- Rider Strong revealed an interesting rule from his former co-star Donald Sutherland on the set of the 1993 film “Benefit of the Doubt.”
- Sutherland allegedly had a strict policy that no one could make eye contact with him unless they were in a scene together.
- Insider reached out to Sutherland’s representatives for comment, but they have not responded yet.
During a recent episode of “Pod Meets World,” actor Rider Strong shared an interesting rule imposed by his former co-star Donald Sutherland. According to Strong, Sutherland had a strict policy on the set of the 1993 film “Benefit of the Doubt” that no one was allowed to make eye contact with him, unless they were part of a scene together.
Strong, along with cohosts Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle, and guest Darlene Vogel, discussed how guest stars are treated on sets by series regular actors. Strong mentioned this specific rule at around the 33-minute mark of the podcast.
This rule was specific to the film “Benefit of the Doubt,” where Strong played Sutherland’s grandson. The movie revolves around Sutherland’s character, Frank, who is released from prison after serving 20 years for killing his wife. Frank’s daughter, Karen, portrayed by Amy Irving, testified against him in court. After his release, Frank tries to reconnect with Karen, who is raising Strong’s character, Pete.
Strong clarified that if an actor was in a scene with Sutherland, they were allowed to make eye contact. However, off-camera, every crew member had to look away and avoid making eye contact with him.
Strong also shared an anecdote where Sutherland paused a monologue during a scene on a houseboat and pointed out someone looking at him from outside the window. The crew had to intervene and remove the person from the set.
Sutherland’s representative has not yet responded to Insider’s request for comment regarding these claims.
Strong later clarified that the eye contact rule was mainly applicable during single-camera scenes to prevent distractions. He acknowledged that if an actor sees someone looking at them, it can disrupt their focus. However, Strong did not specify if Sutherland’s rule only applied when filming scenes for the movie.
New episodes of “Pod Meets World” are released weekly and can be streamed online.
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