Figures of Light: Actors and Directors Illuminate the Art of Film Acting

383 Pages·1995·23.29 MB·English

by  Carole Zucker (auth.)

FIGURES
OF LIGHT
Actors and Directors
Illuminate the Art of
Film Acting
FIGURES
OF LIGHT
Actors and Directors
Illuminate the Art of
Film Acting
CAROLE ZUCKER
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data
Zucker, Carole.
Figures of light: actors and directors illuminate the art of film
acting! Carole Zucker.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
I. Motion picture acting. 2. Motion picture actors and actresses
-Interviews. 3. Motion picture producers and directors--Interviews.
1. Title.
PN1995.9.A26ZB3 1995
791.43·02B--dc20 95-2514
CIP
ISBN 978-0-306-44949-9 ISBN 978-1-4899-6118-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-6118-1
© 1995 Carole Zucker
Originally published by Plenum Press in 1995.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1995
10987654321
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
"The constant, the eternal, beneath the accidental."
- Robert Bresson
To Mario, grazie per tutto, per sempre.
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................... 1
Interviews
Lindsay Crouse .................................................. 11
Tommy Lee Jones .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Christine Lahti ................................................... 51
Richard Dreyfuss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
John Lithgow .................................................... 83
Aidan Quinn ..................................................... 101
Lee Grant ........................................................ 117
Diane Ladd ...................................................... 135
Eli Wallach ...................................................... 151
Joe Mantegna .................................................... 167
Eric Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 181
Brad Dourif ...................................................... 195
Mary Steenburgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 207
Sydney Pollack .................................................. 223
Henry J aglom ............................." ....................... 241
Bob Rafelson .................................................... 255
Karel Reisz ...................................................... 273
Lawrence Kasdan ................................................ 283
Bill Duke ........................................................ 299
Ulu Grosbard ..................................................... 313
John Sayles ...................................................... 327
Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 345
Glossary of Film and Theater Terms . . . . . . . . . . . .. 351
Films: Synopses and Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 357
Index .......................................................... 371
vii
Introduction
Figures of Light grew out of my experience teaching a course in film
acting. I quickly learned while developing the bibliography for the course
that very little in the way of coherent, cogent, or productive dialogue goes
on between this society and its actors. There are few interviews that dwell
in a serious, in-depth way with the film actor's creative process. This book
endeavors to produce a more meaningful discourse about acting, one that
assiduously avoids viewing the actor as a commodity or probing into the
actor's private life-the interviews focus solely on acting.
I chose to speak with actors who have achieved a certain stature in their
careers; these actors value their achievement as actors over the degree to
which they might be considered "stars." They are actors whose perfor
mances are particularly challenging, subversive, soulful, witty, intense,
and/or profound and who have displayed extraordinary skill, complexity,
and significance as performers. As I spoke with actors, it became clear that
the film director is instrumental and inextricably linked to all stages of the
film actor's performance, from casting to post-production. So my under
taking grew to encompass directors who have demonstrated an empathetic
and supportive relationship to actors, including directors-Bill Duke,
Henry Jaglom, Sydney Pollack, Bob Rafelson, and John Sayles-who
have done some acting themselves.
This volume concentrates exclusively on acting in American main
stream and independent feature filmmaking, in celebration of the vitality
and sense of urgency that exemplifies American film acting. It is acting
that is heavily influenced by the teachings of Stanislavsky (1863 -1938).
The famous Russian actor, director, and teacher, whose formative work
took place in the early part of this century, rebelled against the artificial
codes of stage performance in the last century. Influential nineteenth
century drama and dance teacher Fran~ois Delsarte (1811-1871) decreed
1
2 Introduction
that human emotion could be reduced to a given number of gestures,
movements, and vocal intonations, which, if learned and repeated, would
represent the full spectrum of behavior. Stanislavsky taught that acting had
to arise not from externalized, premeditated behavior, but from the inner
world of the character, what he called the "logic of emotions" in a given
text. The character is then brought to life through the technical skill,
invention, and immediate responsiveness of the actor, who creates a full,
vivid, emotionally and physically true portrayal of a character.
Although Stanislavsky developed a style of acting that is often called
"realistic" or "naturalistic," the Russian teacher never espoused the
strictly accurate replication of human behavior; he emphasized the poetic
and imaginative dimensions of that behavior. The truth that Stanislavsky
advocated is the probing, honest, deeply felt interpretation of a character's
feelings and actions. It is that search for truthfulness that guides and
inspires the actors and directors who speak in Figures of Light.
Even while acting grows out of abstract concept like inner truth, Figures
of Light is based on the premise that film acting can be investigated in a
pragmatic way, and, indeed, the conversations in this book explore how
the instinctive practice of acting melds with training, theory, technique,
