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Steven Soderbergh talking to Roger Ebert about The Girlfriend Experience:

“I’d give them a basic goal for the scene, like ‘don’t let him sell you a package of workout sessions,’ and turn them loose. I’d say 95 percent of the film is made up of first or second takes. They were controlled improvisations where the actors were encouraged to speak freely about themselves and as themselves.”

There’s often an element of roleplaying on both parts of the escort transaction. (They tell me.) In this film, Soderbergh has reduced the role-playing of the actors and, in so doing, moved closer to an improvisational game or indie-style roleplaying game. The actors are playing just a few degrees away from themselves in scenes that involve professionals playing the roles of people who play roles for a living. It’s so wonderfully meta — I can’t wait to see this thing.