 <unk> insisted on two weeks of cast rehearsals , although the sessions were not as formal as he was used to in the theater , and the actors could not be present at every one . Several <unk> and suggestions by the actors were incorporated into the script . An early scene showing the <unk> leaving home for work was inserted later on to show the low point that Carolyn and Lester 's relationship had reached . Spacey and <unk> worked to create a sense of the love that Lester and Carolyn once had for one another ; for example , the scene in which Lester almost <unk> Carolyn after the pair argues over Lester 's buying a car was originally " strictly contentious " . 
