Stories of David Fincher on set are legendary. Based on pretty much everything you hear from actors who have worked with the director over the decades, it’s clear that Fincher has very specific ideas about how to shoot a film or TV series. That is to say that the man is meticulous in ways that would make other filmmakers’ jaws hit the floor. And according to Holt McCallany, one of the stars of Fincher’s Netflix series “Mindhunter,” the stories are true but also explain why the director is one of the best in the business.
McCallany spoke to /Film in a recent interview about the process of shooting scenes with David Fincher on the set of the Netflix serial killer drama, “Mindhunter,” and how the challenges of working with the auteur lead to one of the best series on TV. And if anyone should know about Fincher, it’s McCallany. He actually worked with the director on Fincher’s first major film, “Alien 3,” and now with the filmmaker’s latest project.
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“Some of the interview scenes [in ‘Mindhunter’] might be ten pages or more,” said the actor. “And David likes to shoot them all the way through from beginning to end. And then he likes to do a lot of setups and many takes within each setup. So it demands a high level of concentration.”
And as for improv? Well, that’s not something you find on a David Fincher set. McCallany said that the only time it’s appropriate for you to offer suggestions about a performance is during rehearsals, but even then, Fincher may not go for it.
“He may not embrace them, but you’re always allowed to present them,” McCallany said. “But once something is set, then that’s what it is. So he doesn’t want you doing something completely different in take 30 than you didn’t take three. It’s the same performance and he’s going to give you small adjustments between takes and you kind of massage it and it continues to get better and better and better.”
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He continued, “But yeah, it’s a very challenging way to work. But I find it very exciting and frankly, when I work with other directors who have a much more kind of run and gun type of a style, I always worry that you didn’t get enough coverage. You didn’t do enough takes. You’re going to get into the editing room and you’re going to be missing something that you really wanted and it’s because you didn’t spend the time. On ‘Mindhunter,’ we spend the time.”
Of course, all that being said, the actor doesn’t hesitate to call Fincher “one of the truly exceptional directors in American cinema.” And if you’re a fan of quality filmmaking, you will likely agree with that sentiment.
Many will also agree that whatever Fincher has been doing with “Mindhunter,” he should keep it up. The Netflix series is easily one of the best originals to come from the streaming service, since its launch, even if it takes a six-day workweek and 10 months of shooting to achieve it.
Season 2 of “Mindhunter” is available on Netflix now.