and process. The actors were asked about their training, preparation for a
role, and experiences of rehearsing and shooting a film. The directors were
requested to isolate their work with actors from their larger function
overseeing a film from preproduction to post-production. They talked
about casting, rehearsal methods, working with the actor to achieve a
characterization, and acting problems and solutions they've encountered.
Both actors and directors were queried about their formative influences
and asked to describe what constitutes a great performance. The interviews
attempt to account for the creativity that informs an interpretation and the
intimate process whereby performers draw on their personal resources
emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual-to develop and enact an
interpretation.
From the inanimate words on the pages of a script or play, an actor's
task is to produce a living, breathing creation. The process by which
language becomes action is complex. First, actors need to be able to play
their instrument-themselves-with skill and precision, an ability that
Introduction 3
requires training, practice, and discipline. Next, actors must comprehend
the meaning of the words they speak, in all their amplitude. The text will
most likely communicate the character's background, attitudes, beliefs,
and relationships to others. Critical as well are the ideas and feelings that
circulate below the surface of the text-the subtext, the implied or possible
meanings of the written words that suggest the character's emotional
journey. To undertake this journey, actors search inside themselves for the
requisite emotional material. Using technique, imagination, and instinct,
actors-through the medium of the fictional character-reveal the deepest,
most private parts of themselves, because acting is, more than any other
art, the art of self-revelation. Actors paint an emotional canvas, and the
emotions they access for this creation exist within their own psyches. To
find the colors with which to create this living portrait, actors engage in an
exploration of the self-their own individuality as artists and human
beings. This knowledge and awareness will be filtered through technique
and artistry in order to inhabit and illuminate the world of the fictional
character. Above all, acting is a shared experience; actors must communi
cate to an audience. They are engaged in a relay of human feelings-their
own, their characters', and those of the audience-feelings that are, at
base, universal in their meaning. In that space of universal, shared
experience lies the power and beauty of acting. Actors have the privilege
of revealing profound truths to us about the human condition and,
ultimately, about ourselves.
In speaking with the actors and directors represented in this book, I
found no common prescription for acting, but rather an eclectic mix of
techniques and strategies. What unites all of the figures I interviewed is
some combination of playfulness coupled with seriousness of purpose,
intelligence, instinct, and imagination at the service of any given project.
No matter how far a role or story is from reality (e.g., John Lithgow in
Buckaroo Banzai [1984] or Bill Duke's highly stylized A Rage in Harlem
[1991]), every actor and director was concerned with locating the element
of human truth in a portrayal. Universally, I found the subjects in this book
to have a unique openness to experience, a quality that is at the core of all
creativity. When I conducted these interviews-over a period of 4 years
I established certain parameters. I usually entered into the conversation
with a list of performances I thought were key or fruitful for discussion.
Sometimes those parameters held, and sometimes they were discarded. I
felt it was important to respond to the integrity and spirit of the
4 Introduction
individual's personality rather than to commandeer the interview process.
The responses on the part of both actors and directors were highly
individualized, and they all invested the greatest energy in subjects of
personal significance to them. Some actors and directors wanted to discuss
their process; some wanted to talk extensively about their training. Still
others warmed to larger ideas, such as the place of the actor in society or
the meaning of stardom. The approaches of the participants in this book
range from anecdotal to analytical, and often both within the same person.
As much as possible, I tried to talk in specifics, about preparation for a
particular role, or the evolution and dynamics of a particular scene. With
several directors (Lawrence Kasdan and Sydney Pollack, for example), I
chose a segment of one of their films, and we watched the excerpt together
while they talked about how the scene was achieved.
A more speculative and less practical view of film acting-and film
watching-takes into account the set of phenomena that make these
activities unique, mysterious, and deeply resonant experiences in our lives.
Film acting-as opposed to acting in any other medium--demands a
special capacity. The film actor is dealing with the photographic process,
and herein lies a great enigma-the workings of photogenesis. Referring
to the almost mystical quality of photogene sis-the ability of a figure to be
photographed attractively--director Howard Hawks said, "Either the
camera likes you or it doesn't." From all accounts, the physical beauty of
the actor has little to do with the quality of photogenesis. Plain people may
photograph spectacularly, and people possessed of great good looks may
fare poorly in the eye of the camera. Careful, expert make-up and lighting
may compensate to some degree, but the relationship of actor and camera
is a privileged affair. However, an actor may look perfectly splendid on
film and still not be a good film actor.
The actor's onscreen presence needs to be absorbing both to the camera
and to the audience, a factor that goes beyond mere photogenesis. The
great film actors-Brando, Cagney, De Niro-are capable of owning the
space of the screen, ruling it, as if by divine right. Whether in repose or
action, they are eminently watchable; they command our attention. They
fill the screen with their intense concentration yet seem, at the same time,
completely at ease in the camera's eye. (The dual abilities of concentration