“I think we’re (actors) healthier than a lot of people; at least we have an outlet, at least we’re able to examine stuff and go to places that most people don’t have an outlet to do”.
Quote from Robert Downey, Jr.
“I think the great underestimation about life is that life is manageable, or it’s supposed to be easy, or good people will preserve. I’d rather go a little bit deeper and look at life through the ideal of the never-ending, really difficult obstacle course. Or how about good old-fashioned Buddhist joyful participation in the suffering of mankind?”
Quote from Willem DaFoe
“If you’re too worried about controlling of the gesture, then you’re not gonna be addressing your intuitive side, your subconscious, you’ll only be able to do what your conscious mind tells you to do. You’re gonna be bound by psychology and meaning, not gonna be experiencing the stuff experientially.”
– Willem DaFoe
A Quote from Jack Nicholson
[blockquote indent=”yes” ]You have to be very honest with yourself to do my job well. And you’re not going to like everything about yourself. if you start hiding what you don’t like, you’re not going to be in the best position to do your job. – Jack Nicholson [/blockquote]
Why did I choose this quote? Well, besides the fact that I think its really good advice its also something that I personally struggle with… letting the ugly out. Wait. No, let me re-phrase that. First, admitting its even inside me, THEN letting it out. The Japanese think that our flaws make us more beautiful. They believe that when something has suffered damage, it has a history and its even more lovely not in spite of, but because of it’s flaws. That’s why they fill the cracks of their artifices with gold.
As actors, I think we need to do that same – metaphorically speaking, of course. Find the cracks in your facade and bring them out into the light. Fill them with gold, so they stand out and shine. They are your battle wounds and they make you unique and compelling and infinitely watchable. Ultimately, we all have flaws and when we can identify them in another human being it makes them accessible and real. And isn’t that what we strive for? What do you think?