The whole experience of getting people to do things was incredible. There was a guy named David Pokotilow that we used a lot; one of the people who hadn't acted before. He played the boyfriend and was a chess player and a violinist. He did the first party scene and said "Listen, that's it." And, as you know, that can't be it. "You have got to do this!" He said, "No, I don't want to do this." So he promissed me he'd do a scene running through the park. He didn't show up. We were standing out there in the park. I knew where he lived and I ran over to his house with a couple of other guys. "John, I'm with a girl for Chrissake. I'm not a actor, God, I'm so fat and ugly and I don't want to do this. I don't want to. I just hate it. I hate you." So I said, "David, you have got to do this. If you do it, I swear to God, I'll get you a chess set." I knew he loved chess. "You get the chess set. You come back with the chess set and then I'll do it." So we ran out like a bunch of idiots, got the chess set, came back. He says, "Put it by the door so I can see it." He opens the door and he says, "Ok, I'll do it." So we get down to the park. There's a scene with Tony Ray and I said, "Hey, you run after him." He said, "I'm not running for anybody." I said, "Please, you can run twenty yards?" He said no. I said, "Please run twenty yards." I'm reduced to nothing. And I'm standing there in the sunlight and the cold and everything and Bennie says, "Jesus, man, I'd just deck him.""David, what can I give you?" He said, "A Stradivarius.""I can't give you a Stradivarius. You know I can't afford a Stradivarius, but maybe we can rent it for you." So he ran twenty yards. He said, "That's it." He went home.
em Cassavetes on Cassavetes, de Ray Carney
