Whose idea was the double-meaning finger counting in JFK?
In JFK, Kevin Costner meets secretly with Donald Sutherland in a park in Washington DC. Donald discusses elements of the assassination conspiracy. Towards the end of the scene he counts off 3 points on his fingers:
"1 - Why was Kennedy killed?" This is the thumbs-up symbol, sometimes used to communicate "Everything is set; go ahead with our plan".
"2 - Who benefited?" His thumb and first finger are extended, like a gun, symbolizing (to me) the actual assassination.
"3 - Who has the power to cover it up?" His last three fingers are extended, leaving his index finger and thumb (partially hidden) in the shape of an "OK" symbol, indicating success with the plan.
This originally caught my attention because people typically count off numbers with their fingers much differently than this. After I considered the context of the scene, the symbolic meaning became clear. Now, I'm dazzled by these gestures each time I watch this.
My question is:
- Was that in the script?
- Did Donald Sutherland come up with it? Or did director Oliver Stone come up with it?
You can see the tense scene below. The gestures I'm talking about start at the 4-minute mark.
Pictures about "Whose idea was the double-meaning finger counting in JFK?"
Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1963)
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