Jack Lemmon was filming his first movie, It Should Happen To You, co-starring Judy Holliday with direction by George Cukor. Things seemed to be going fine except that after each take, Cukor would say, "Fine, Jack…but let's do one more take and give me less." In other words, tone down the performance.
For days, it went like that. After every take, Cukor would say, "Great, but give me less. Less." Lemmon did as told but with an increasing resentment.
Finally, there came a scene where Lemmon felt he'd really nailed it. When Cukor yelled "Cut" and then asked the actor to do less, Lemmon exploded. "For Christ's sake," he yelled. "Are you telling me not to act?"
Cukor put his hands together in a pleading gesture and said, "Oh, please, dear God, yes."
Lemmon later called it, "The best lesson in acting I ever got."