What Defines A Classic (Performance)
Great performances depend, in large part, on reverse projection. We often talk about an actor projecting this or that emotion, but that's not the only way it works. Watch a movie star, especially during a close-up reaction shot, and you're likely to see his or her face holding still, staying neutral so as not to give too much away. We're the ones who are doing the projecting, and what we detect, bouncing back like radar returns from the actor's face, is our own empathetic response -- what we feel the character is feeling. Wall Street Journal 05/03/08

Posted May 4, 2008 10:52 AM