KC: That one pose is the main benchmark for the entire scene even though the scene may require many poses to communicate the emotions. That pose essentially summarizes that scene.

SM: Right. Even if there is a change of emotion, which most times there will be, usually there is an emphasis on one emotion or another. In the Stout scene, for example, when Mr. Stout goes from being preoccupied with a peanut to faking shame about having given Stuart up for adoption, the point of the scene is him faking shame. So I’d focus on that second emotion.

A few drawings from Sean’s CalArts days.

KC: So there’s one idea in a scene that you are trying to convey?

SM: Yeah. That’s what I was referring to in our discussion about commercials. The short deadlines really made me focus on that one central point. I still try to do that. Also, to a certain degree, and this probably just comes from experience and really knowing the characters I’m working with, I don’t put as much thought into a scene as you might expect. Once I’ve got that central idea, I tend to go more with my instincts.

KC: So it’s similar to working straight ahead. You’re looking for that spark?

SM: Yeah. I will think about the scene when it’s first given to me to figure out the overall performance and how I want to achieve it. But that’s maybe in the first day or so. After that I really just focus on sticking to that one idea. I try not to over-think things while I’m working on the scene. So with Mr. Stout in this example, I took into account the fact that he was a life-long, second-rate hustler who was trying to convince Stuart and the Littles that Stu was actually his son. And the real trick was getting that across somewhat subtly so that I wouldn’t give away the fact that it was a scam too early in the film. Mrs. Stout was also involved in the scam, but she approached it differently. First of all, she’s pretty ditzy, but she has a truly loving personality. She liked the idea of being a mom so much that she had essentially convinced herself that this was actually real. So I played her much straighter. She’s not trying to “act” as much as Mr. Stout. So keeping these things in mind, I listen to the dialogue over and over while I picture what their performances might look like in my head. Once I decide on something I’m happy with, I create that first pose. Then it’s just a matter of following through with the rest of the idea and not getting off track or second-guessing myself.

Mr. Stout admires his snack. All Stuart Little images © 2002 Columbia Pictures Industries. All rights reserved. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.