Its always great when a director is just supportive of what youre doing. Theyre not so much critiquing you but giving you more ideas, giving you tons of things to work with, making you question your character and making you think about it. . . and making it seem like everything is limitless. That usually helps a lot.
Vinyaya was being openly antagonistic, and that was an emotion that could be trusted, unless of course it was a bluff and the commander was a secret fan of his, unless it was a double bluff and she really did feel antagonistic.