In pursuit of studying the presentation and anxiety of a hyper-masculine mid-century homosexual man, I figured I’d start with some Rock Hudson viewing. Watching this to see how he masks as a professional in combination with reading some accounts of his life seemed a good place to start, though I don’t think my character will fit his brand exactly. It’s the anxiety, not the behavior, that I want to figure out.

Watching this to study Jack Lemmon’s ability to switch between the comedic and dead-serious scenes on a dime. Turns out there’s a depressing undertone that powers his performance through both, and it’s not a matter of changing approach. My character is much more in line with Sheldrake, asshole-wise, but there’s a lot to learn about the overarching mood of my show.

Watched this to try and absorb the anxiety of the characters. Though I don’t think I’ll take much away from the performances, the motivations and the pressure will be good to build a foundation on. Especially the blackmail element. Bob’s biggest concern is blackmail both towards himself and as a criteria for his job, so the threat of that is worth studying in this flick