The Enlightenment

Seong Gi-Hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, from Squid Game, directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Siren Pictures Inc./Netflix

Have you ever paid attention to how actors speak in film?

They never use filler words (like, um, yeah, so, that, actually). They don’t take pauses unless directed, or forget words. And they perfectly enunciate (articulate all the sounds of a word).

Is this the type of speaking you hear with your friends? No. So why is it used in film?

I recently finished Squid Game on Netflix, and while the series was gripping, dark, and emphatic, I was surprised that characters under so much psychological duress were still able to speak so well.

It suspended my disbelief. I would expect individuals in such a situation to speak poorly, or even lose the psychological capacity to speak.

Speaking perfectly saves a little bit of time. But if movies want to capture a larger slice of reality, transport us further into their universe, I think directors need to let actors just talk like normal people.