"Stars
bear within themselves the same kind of heroic passions that mark the
characters whom they portray. They have the power to sustain those multiple
selves in the course of a movie, to sustain a persona in the course of a
career, to sustain themselves in the harsh light of fame."
"Yet the
mark of good acting isn’t the intentional display of such passions by actors
but, instead, the radiating of those passions from the actors, even against
their will… the paradox and pathos of
movie acting, as opposed to theatre acting, is that in the theatre the actor
gives; in the cinema, the actor is taken from."
"…the
peculiarity of an art that’s essentially involuntary, despite the fanatically
willful intensity with which actors pursue their artistic labors and their
place in the industry. An actor’s efforts to cope with what is essentially the
camera’s soul-stealing—whether those efforts are constructive or self-indulgent
or even self-destructive—get pulled into a feedback loop that amplifies the
image onscreen. "
The New Yorker- The Essence of Stardom *
Richard Armitage and Sean Bean on stage
(photos from Google Images, RichardArmitagenet.com, The Mighty Bean, The Royal Shakespeare Company)
*review of book by James Harvey
What a great quote! Definitely food for thought. The photos you've chosen are absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked the photos. Can't help but think of RA now at the Old Vic when I read the article.
DeleteFascinating topic. Thank you,Fabo.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Joanna - thanks for reading my post and glad you found the topic interesting, as I do :)
DeleteFantastic article -- thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Serv - glad you enjoyed article. Find actors and acting always fascinating and puzzling.
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