Don't Assume Your Actors Understand the Underlying Goal

I once wasted half a day on a scene where the actor just wasn't delivering the 'flustered' performance I needed, despite me giving increasingly desperate notes about speed and energy. The problem wasn't their talent or my direction on how to be flustered; it was that I hadn't explicitly stated the why. I assumed they understood the character was late for a crucial meeting and their job was on the line if they didn't get there fast. They were approaching it as generally agitated, when the stakes needed to be clear. Once I stopped just saying 'faster' and instead said, 'You're about to lose your career if you don't get this done right now', their whole physicality and vocal performance shifted instantly. It was a stark reminder that actors aren't mind readers and sometimes the subtext needs to become plain text, at least in a coaching moment. We often forget to share the 'why' behind the 'what' when giving notes, especially when we've lived with the script for so long. Have you ever realized your actors were playing a completely different movie than you intended?