Best Actor

    "You're a very talented actor, Sean, I heard about you from Anthony, and I went to see "Ripley the Genius" when it was released in the UK, your performance Excellent," Harrington, seated at the bar in a typical English pub, said to Sean with a glass of whisky.

    At his house, the two chatted very speculatively, seeing that it was a little late, so they simply went out to stroll the streets of London, and then had a drink in the small bar. The young people here have a much looser age for drinking in public than in the United States, not to mention that Sean is over 21 years old, even if he has not.

    "I have done a lot of preparation, read a lot of related books and reviews, and I can understand Ripley's feeling from what I have experienced. En said with some emotion.

    "Real feelings always make it easier for actors to engage," Harrington smiled, "More engagement, combined with shooting angles, post-editing, as well as factors such as clothing, makeup, lighting, etc., to infect the audience.”

    He paused here, and then asked again: "Speaking of which, it seems that after "The Genius Ripley", you don't have any influential works, all I have heard seems to be A... "Charlie's Angels"?"

    "That's right, although you have gained some fame through "Genius Ripley", and also won an Oscar nomination, it does not mean that there will be more and more suitable opportunities, you also said However, you have to position yourself and hone your own acting style." Sean shrugged, "So, although my agent always wants me to play roles in big productions, I choose slowly. In fact, from October last year to the present, I have received four or five scripts in total..."

    Then he talked about the roles he played in the past six months, such as "The Sniper Phone Booth" and "The White Night Chase" which required acting skills. "The Perfect Thief", and the purely commercial "Fast and the Furious" are only briefly mentioned.

    "Can you handle so many roles in one go?" Harrington was surprised.

    "Fortunately, at least the schedules are staggered, and those who need acting skills are either at the beginning or at the end," Sean smiled, "Although it is indeed very tiring, it must be constantly tempered. Can I improve myself? It just took a little longer, I should have come to visit you in October or May."

    Indeed, Sean actually got the news at the beginning of the year, but because the schedule was full at that time, and he didn't want to give up these roles, so he delayed it again and again, and finally I chose to come to London at the end of July.

      So being able to discover Sean, to be able to watch him step by step onto the stage with a dazzling light, at least prove that he still has vision, this is the greatest consolation.

    "Speaking of which, in "Dance of Death Row", I first experienced the feeling of the unity of human and drama." Sean changed the subject knowingly.

    "Really?" Harrington was immediately interested.

      What am I going to do, so that you won't hate me, you won't hate me..." Sean said immediately, and briefly explained the situation in his home and the conflict between himself and his father.

    This is also one of the reasons why he came to London to visit Harrington. Although there was not much contact time at the beginning, Harrington did his best to guide him, and what he said was very Appetite for him. At least in terms of theory, Harrington is very insightful. If you can ask him to give some pointers or two to inspire more inspiration, it would be great. Even if there is no gain, there is nothing to lose, right?

    "In terms of the shock and contagion brought by actors in their performances, the unity of human and drama is indeed the best way to express and the highest state," Harrington was listening to him After the description, I thought about it again, and then said, "But from the audience's point of view, it is not the most suitable choice."

    "Why?" Sean asked immediately.

    "Because this way of expressing is too selfish." Harrington gave the answer, "Remember what I said, what can be easily born from the unity of man and play?"

    "Crazy." Sean replied quickly.

    "Yes, lunatic," Harrington nodded, "When an actor is too addicted to the role, he will take the role as himself, but in fact he is not a role, so once the If you are confused, it is easy to get depression. That is why when I was talking about this, I repeatedly emphasized that I should give myself a hint of detachment from the spiritual world.”

    "But shouldn't this be the goal that every actor should achieve?" Sean asked again, "Fully express all the characteristics of the character, and fully convey all the feelings of the character to the audience."

    "Then I have a question first, Sean," Harrington looked at him, "what did you do as an actor?"

    "I'm..." Sean hesitated for a moment, and then said, "In the beginning I just wanted to solve life problems, and then after I got some results, I wanted to do more Well, let more people cheer for me."

    "Very well, so who are more people?" Harrington asked, "Directors? Producers? Critics? Or the audience?"

    “I think… should have.” Sean was a little uncertain.

    "In theory, but there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people, and you can't please everyone." Harrington shook his head.

    "But at least some people can like it, right?" Sean was a little confused, "Since we want to convey the character's feelings to the audience, and we do convey the feelings, then at least some of them can be Do people like it?"

    "Is that really the case?" Harrington asked back, "As I said just now, the job of conveying the character's emotions is not only the actor, but also the director's scheduling, and the There are the clothes of the costumer, the attire of the makeup artist, as well as a series of factors such as lighting, montage editing, etc. The same expression, whether the coffin or the child appeared in the previous shot, the audience feels different, and the clothes are neat, But the smug-faced man said that he was down and out, even if it was written in the script, would the audience believe it? Also, remember, when we were talking about one face showing two expressions, You glued half of your face together with clear glue?"

    He sighed when he said this: "The unity of man and play is indeed the goal, but it is only the personal goal of the actor, whether it is film critics or audiences, what really wants to see is not this ."

    "Effective transmission of feelings, right?" Sean asked suddenly.

    "Yes, how to impress the audience, this is what an actor should do," Harrington nodded seriously, "It's the same sentence, no matter what kind of performance, after all It's all just a means. The unity of people and drama may be the best means, but it can't be the best means every time. Maybe you did it last time and everyone said you were very good, but next time you do it again, they will do it again. It will say that you are pushing too hard. An actor's career is very long, and it is impossible for you to achieve this state every time you perform, so once in a while it is enough, and you are too invested each time, and in the end it often becomes Very selfish."

      The protagonist asks back, why do you want to live. From an artistic point of view, doing one thing wholeheartedly, even disregarding the feelings of others, pursuing it like a madman is indeed very shocking, but what about real life? Performance is performance after all. In works of art, we can sing praises for them, but in real life, most people will stay away from such people. Just like "Red Shoes", the hero finally left the heroine, and the heroine finally repented, After all, there is still love in my life, so I chased it out, but unfortunately, as a tragedy, she was finally killed by an oncoming train."

    "So, it's the same sentence, clearly distinguish the means and the purpose." Sean let out a long breath.

    "Yes, the means and the purpose," Harrington looked at him and nodded with satisfaction, "I have nothing to teach you about acting skills, and keep grinding in different works. Practicing yourself is the right thing to do, and the only thing I can tell you is that it took me a long time to understand."

    "Thank you, John." Sean raised his glass.

    The trip to London was not in vain, Sean enjoyed the conversation with Harrington, even though he was just a poor lecturer now, although what he wanted to stress was not much different from what he had told himself before , but Sean still has something to gain. After all, means are just means, as long as the goal can be achieved, just like that sentence... how do you say it? The future is bright, the road is tortuous? Or regardless of the white cat or the black cat, the cat that can catch the mouse is the good cat?

    Don't worry, if you want to continue on this road, you will definitely encounter a lot of problems.

    However, how to repay Harrington is still a problem, Sean originally thought, since Minghella once said that Harrington was originally a director, then invest in a low-cost movie of several million The movie had him come to the truth, but now it doesn't seem like a good idea. Through these few days of contact, Sean has a deeper understanding of Harrington. Probably after so many years, he has become too stable and has lost the spirit that he should have. In this case, he is in charge of the guide tube unless There is a good enough screenwriter and a strong producer, otherwise it is difficult to say what the result will be.

    Harrington probably wouldn't like a producer pointing fingers on his head, and Sean is unlikely to choose to give it directly. It would be too rude, and Harrington also has self-esteem, So just let it go for now.