We Are All Actors
There was a story in Playboy magazine, years ago, an interview with Marlon Brando. Brando, at the time, had been rediscovered after doing The Godfather. Marlon had been the face of the American actor for years making Method acting the choice of American actors everywhere. His box office popularity faded somewhat with some bad choices that he made in roles taken but always Brando was to American actors what Olivier was to the British.
Anyway, in the article Brando said that,"we are all actors." in a way. When you go in to ask your boss for a raise, you are playing a role. You as the employee want to come off as being responsible enough to be valued enough to be given that raise in salary. A young lady hoping to entice a young man to marry her plays the role of a would be wife and attempts behavior that will convince her would be beau to see her in a wifely way and thus propose marriage to her.
Brando was essentially saying that we all, wether we consider ourselves actors or not, play roles designed to gain a certain effect. We are all actors.
I remember hating to see Brando have such common disdain for actors essentially saying that what he did or any actor did to not be that much different from what anybody else does.
Because acting as an actor does, is not for any real result other than to convince the audience at the theatre that particular night. Brando was trying to portray himself as a mercenary, a hired convinsualist(look that one up).
In real life we do play other parts but we do it with the hopes of real and usually monetary results. Actors have agents who make up there contracts so that the actor is free to play the role and get paid no matter what happens in that role or project. (well, that's what good agents do).
So, yes, we are "playing parts" but we're doing it for the sheer joy of playing the part. That's what sets apart an actor from someone who is acting out a part.
Sanford Meisner once told me and my whole class at Playhouse West in a classroom on Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, that actors behave on stage due to the circumstances they have created for the role. You don't behave "as if" someone was going to steal your wallet and take your money. We behaved believing that someone actually was robbing us. The term, onstage, never, or wasn't ever to have a place in our preparation for a scene.
Meisner told us, regardless of our previous experience, that it would take us twenty years to become actors. Twenty years later, I finally understand what he was saying and what he meant and in what Marlon Brando said in the Playboy story.
Anyway, in the article Brando said that,"we are all actors." in a way. When you go in to ask your boss for a raise, you are playing a role. You as the employee want to come off as being responsible enough to be valued enough to be given that raise in salary. A young lady hoping to entice a young man to marry her plays the role of a would be wife and attempts behavior that will convince her would be beau to see her in a wifely way and thus propose marriage to her.
Brando was essentially saying that we all, wether we consider ourselves actors or not, play roles designed to gain a certain effect. We are all actors.
I remember hating to see Brando have such common disdain for actors essentially saying that what he did or any actor did to not be that much different from what anybody else does.
Because acting as an actor does, is not for any real result other than to convince the audience at the theatre that particular night. Brando was trying to portray himself as a mercenary, a hired convinsualist(look that one up).
In real life we do play other parts but we do it with the hopes of real and usually monetary results. Actors have agents who make up there contracts so that the actor is free to play the role and get paid no matter what happens in that role or project. (well, that's what good agents do).
So, yes, we are "playing parts" but we're doing it for the sheer joy of playing the part. That's what sets apart an actor from someone who is acting out a part.
Sanford Meisner once told me and my whole class at Playhouse West in a classroom on Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, that actors behave on stage due to the circumstances they have created for the role. You don't behave "as if" someone was going to steal your wallet and take your money. We behaved believing that someone actually was robbing us. The term, onstage, never, or wasn't ever to have a place in our preparation for a scene.
Meisner told us, regardless of our previous experience, that it would take us twenty years to become actors. Twenty years later, I finally understand what he was saying and what he meant and in what Marlon Brando said in the Playboy story.
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