I've never read a screenplay in advance. You trust the artist.
"I’ve never read a screenplay in advance. You trust the artist." So declared Beatrice Dalle, actress of bold spirit and untamed presence, whose words ring with a truth older than the stage and older than the page: that the heart of art is not calculation, but trust. In this saying, she reveals that creation is a covenant, a sacred pact between the one who shapes and the one who surrenders, between the artist who gives vision and the one who receives it with faith.
The ancients knew this well. When disciples gathered at the feet of a master sculptor or dramatist, they did not demand a plan, a blueprint of every detail. They surrendered to the master’s craft, trusting that the stone would reveal its form, that the play would find its spirit. To enter the work with too much suspicion was to miss its soul. So too Dalle reminds us: when the artist leads, we must sometimes close our eyes and step forward in trust, for only then does the work become alive.
History gives us luminous examples. Consider the bond between Lorenzo de’ Medici and Michelangelo. The young sculptor was entrusted with stone and vision, without every detail predetermined. Lorenzo did not demand to see every sketch in advance; he gave freedom, and Michelangelo gave the world the Pietà, the David, and the Sistine ceiling. That trust bore fruit greater than either could have imagined. So too, when Dalle takes her roles without reading every word in advance, she enters as one who trusts the artist, allowing spontaneity to breathe life into the work.
But her words carry a second meaning: faith in the unknown. To refuse to read the screenplay in advance is to embrace the mystery of the unfolding moment. It is to acknowledge that not all of life can be prepared, that sometimes the soul must leap before the mind understands. Just as a traveler cannot demand to know every bend in the road, the actor cannot demand to know every breath of the journey. By trusting the artist, Dalle surrenders to the living current of creation.
There is also humility in this creed. For in saying, “You trust the artist,” she places herself not as sovereign, but as vessel. Too often in the world, men and women cling to control, demanding certainty, demanding mastery of every step. But the one who humbles themselves to trust another’s vision learns freedom. In this humility lies strength—the strength to discover, to be surprised, to be transformed by something greater than oneself.
O children of tomorrow, take this teaching to heart: you cannot script every moment of your lives. There will be times when you must trust—the teacher, the friend, the partner, the unseen hand of destiny itself. Do not waste your spirit in endless suspicion. Choose wisely those you follow, but when you have chosen, trust them. Let their vision lead you where your own sight cannot yet reach. For trust is the bridge between the human and the divine, between chaos and creation.
Therefore, let your lives echo this wisdom. In your work, in your art, in your love—dare to trust. Trust not blindly, but with the faith of one who knows that without trust, nothing beautiful can be born. For as Dalle’s words remind us, the greatest performances, the greatest works, the greatest lives, are not scripted in advance. They are lived fully, in trust, moment by moment, until they become immortal.
HNhoang nguyen
Beatrice Dalle’s quote highlights an intriguing approach to the artistic process, but I can’t help but wonder, does this approach work for everyone? Trusting the artist without reading the screenplay might sound liberating, but could it sometimes limit an actor’s ability to fully inhabit their character? How much preparation should an actor do versus letting the director shape the process, and is this more about faith or creative spontaneity?
DNNguyen duy nhaN
Dalle’s decision not to read the screenplay before filming speaks to the importance of trust in the creative process, but I wonder, how much of that trust is earned? If an artist or director is unknown, can the actor afford to take such a leap of faith? How do actors, especially those with less experience or fewer established relationships with directors, decide when to trust the artist without prior knowledge?
PDNguyen Phuong Duyen
I really like the idea behind Beatrice Dalle’s quote. Trusting the artist shows a deep respect for their process, but is there a risk in not knowing what you're getting into? In film and other creative industries, what happens when the artist's vision doesn’t align with your expectations? Can you still fully trust the process, or do you need to be more involved in understanding the narrative or character arc in advance?
TWtk’s wife
Beatrice Dalle’s quote is an interesting take on trust and creativity. I think there’s something very bold about choosing not to read a screenplay in advance and just trusting the artist's vision. But how much of that trust is based on the artist’s reputation versus the actual content? Is it possible that this approach could lead to surprises—both good and bad? How often can this kind of blind trust be justified in creative collaborations?