"The writer [i.e. at rehearsals] should stay away from the actors except to let them know how much he is delighted by them. Actors, like everyone else in show business, need this constant reward. Don't flatter an actor unless he deserves it, but most professional actors, if they are responsive, will give you frequent cause for praise. Other than this, don't meddle with them. Actors will always come up to the writer, if he is around at rehearsals, and try to talk their parts out with him. The writer must refer them to the director. The director has his own idea of how to approach each actor, and advice from the writer will just confuse the actor and diffuse the director's authority."
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Academy Award winnersNovelists from the United StatesScreenwriters from the United StatesPeople from New York CityPlaywrights from the United States
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From Paddy Chayevsky's writer discussion of The Bachelor Party, at p.267.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paddy_Chayefsky
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Paddy Chayefsky
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (29 January 1923 – 1 August 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays.
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