Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho of Hitchcock biographies—Donald Spoto’s "The Dark Side of Genius" and Patrick McGilligan’s "Alfred Hitchcock", among them—but here, though focusing on a single film, Rebello offers a close-up look at the director that is perhaps more revelatory about the man’s character and working style than any full-length biography. A wonderful, absolutely essential book." Production commenced on April 13, 2012 of a film based upon the book. The film is directed by Sacha Gervasi and stars Anthony Hopkins as director Alfred Hitchcock, Helen Mirren as his wife Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, and James D'Arcy
Alfred Hitchcock given an idea and then we are turned loose to develop in any way we want to.' I said 'That's not acting. That's writing.'" Walter Slezak said that Hitchcock knew the mechanics of acting better than anyone he knew. Critics observed that, despite his reputation as a man who disliked actors, actors who worked with him often gave brilliant performances. He used the same actors in many of his films; Cary Grant worked with Hitchcock four times, and Ingrid Bergman three. James Mason said that Hitchcock regarded actors as "animated props". For Hitchcock, the actors were part of the film's