Michael Mann thinks of directing from the inside out. Even when he's working with established actors like Roberto De Niro and Daniel Day-Lewis, he focuses on providing a stimulus—through script, choreography, and verbal cues—that the performers can react to. This approach has earned Mann a reputation for bringing out the best in his casts, and for creating characters in films like Heat and The Last of the Mohicans that are at once distinct and memorable. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Mann joins host and AIR MAIL contributor Bruce Bozzi to discuss his filmmaking philosophy, the moment he knew Don Johnson was the perfect front man for Miami Vice, and his current writing process for Heat 2.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.