I can't tell you how many times I've been asked this question. First it started with my family, then of course in Acting 101 at college, and then Acting 102, followed by a number of strangers between then and now. I can tell you that sometimes I knew the answer and then at other times I wasn't so sure anymore.
Maybe you've been asked this question a thousand times yourself. In fact, you may even be rolling your eyes that I'm even bringing it up. Obviously you KNOW in your heart why you chose to be an actor and you are tired of defending it. Or maybe this is the first time you've thought about this question and you're searching your soul for how to answer this question. Will your answer be honest?
Right off, if you want to be an actor because you just want to be famous then I applaud your honesty. I have no judgment of you. If we are all honest with ourselves then we would be able to admit that we have all longed for that at some point or another. And why not? With fame you are working all the time, with fame comes a more "stable" source of income and lifestyle, with fame you have a larger audience base to communicate with, and well...you're famous. I think we all fantasies a little about our talents taking us to career heights. AND this does happen for a few. For a small percentage of us, fortune has smiled and granted fame and steady work. And I am very thankful to hear in interviews more and more celebrity actors graciously admitting their fortune--to do the job they are lucky to do day in and day out. But the thing with fame, like success in many professions, there are an endless number of variables that get you there and some of them may not be to your tastes. I am not just talking about the proverbial casting couch but the artistic and personal values that make you who you are. Obviously, hard work and your talent is how you want to arrive but what if that isn't enough and your desire for fame is so strong that you start to find yourself asking, "will fame be worth doing this?" Instead of "Why do I want to be an actor?" Or even better "Why do I want to communicate with my audience?"
From a more noble perspective...OK I lied, I guess I am a touch judgmental...for most of us the young romantic will rush in to answer the question. "I'm an artists and I want to be an actor to change the world, damn it!!" I personally support and encourage this answer but I believe it needs substance to live. Faith in this charge is crucial because it will take years to evolve and solidify your artistic purpose. And once again I believe Stanislavsky makes a compelling argument...
"Now remember firmly what I am going to tell you: the theatre, on account of it's publicity and spectacular side, attracts many people who merely want to capitalize their beauty or make careers. They take advantage of the ignorance of the public, it's perverted taste, favoritism, intrigues, false success, and many other means which have no relation to creative art. These exploiters are the deadliest enemies of art. We have to use the sternest measures with them, and if they cannot be reformed they must be removed from the boards. Therefore, you must make up your mind once and for all, did you come here to serve art, and to make sacrifices for its sake, or to exploit your own personal ends?" -Konstantin Stanislavsky, An Actor Prepares
When you read this today it is remarkable how little has changed. I love how he calls for actors to take a higher road--to be in service of an art form that has a responsibility to its society. And throughout his writings he does not dispute the importance of an actor's career but rather direct focus on the actor's purpose for who he/she is.
In my second post I touched on this topic when I was detailing my definition of an actor but I don't think it can be asked OR answered enough. In fact, I think you WILL and SHOULD continue to answer this question for the rest of your career. With time the question might sound different like, "why am I still doing this?" Or maybe "is this worth all the sacrifices?" Or even, "is it time for me to do something else?" Obviously only you can answer these questions. I also would wager that if you're honest--I mean REALLY honest with yourself--that your answer will appear change from time to time. Which is why I truly believe that however you answer the question of "why you act" that answer will become your artistic touchstone.
"What do you MEAN my answer will appear to change? Not me. I KNOW why I act and nothing will ever change that!" I hope so. I truly do. But in the pursue of your career it will take on many shapes. There are times when it will be exactly as you have envisioned it. You will be working with talented and creative professionals. You will be excelling in your own practice and networking successfully within the industry. Other times, you may find yourself working less and your career stalled to the point it no longer looks even close to how you had envisioned. You may feel that you have stopped making important networking connections and feel without direction. With either scenario you will most certainly be tempted by desires or just plain personal needs that will put your confident answer in question. Sometimes you may realize that you are no longer pursuing acting for the same reasons that inspired you in the first place. Returning to your answer--asking yourself once more, "Why do I want to be an actor?" and answering it anew will always re-inspire your purpose. Even if you have never wavered, questioned, or been tempted by cheaper pursuits just asking the question and declaring your answer can only strengthen your faith in your artistry.
I don't want to bring the room down and I certainly do not wish to dwell the past but in a few weeks it will be the ten year anniversary of September 11th. At the time of the attacks on the Trade Towers, Pentagon, and United Flight 93 I was in New York and in full on career mode. For all of us that day was a life changing event. I was one of the fortunate ones. I didn't lose any loved ones, unlike so many others that day. And what I lost can't EVEN compare...but we all lost something. For me it was justifying being an artist...to be an ACTOR seemed so embarrassing now. All I could think of was how can I continue to pursue a career that is so vain when people are flying planes into buildings? It seems silly to say it out loud but the terrorists killed my first love that day. But after time and and rediscovery I found myself asking that tired old question again, why do I want to be an actor? And this time the answer meant more that it had ever before. Now my idea of artistic success was changing...or maybe just reverting. I returned to my touchstone to remind myself why and how important an actor's responsibility is as an artist. I returned to my touchstone to restore my faith in artistry.
On my desk at work I have two quotes taped to my computer screen:
"Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable." -George Bernard Shaw
"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one." - Stella Adler
I truly believe that being an artist HAS to take on a higher purpose in order to give you the strength to BE an artist. Whether that is to educate or change the way your audience thinks or just to make them laugh for two hours as they escape the worries of their lives what we do means something and changes the world just a little bit because we are here.
This past Spring I had the opportunity to hear Declan Donnellan speak at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mr. Donnellan is the artistic director of Cheek By Jowl and the author of The Actor and the Target. When he was asked by a patron on how to advise a young family member whether to go into theatre or not he joked firstly that they should do ANYTHING but go into the theatre. Then finally, after he appeared to reflect almost tenderly on his own experience, he said, "Theatre is for people who can't do anything else." Perhaps you are not as romantic or idealistic as I am and maybe this speaks more to your perspective. Even if it is because you can "do nothing else" at least that's faith in something. A great acting teacher once told me if you don't have faith then you better get some. In something.
For the record, I'm not unrealistic about the pursuit of an artistic career. With age and experience comes wisdom and sometimes cynicism. But I am reminded of the Stanislavsky quote from Stanislavsky Directs where he uses the phrase "youthfulness in your acting." I think his word choice (or the translation) is perfect. Youthfulness! To me this is all about purity of art and purpose. It is how we felt when we first took to acting. It is how excited we were to be on stage with a company of talented people all working together to tell a story. It is the newness of youth, not the naivete, that inspires us to keep going. It is the essence of how the 100th performance can feel and look like the first. So you see WHY you want to act is your artistic lifeline and if you have faith in your answer then you can always return to your true purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment