Interview With Anthony Perkins (Litlog)

Question 1: How did you approach playing Norman Bates?

Answer: Well, Norman’s a more shy, awkward person. Having him stutter a lot and fidget made him seem ansty all of the time. Unlike his mother, he had no composure. When characters are grilling him, he seems suspicious, even if he technically isn’t and hasn’t done anything himself. I knew Norman would come across as creepy even without me making any creepy faces. In very suspenseful moments- like when the private investigator was questioning Norman- there were moments where I just awkwardly stared for a little while. It was almost as if Norman thought that saying nothing would make him go away. Unfortunately for Norman, it only proved to make him look more suspicious. With the amazing direction of Alfred Hitchcock, the lighting on Norman was often shadowy (lowkey lighting). I never had to act creepy, to be creepy.

Question 2: How did you approach playing Mrs. Bates?

Answer: She was almost the complete opposite. When she wasn’t stabbing someone or yelling at her son, she was a lot more put together. Unlike Norman, she’s more expressive when it comes to her evil intentions. In the final shot of the film, I had to make it clear that Mrs. Bates was in control. Contorting her face in a more sinister snarl made me (Anthony Perkins) feel like a completely different person. I mean, could you imagine Norman making that face? Remember, while I’m the same actor, they’re two VERY different characters. Mrs. Bates also has more exaggerated body movements. While Norman is reserved, Mrs. Bates makes her thoughts known with how she moves. I mean, every time she goes to stab someone, she raises her hands all the way up rather than just… stabbing them (laugh).

Question 3: Why do you think Mrs. Bates won the internal battle against Norman by the end?

Answer: Hmm. Regardless of the events of the movement, I don’t think Norman could ever win. Mrs. Bates is a lot more… more determined than Norman is. Norman never saw himself as the bad guy. It’s that very reason why Mrs. Bates wanted to use Norman as a fall guy for all of her crimes. While Norman is crooked in his own ways, he doesn’t have the resolve that Mrs. Bates does. That’s why Mrs. Bates was created in the first place. Norman would never kill an innocent, defenseless girl. Well, Marion wasn’t exactly innocent (laugh). Anyways, Mrs. Bates was willing to murder in a lot of cases where Norman wasn’t. After all, why kill someone you’re attracted to? He also didn’t kill Sam even though he had a perfect chance to do so. The main point is that Norman had a “weaker” personality.

Question 4: How did the directing play a role in defining the overall feel of Norman/Mrs. Bates?

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock is great at building the suspense of a scene. He’s at his best when he has two characters bouncing off each other. Take the confrontation between Norman and the Private Investigator. At one point, the camera was under my chin. It’s literally under me while I’m nervously eating candy. What it did was create this feeling of eeriness. Norman was losing his jester attitude as the PI grew closer to the truth. The camera being where it was created an uneasy feeling that was supposed to be reflected on to the audience. Whenever the camera is on Norman, there is always an underlying, uneasy feeling accompanying him. Sometimes he’s not centered. Sometimes there are stuffed birds next to him. Sometimes his face is covered in shadows.

Question #5: How did editing play a role in defining the overall feel of Norman/Mrs. Bates?

Answer: For Mrs. Bates, it added to her vile aesthetic. In the final scene, hearing her narration accompanied by Norman Bates’ facial expressions left a very disorienting experience. Seeing “Norman” but hearing the mother is genuinely uncomfortable. In the same scene, you have a quick one-second flash of the dead and decayed body of the real Mrs. Bates. It overlapped with “Norman’s” face, making this weird Norman, Mrs. Bates amalgamation. It was the perfect editing choice, to be honest. It might’ve looked a little silly if it were just me staring directly into the camera smiling. As for Norman himself, the lack of cuts helped build suspense. For instance, watching the cars sink was very tense. We practically got to see it happen in real-time.