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Being an Actor
You’ve got to
really love what you do.
Don’t expect to
be famous – do it because you really
love doing it
and have fun doing it. I’ve always said if I can make a living at
it, I’m happy.
Let the audience read into your expression rather than you showing
them what they should feel.
I’ll work with a director if I think I’m going to get into a
comfortable situation, and if it’s someone I respect and who
respects me, even if they’re not so well known
Movies are hard to make, and you have to work toward a common ethic
and do your best. You don’t want to work with people who don’t care
or who are acting out some neurotic, crazy thesis on the set. Who
needs it? Life is too short.
When you do a movie and show it to people, friends and family can
never be totally honest with you. If a critic’s being just mean or
nasty it’s unfortunate. Good critics that write with intelligence
and compassion are very important. If it’s constructive criticism
you can take it or leave it but you always learn something. if you
didn’t have critics — even though they can annoy you and upset you —
if you didn’t have a critic, who would tell you how it is? Because
people won’t tell you. Those who are with you and know what you went
through can never be honest with you. So they’ll always find a
positive thing to say. So the people who you’ll get real feedback
from are critics. Especially good critics.
Prepare for anything you do. Understand the character, the milieu,
the surroundings, the people, but don’t let that restrict you.
As an actor, it is important to be a good listener. You need to
listen to what others have to say, the director, the producer, your
co-actor… everyone. I try to listen to everyone and take their
inputs on what I have to do. But finally I take my own decision on
how I am going to play the part. That’s where the uniqueness comes
in. That’s where the difference of you playing the part versus any
other actor playing it comes in.
In order to be an artist, you have to be able to put yourself in
somebody else’s shoes. Only then can you understand their emotions
and reasons, even though you do not agree with them.
Be true to your character and to yourself. |
Take Chances
Do not be obdurate and do not be
afraid to fail. Take chances, keep an open mind, look out for new
experiences and new ideas. If you don’t go, then you never know.
Advice
To
Aspiring Actors
and
College Graduates
You discovered a talent, developed an ambition and recognized your
passion. When you feel that you can't fight it, you just go with it.
When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense.
You aren't just following dreams, you're reaching for your destiny.
A new door is opening for you, a door to a lifetime of rejection.
It's inevitable.
Now that you've made your choice or, rather, succumbed to it, your
path is clear. Not easy, but clear. You have to keep working, it's
that simple.
As an actor who’s starting out, you can’t say, ‘Hey, I’m too good
for this.’ You gotta do it, because people see you, your name gets
around, and it has a cumulative effect. Auditions are like a gamble.
Most likely you won’t get the part, but if you don’t go, you’ll
never know if you could’ve got it.
As long as you give your best you’ll be OK. |
