security will run you down hard
And I will lead them on a merry chase
 

August 27, 2012 7:56 pm  #4


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

I just wanna say right now how awesome this idea for a thread is. 

Umm... I have read some Jim Carrey interviews and I think he does method acting.  In the DVD commentary for "Bruce Almighty", the director talked about two of Jim's crying scenes.  In one, where Jennifer Aniston think he's proposing to her, he did multiple takes (maybe 10 takes?) and was able to bring on the tears every single time (the director was quite impressed!)  Also, when they shot the scene where he's walking in a downpour, there was just one take and he got the "right" emotion right away.  I also seem to recall that for a crying scene in "The Majestic", he prepared for the scene by being alone for a bit and quietly tinkling on a piano (obviously there was a piano handy on a nearby set).  I believe it was the scene where he has to say goodbye to his dying "father".  Also, in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the director was ready to use fake tears on Jim, but Jim refused as he wanted them to be real.  Apparently the tears didn't come right away and they were all waiting (perhaps somewhat impatiently?) for them to come, but finally they came (the scene is where he's in some kind of altered state where his mind is being controlled, so I bet that's why it was harder to get them to come... not a 'natural' type of crying scene at all, but more of an eye watering while wearing an expressionless face kind of thing!)

 

August 28, 2012 8:40 am  #5


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

British soap actress Samantha Womack had to do a scene where she finds her baby dead. As a mother herself the scene upset her so much that filming had to be stopped because she couldn't stop crying.


Ugly crying is pretty crying
     Thread Starter
 

August 28, 2012 7:09 pm  #6


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

Hugh Jackman said in an interview that he was taught a trick by Michael Caine in order to stimulate his crying glands. He pulls some pubic hair or some hair from his nose ( when the scene permits it) and that makes the tears emerge a bit, then it's easily for him to cry. Watching the Fouintain though where he cries buckets i see the whole dramatic scenes in a different light now   . I guess he joked though..

Keanu Reeves said in an interviw that he was amazed at Malkovich easiness to shed tears. While he managed to get his crying scene properly after 8 hours annoying the director ( and it was just one tear depicted there) John Malkovich cried his part in seconds.

Bruce Willis had problems doing the last scene in Armaggedon where he speaks to his daughter. He was supposed to shed just one tear. He brought pictures of his family with him on the set and had been looking at them the whole time we see his face on that screen. He imagined he was saying goodbye to them and go forever and that made him cry so hard that he spoiled the one tear scene and had to repeat it many times.


''I like crying. And now I not only wanna cry and show my crying to other people, I wanna just split myself down the middle and open my guts and just throw everything out!''
Woody Harrelson
 

August 28, 2012 8:58 pm  #7


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

That whole "one tear" scene is bogus, in my opinion.  I have NEVER known anyone to cry just a single tear.  Either their eyes water but no tears fall, or they cry multiple tears.


"We have our stalking memories, and they will demand their rightful tears."
Anonymous
 

August 28, 2012 11:14 pm  #8


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

Maybe it also happens because it has to be a short scene, effectual just in the sense of inducing emotion but not necessarily gut wrenching emotion.. i don't know what to say. Maybe i formulated it in a strange way. Many scenes where the protagonist is a hero, a strong brave man depict his sad moments ''single tearly'' so to say. the eyes well up , and just one, small tear streams down ...then Cut..( by saying this i don't imply that all Hollywood movies are like that, of course, things change but i, as an old crying lover, i noticed this pattern in a lot of movies.


''I like crying. And now I not only wanna cry and show my crying to other people, I wanna just split myself down the middle and open my guts and just throw everything out!''
Woody Harrelson
 

August 28, 2012 11:43 pm  #9


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

Actually, psychicgirl, I've also noticed the cliche' of the "Manly Tear".  I think what bothers me is that it feels so artificial.  Besides, if a guy is going to be emotional, I want him to be EMOTIONAL.  Either struggle to keep the feelings hidden, or let them flow freely.


"We have our stalking memories, and they will demand their rightful tears."
Anonymous
 

August 29, 2012 5:50 pm  #10


Re: Crying on cue: stories behind the scene

psychic_girl wrote:

Keanu Reeves said in an interviw that he was amazed at Malkovich easiness to shed tears. While he managed to get his crying scene properly after 8 hours annoying the director ( and it was just one tear depicted there) John Malkovich cried his part in seconds.

Well, that's not surprising. Keanu Reeves is not human.


It is such a secret place, the land of tears.
-- Antoine de Saint Exupery, "The Little Prince"
 

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