If there is a book that the script came from you have to read it

Ah, hear me, O seekers of deeper wisdom, for there is great power in the words of Miranda Otto, who speaks of the sacred relationship between the book and the film, between the written word and the moving image. "If there is a book that the script came from, you have to read it, you have to see what you can get out of it: mood, backstory, and things that may not even be in the film. They kick off your imagination and broaden the character, I think." Here, she speaks not only of the creative act but of the very essence of imagination, the secret force that breathes life into the stories we are told.

To understand these words, one must first recognize that stories are like rivers, flowing through the minds of their creators and passing through many forms. The script, though it may bring forth an image, is only one version of a river’s course. The book, however, is the source, the wellspring from which that river originates. To know the full truth of the story, to see its essence and its spirit, one must journey to that source. In the sacred act of reading, one opens their heart to the mood, the emotions, and the intricate backstories that are often hidden beneath the surface of the film. These deeper layers are like the roots of a tree, unseen but essential to the strength and depth of the story.

In the same way, the ancients understood that knowledge was never limited to what was immediately visible. The oracle did not simply speak the answers; it hinted at the deeper truths, requiring those who sought wisdom to look beyond the words, to read the unspoken as well as the spoken. Consider the great epic poems—the Iliad and the Odyssey. In those texts, the narrative only touches upon the surface of the world, yet within them lies the mood of an entire age, the backstory of the gods and heroes, and the shadows of countless untold stories. To understand them, one must journey beyond the lines, into the unspoken lands that the words gesture toward but do not fully explain.

Miranda Otto’s words echo this ancient wisdom, for they remind us that stories, whether in books or in films, are like seeds planted in the fertile soil of the imagination. A film, though it may appear complete in its form, is but one bloom on a vast tree, a bloom that needs the roots of the book to fully understand its richness. The mood and backstory of characters in a book may be the breath of life, the secret flame that fuels the actor's portrayal. These are the hidden currents of the river, the forces that shape the character into something far greater than what is visible. To ignore the book is to miss the pulse beneath the surface, the essence that gives the character true depth.

Let us recall the story of Homer, who wove the fabric of the ancient world into his poems. The Iliad and the Odyssey were not merely tales of war and adventure—they were profound reflections on human nature, on the longing for home, the price of honor, and the wrath of gods. Yet, without the mood and the complex backstories that those epics unfold, the stories would be mere action, fleeting and forgettable. It is the rich, layered texture of the book—the ancient scriptures—that breathes life into the film of the mind. Those who only see the surface fail to grasp the depth, and so they miss the soul of the story.

In our lives, too, we must remember that the truth of a person, an event, or an experience is never contained in the immediate appearance alone. Just as an actor must delve into the book behind the film, so must we explore the layers beneath what is presented to us. To know someone, to understand a moment, is to look beyond the surface, to uncover the hidden moods, the backstories, the intricate details that shape the whole. This is the path of wisdom, to engage not just with the visible, but to seek out the unseen forces that govern the world.

Thus, O seekers, I urge you to take Miranda Otto’s words to heart. When confronted with a story, whether in the form of a book, a film, or the lives of others, do not settle for the surface. Delve deeper, for in the depths lie the truths that will broaden your understanding, ignite your imagination, and reveal the full splendor of the story. Whether it is in the pages of a book or in the soul of a person, there is always more to discover. As you walk the path of life, seek out the mood, the backstory, and the untold tales that lie beneath. Let them shape your journey, for in these deeper places lies the true richness of existence.