Paul Johannson, who is directing episode 14 of Season 7 of the locally filmed television show One Tree Hill, is seen on set at EUE/Screen Gems Studios Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009.
When “One Tree Hill’s” Paul Johansson directs, it’s oddly reminiscent of a game of bowling.
During a recent scene on set at EUE/Screen Gems in Wilmington, Johansson put on a set of earphones and watched two monitors showing angles from two different cameras.
“Take it in, absorb it and make a moment of it,” Johansson told guest star Allison Munn just seconds before she took her place. “I’m giving you liberty to really make it a moment.”
At the sound of “action,” he scooted up in his director’s chair and brought both hands up to the screens.
One hand appeared to represent the movements he wanted actor Lee Norris to make. The other hand motioned in the direction Munn was supposed to walk. The moment Johansson twisted his wrist to the left, Munn turned clockwise to face Norris for a heartfelt conversation.
Johansson had an earnest expression as he felt his way through their performance. And he was visibly excited after a perfectly executed scene – a lot like the bowler who leans to one side as if willing the rolling ball to curve in that direction. And when a strike is finally hit, well, who’s to say it didn’t help?
Many fans of The CW television drama don’t realize the actor they know as Dan has directed more episodes of “One Tree Hill” than anyone else, with the exception of co-executive producer/director Greg Prange. Episode number 14 of season seven is his 13th go at directing the show.
When in front of the camera, Johansson portrays an evil father who manipulates those around him, will do anything to get what he wants and isn’t opposed to murdering anyone who will stand in his way – including his own brother.
But don’t paint Dan in black and white, says Johansson.
“I don’t think Dan is evil. I think Dan’s intents have always been self-serving, which is sort of what we would conceive as evil, in a sociological sense,” Johansson said in an interview in late November. “But I think that he truly loves his sons and is willing to go through fantastical ways in order to get them what he wants them to have. Which may not be the same as what they want, but what he wants them to have.”
The character couldn’t be further from the actor, who acts like he’s never met a stranger. He’s upbeat, warm and quick with jokes. Guest stars consistently praise Johansson as someone who goes out of his way to welcome them to Wilmington. And Johnsson insisted this interview couldn’t begin until the reporter walked to craft service and had a cup of coffee with him.
While crew members moved about the set changing light angles and adjusting cameras, Johansson began to talk about his philosophies on acting and directing.
Good acting is layered, he said. Each character has a “life,” motivations for doing what he does; he has a past, and he has relationships with other characters. When standing in front of the camera, an actor should be thinking about all these things and reacting to them.
“That’s the difference between good actors and bad actors, is how many layers they can play. Or, not play, but experience,” he said. “If you want to be on film a lot, have a lot of thoughts.”
When the work is done well, it’s easy for the actor to get caught up in the character. Johansson says this is something he’s often accused of on set; people look at him differently and react to him differently when he’s in “Dan-mode.”
“The crew would rather work with me as a director. Because as an actor … you have to be giving to other actors, but you have to be selfish in your needs and your intents,” he said. “And what I mean by that is the character’s needs and the character’s intents, not yours as an actor, but yours as a character. And those can be confusing to people when they see you work.”
He laughed and looked over to Norris who was sitting in a chair behind him. “Isn’t that right? I’m much nicer when I’m directing, aren’t I?”
Norris, who plays sports broadcaster Marvin “Mouth” McFadden, shook his head. “I really like him as a director,” he said. “He comes at it from the actor background. He asks you the challenging questions that you should be asking yourself.”
As intense as Johansson is about acting, though, that’s not what got him into the film and television industry.
He came to Hollywood not really sure what he was going to do there. He considered becoming a writer and wrote several plays and a couple of scripts. Then, he said, he “fell into acting,” and friends began encouraging him in that direction.
“I don’t want to be adequate at anything,” Johansson said of acting. “I started to become passionate at being good at it. But in my heart, I’ve never felt that I was destined to finish my life as an actor. I’ve always felt I was going to be writing and directing … .Writing is very lonely. And acting is very selfish. And directing, it’s bringing the best of everybody together. It’s really being a leader.”
He was moving more into the writing/directing direction long before the opportunity to work on “One Tree Hill” came along. But a difficult experience with an independent film pushed him back into acting.
Johansson wrote a script for an independent film called “The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie,” which he also directed. He says he went through 12 or more re-writes before it was ready for shooting. But shooting fell through three times. One of those times was because investors pulled out after the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy.
In all, it took five years, but it finally aired on Showtime and is out on DVD now. Johansson said it was a great learning experience and he’s very proud of the movie.
“It brought me a long way to becoming the director that I want to be,” he said.
But it also used up a lot of his resources, so he went back into acting for what turned out to be seven years. And counting.
The opportunity to work on “One Tree Hill” came along about 2002. And although Johansson had been focusing on writing and directing, when he began working on the “Dan” character, he said, it revitalized his love of acting.
Of course, he had to leave Hollywood for North Carolina, which for some can be quite the culture shift. When asked if he had any preconceptions about living in Wilmington, Johansson laughed.
“I talked to Vince Vaughn before I came here,” he said, still laughing. “And he loved the city. But as you know, there was an awkward experience that he had here.”
In 2001, while filming “Domestic Disturbance,” Vaughn made headlines after he got into a fray with a local at a downtown bar.
“He just said, ‘Be careful, be careful.’ And I got here and I didn’t see that at all,” Johansson said. “But I also don’t get myself in those situations.”
Johansson said he loves Wilmington, though, because of its split personalities – the beach, the historic downtown and the film community. He’s lived here for seven years now. And although he’s still intrigued by playing Dan Scott, over time, opportunities evolved for him to get more and more into directing for “One Tree Hill.”
“When I say I wanted to continue my directing, it’s because I feel like what you saw that day that you came to set was my ability to sort of bring a freshness and help facilitate the story by bringing motivated actors to motivated places.”
During that time on set, it was easy to see Johansson shares what he learns with those around him.
In just two or three takes, the scene with Norris and Munn completely changed its atmosphere. It increased in feeling, tension and intensity between the characters.
Johansson says he hopes to get even more experience in directing very soon. He’s looking for scripts he can direct during time off from “One Tree Hill.”
He also hasn’t completely ditched his other passion. He’s in the middle of writing a script, even though it’s slow-going because he only writes during his free time from the show. He says he doesn’t want to take any time away from “One Tree Hill.”
But the actor/director/writer is careful not to burn out. He says being in the film and television industry is like running a marathon. People who can pace themselves have longer, more fulfilling careers.
“And I’m trying to find my pace,” he said.
Read the original article here @ StarNewsOnline
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