At the 78th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards, I caught up with Janus Metz, nominated for his work on Andor, to discuss style, collaboration, and the moment he realized he was meant to direct.
When I asked whether his approach changes between projects — from Andor to his current work on Unabom — Metz made an important distinction.
“My style of directing doesn’t change,” he explained. “But every project demands its own language.”
For Metz, cinematic language is fluid. One project may call for Steadicam movement. Another may demand heavy dollies and structured framing. Rather than forcing a singular aesthetic onto every story, he adapts to the needs of the material.
But there’s always something recognizable.
He compared directing to painting — something he once pursued seriously.
“No matter what I paint, there will always be something of me in it,” he said.
Even while working within Tony Gilroy’s overarching vision on Andor, Metz noted that a shared sensibility allowed his voice to blend naturally into the series. Collaboration with Gilroy, editor Yan Miles, and cinematographer Mark Patten created what he described as feeling “like a fish in the water.”
A Homecoming Through the Camera
Perhaps the most powerful part of our conversation was how he discovered directing in the first place.
While working in South Africa around the turn of the millennium — in a country still finding its footing after apartheid — Metz spent time with young men in townships who struggled with limited opportunity and uncertain futures.
He picked up a camera.
In that moment, he realized something profound:
“I know how to tell stories through images.”
He described it as a homecoming — an obsession born not from watching other filmmakers, but from witnessing real life and feeling compelled to document it.
It’s that instinct — the ability to find stillness, concentration, and emotional truth — that continues to define his work today.
And as Metz said, whatever the genre, whatever the project —
“It’s always going to be yours.”
Watch the full interview with Janus Metz above.
