MICHELLE DANNER

Her current coming-of-age action thriller, The Runner stars Cameron Douglas, Elisabeth Röhm, Eric Balfour, and newcomer Edouard Philipponnat as a troubled teen forced to go undercover to expose a drug kingpin. The film screened at 28 festivals around the world winning countless awards.

Danner is currently in post-production on the courtroom drama Miranda’s Victim, which tells the true story of Trish Weir (played by Abigail Breslin) who was kidnapped and brutally raped by Ernesto Miranda (played by Sebastian Quinn). The subsequent trials went all the way to the Supreme Court and led to the creation of Miranda Rights.

A dedicated mom of two (one is an aspiring filmmaker), Danner still has her “day job” – overseeing the faculty of the Los Angeles Acting Conservatory, and conducting her weekly acting class. A longtime student of legendary acting teachers like Stella Adler and Uta Hagen, Danner’s eclectic approach (which she calls “The Golden ToolBox”) allows actors the freedom to employ a wide variety of techniques.

Raised in a show business family, Danner also continues to run the boutique Cinema at the Edge film festival. She is currently preparing to direct a new one-person play--Bonnie Culver’s Norris--starring Anne Archer, which is based on the memoirs of Norman Mailer’s widow.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview. Was there a film or director that inspired you to become a director?

Michelle Danner: I’ve always liked film, starting at a young age. Mostly, it’s the storytelling, the power of words, and literature. And it inspired me to be a storyteller. I grew up in Paris. My father was the first president of the William Morris Agency in Paris in 1964. So I grew up playing under his desk and watching all these actors, singers, and entertainers come in. They’d talk about their careers. My passion for literature made me read a lot and want to tell stories. In terms of who inspired me. There was Mike Lee, Nancy Myers, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, and Todd Phillips.

In directing, you wear many hats. Which hat do you like the most?

Danner: For me, it all goes hand-in-hand because the director is the captain of the ship. They sign the painting. So you look at the painting and you see all the elements come together. I like all of it.

Can you talk about your eclectic approach using the “Golden Toolbox”?

Danner: I studied with many talented actors—Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, Herbert Berghof, and others. Everyone taught a different philosophy about acting. So I believe that whatever is valuable and helpful for an actor, they have to decide which tools work best for their instrument, their sensitivity. As opposed to ‘I’m a method actor so I’ll just do this and that.’ Today’s actors have to learn all the different techniques and what speaks to them the most. And what tool will be most valuable to put into their personalized toolbox—which becomes their “Golden Toolbox.” It’s not one thing. You try things and you explore and it’s a process.

What do you look for in a script?

Danner: Compelling, powerful characters, and a story that really grabs you. Like Miranda’s Victim. When I was approached to direct that, I knew immediately that it was a story I wanted to tell. No one really knew how Miranda Rights came to be and who it happened to.

In terms of an acting career, what’s the first step a student should take and the last step they should take?

Danner: The first step they should take is to really study the craft. Then I would say really live the life around you because life offers you a lot of clues on how to move forward. And nothing is clean-cut or cookie-cutter. And success is not automatic. Some people call it luck; I say, you create your own path. I know that filmmakers and actors should read a lot. Reading feeds your soul, your imagination, and your instincts. It connects you to an inner life. I’m a great believer in watching, reading, and doing.

What surprised you the most about teaching acting?

Danner: Great question. No one’s ever asked me that. It’s so rewarding. It’s about the process. Every time you work with actors, you see them grow, and you see the light bulbs go on. It’s incredibly rewarding to feel that you’re giving something. To pass on the knowledge that I have feels like I’m contributing.

The Runner is an action-packed thriller. What drew you to the script?

Danner: I was watching a film late one night about children forced to go undercover all wired up. It moved me a lot, so at two o’clock in the morning, a three-page treatment just poured out of me. I called a writer friend and asked if they could write the script for me. I felt it was an important story to tell.

Okay, biggest challenge in filming/ directing Miranda’s Victim?

Danner: It was a period piece—back in 1962. It’s difficult to shoot periods. But the biggest challenge that comes to mind was shooting the film during the covid restrictions.

How do you approach casting? Do you look for internal driv e or external talent?

Danner: I cast instinctively. I just know. I follow my gut. I work with casting director Nancy Bishop. I have relationships with a lot of actors.

David Lynch says all film is entering into someone else’s dreams. What’s your take on the art of filmmaking?

Danner: I love that. I think that we’re all so much more alike than not. So stories and humanity are universal. People are moved by the same thing. What’s important for me about storytelling is that it reminds people about humanity.

What were you like in high school? The girl most likely to…?

Danner: The girl most likely to cast you in a play (laughs). I love this question. No one’s ever asked me this. I grew up in Paris and the kids used to call me the little American girl and pull my hair. But I started to write and I adapted The Queen’s Necklace--the novel by Alexandre Dumas--to a home play and I cast everyone from the school. It was a huge theatric event and it went very well. So I went from the bullied girl in school to the popular girl because everyone wanted to be in my production. Teachers loved me but I also turned the school upside down because I’d cast every one in my plays, which called for rehearsals and performing.