That doesn't mean that we don't need to empower the director. We most certainly do. And we do that by being willing to take direction. Trust is the key. If you don't trust someone, you really can't work with them.
Most reviewers are content to write an extended synopsis of the plot.
Most of the time, when I play a character role, I'm lucky to get half a line in the review. It's a marriage, for better and for worse. I read, do research, rehearse, and generally let things ferment. The imagination is key, the science of what if. You must learn to be as open and free as a child when you rehearse with other actors.