--- In [email protected], Sal Sunshine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Jun 10, 2007, at 10:20 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: > > > Finally the young actor asked Olivier, "Larry...how > > do you DO this?" > > > > Olivier looked at the young fellow and said, "It's > > called ACTING. You should try it someday." > > That was to Dustin Hoffman, supposedly. Also a great actor, > just different -- although I do agree that Oliver's take sounds > a lot more relaxing.
Indeed. I once saw a documentary or "making of" that showed Jack Nicholson doing about 20 takes of a scene from "A Few Good Men." He was playing Col. Nathan R. Jessep, and in the scene he's sitting in the witness chair being cross-examined by Tom Cruise. In the clip, Nicholson never moves from the chair between takes. But in between each take he's Just Jack, telling jokes, laughing with people on the set. And then, like Olivier, the director calls for the next take and like that!, in a split second he's back in character as Jessep. Quite a thing to see. > Can't say I ever quite grokked what the Method method was > all about. Whatever it's about, though, sure seems to have > produced a lot of great acting. Probably a lot of divorces and breakups, too. I mean, once...way back when, Meryl Streep lived with Al Pacino. Can you *imagine* that apartment if they were both Method actors (Pacino is, I don't know if she is) playing heavy roles in different plays or films? :-) I ran into Al Pacino once in L.A. Literally. I was walking after work in the Little Tokyo area and I'd come across what was obviously a film crew, shooting. I was paying attention to what was going on across the street and walked right into this short guy. The top of his head was barely at my chin level. He mumbled something rather sinister-sounding, and I looked down, and it was Al Pacino, between scenes, pacing back and forth like a madman, totally in char- acter. The movie they were shooting was "Scarface." Scaaaarey, lemme tell you. Some of these method guys and gals really DO get into character at the start of a movie and don't get out of that character until the movie is finished. Can you *imagine* what that must do to your personal life? Can you imagine what it must have been like to live with De Niro during the filming of "Taxi Driver?"
