Body Language & Emotional Intelligence: Interstellar

Showing posts with label Interstellar. Show all posts

Monday, November 17, 2014

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3016: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and a Suppressed yet Sincere Smile (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway were guests recently on The Graham Norton Show promoting their new film, Interstellar. In the above video of that appearance, there are several great nonverbal moments as Anne Hathaway recounts her conversation with Christopher Nolan (Director of Interstellar) - one of which is analyzed here.

The image below is taken from the 0:50 mark, where for about 1.5 seconds, McConaughey displays a sincere, yet suppressed smile.

A sincere smile must always have a relaxed (uncontracted) forehead, eyelids which are partially closed and dynamic, concave-up creases of the lower eyelids - all of which are present in this moment. Ironic to many, the mouth-component of a sincere smile can be variable. Here McConaughey displays a unilateral mouth smile component with closed lips - not a single tooth is showing (If teeth were showing, what features would have to be present for it to still be a true smile?).

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3015: Jonathan Gruber on Obamacare - Body Language Tells

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2971: Not Giving Good Actors an Easy Pass - Interstellar Trailer - When the Body Language is Not Congruent with Real Life

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2191: Anne Hathaway's Impersonation of Katie Holmes on SNL - "Norming" Katie and Variations on a Theme

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2740: Matthew McConaughey Tells Us What He REALLY THINKS about the Motion Picture Academy - Body Language, Ear Screws and Deception

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2399: Matthew McConaughey on David Letterman and a Very Common Body Language Tell

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2322: Jeb Bush & Matt Lauer - Which one is the Narcissist? Body Language Red Flags

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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2989: Jessica Chastain, "Interstellar", David Letterman and a Partial Emblematic Slip (VIDEO, PHOTO)

Jessica Chastain was on the Late Show with David Letterman recently promoting her new film, "Interstellar". Observing actors during interviews and talk shows are very good settings to watch when endeavoring to learn body language. Watch this short with the sound off and then a second time with regular volume. When great actors using the Stanislavski Method are "in character" - their nonverbals tend to be much more accurate, e.g. their words, vocal qualities and nonverbals are congruent. However when interviewed, and when they're "just being themselves" - they are often no better than average (even the Oscar winners).

What follows are two moments of Jessica Chastain's nonverbal reaction just after David Letterman spoofs "Interstellar" with a clip from a circa 1930's movie.

In this first moment during 10:57, Ms. Chastain's primary emotion is disgust. This is shown by tightening of her mid-face region and nostril flaring. It is amplified by her extended blinking.

Jessica's left arm and hand configuration are both blocking/forming barriers to Dave - yet more importantly her hand is signifying critical evaluation.

Here, less than a second later, Ms. Chastain continues yet refines her critical evaluation. Note her middle finger is both telling Dave to "shut up" and more importantly flipping him off. This is just one - yet a very classic example - for what in body language terminology is known as a "Partial Emblematic Slip" (Ekman) and is highly reliable signal. It is partial because it's not the fully displayed bird. This example is subconscious while a full bird is very conscious. An emblem is a nonverbal sign, often but not always involving the hands, the meaning of which is widely known.

Jessica is proud of her work and she believes this was a cheap shot. Note Dave is somewhat mirroring her behavior - not giving her the middle finger, but covering his own mouth with a surrogate finger (his pencil). Dave thought it was a cheap too and is regretting the low-grade jest.

See also:

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2988: How did John Elway feel about Peyton Manning's Touchdown Record?

Nonverbal Communication Analysis # 2268: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Kathryn Bigelow & Jessica Chastain - Body Language at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2640: Disgust at Denver area School Shooting

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2603: Sarah Palin's Body Language - She Feels Disgust toward Pope Francis and ... She Tells a Fib

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 1818: Political Correctness, a Partial Emblematic Slip at a Falcon, Colorado Elementary School

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2817: Rep. Joe Garcia Picks His Ear & Eats it - What his Body Language Really is Saying

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2971: Not Giving Good Actors an Easy Pass - Interstellar Trailer - When the Body Language is Not Congruent with Real Life

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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2971: Not Giving Good Actors an Easy Pass - Interstellar Trailer - When the Body Language is Not Congruent with Real Life (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

You have to love Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain. They're all fantastic actors and Christopher Nolan is an outstanding producer. Excellent Sci-fi is rare and timeless - and I'm very much looking forward to seeing "Interstellar" next month. Even special effects, in a very real way, have become another actor. Yet we should not give any of them a free pass.

What is great acting? It is when the words, the paralanguage (tone of voice, pitch, cadence, pauses, crescendo, volume, etc.) and the body language are congruent with the emotion and context of the scene. When one (or more) of these qualities are in disparity - the actor is not replicating "real life" and doesn't suspend our disbelief as much.

In this moment when astronaut Amelia Brand, played by Anne Hathaway says, "We're not gonna make it!" as a kilometer high wave is approaching, her face is not at all reflective of fear - particularly the profound fear she would have at this moment. Even the great Yuri Gargarin or the unflappable Neil Armstrong would, if they had been in her spacesuit, have their eyelids dramatically more widely open. However Hathaway's are not. Indeed her eyes in this moment are more consistent with sadness and puzzlement. Facing the immediacy of an unanticipated physical threat and of the fear of sudden death - the adrenaline surges and the eyes would take on a classic "white and wide" appearance.

And even with gracious allowances made for the fact she is speaking, Hathaway's mouth has a much lower level of fear displayed here. With high levels of fear the corners of the mouth pull backwards and the lower teeth are significantly more exposed. Of course we can't see her neck, but in the scenario of real fear - the neck muscles become very tented and tensed.

Still .... it makes me wish we had a wormhole.

This website serves as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others’ body language as well as the projection of one’s own nonverbal skills in many different contexts – not to advance any political, religious or other agenda.

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