"I remember the first reading of the script we had and everybody was sitting around the table. I was very impressed with the level of acting that was in the room, particularly with Jennifer who has so much responsibility"
About this Quote
There’s a quiet politics to the “first table read” story: it’s the safest place in Hollywood to tell the truth while still sounding generous. Victor Garber frames the memory like a backstage postcard - everyone “sitting around the table,” the collective ritual before a production becomes a machine. That setup matters because it flatters the ensemble (we were all there, we all felt it) while reserving the emotional climax for a single person: Jennifer.
His phrasing is doing two jobs. “Very impressed with the level of acting in the room” establishes the baseline: this isn’t a vanity project, it’s serious craft. Then the pivot - “particularly with Jennifer” - narrows the lens and subtly designates her as the project’s load-bearing wall. He doesn’t say she was the best, which would invite comparison; he says she had “so much responsibility,” a tactful, insider way of acknowledging the unfair math of star vehicles. One actor carries the narrative, the marketing, the tone, the crew’s confidence, and often the blame if things wobble.
The subtext reads like a veteran actor clocking stakes. Garber is praising talent, yes, but he’s also signaling professional trust: Jennifer isn’t just good; she can hold the weight. It’s a compliment that doubles as risk assessment, delivered in the language actors use when they don’t want to mythologize genius - they want to describe reliability under pressure.
His phrasing is doing two jobs. “Very impressed with the level of acting in the room” establishes the baseline: this isn’t a vanity project, it’s serious craft. Then the pivot - “particularly with Jennifer” - narrows the lens and subtly designates her as the project’s load-bearing wall. He doesn’t say she was the best, which would invite comparison; he says she had “so much responsibility,” a tactful, insider way of acknowledging the unfair math of star vehicles. One actor carries the narrative, the marketing, the tone, the crew’s confidence, and often the blame if things wobble.
The subtext reads like a veteran actor clocking stakes. Garber is praising talent, yes, but he’s also signaling professional trust: Jennifer isn’t just good; she can hold the weight. It’s a compliment that doubles as risk assessment, delivered in the language actors use when they don’t want to mythologize genius - they want to describe reliability under pressure.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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