The actors I have most admired are those who are so incredibly honest in their work that they seem as though they're not acting. Some people (like yours truly and those under whom I've trained) would say that when an actor gives a performance befitting of the above definition, our supposition is correct - they ain't acting. That's why it's so real. Very Zen, right. Maybe the preconceived notion that we have about acting is so trumped up that when an actor comes along and blows our minds with their subtlety and precision, we automatically think that they have so much more to give than all the rest. I think it's the inverse of that. I think those "gifted" few have refined their craft to no more than exactly what they would feel if they were really in any given situation. They don't sour the performance with what they think "should be". Instead, they simply react as they are. As they actually are.
I'm not talking about losing all touch with reality. If Robert DeNiro still thought he was Travis Bickle after Taxi Driver was already shot and ready for distribution, that would be something else. That would be called the art of schizophrenia. I'm talking about being so well trained and so well practiced and so well prepared that even though there are bright lights, a giant camera, tons of wires, and twenty five crew members hoping the star gets it right so they can go home on time, all crammed into the same tiny space, that the actor still feels all of the emotions the screenwriter and director intended the character to feel and maybe even a few more. When they feel it, we see it. And we love it.
So back to the original question. What type of actor do I want to emulate? It's a tricky question because I DON'T WANT TO EMULATE. Neither does DeNiro, Streep, Washington, or any of the other greats. So to be like them, I want to be unlike anyone but myself. Like I said, very Zen, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment