Dustin Hoffman is among the best actors of his technology.
He’s additionally infamous for going all out to get into character.
In a single film the place Hoffman’s character will get held underwater by a bunch of killers, he rehearsed by holding his personal head underwater till he virtually drowned himself. It put him within the hospital on an oxygen tank.
In Marathon Man, Hoffman performed an obsessive runner. Earlier than his working scenes, he would run all out for a mile simply so he was out of breath for his scenes.
His co-star in that film was legendary actor Sir Laurence Olivier.
The 2 actors revered each other on set however their strategies had been polar opposites.
Olivier didn’t see the purpose in technique performing. When Hoffman went overboard to get into character, Olivier famously quipped, “Why don’t you simply act?”
So long as the completed product is sweet I don’t care all that a lot about actors get into character.
Jeremy Sturdy appears to share some similarities with Hoffman in his portrayal of Kendall Roy on HBO’s Succession.
Sturdy has put in one of many nice TV performing performances of all-time. Kendall is unlikeable but Sturdy nonetheless makes you root for him. He’s spectacular at enjoying a spoiled wealthy man.1
This scene within the season 3 finale floored me:
Brian Cox performs Kendall’s father, Logan Roy, on the present. His feedback on Sturdy’s performing strategies make him sound just like the Olivier to Sturdy’s Hoffman.
Cox mentioned in an interview, “I’ve labored with intense actors earlier than. It’s a very American illness, I believe, this incapability to separate your self off whilst you’re doing the job.”
Possibly Sturdy felt he needed to go all out to make it to this place since he spent so a few years toiling in obscurity attempting to make it as an actor with little success.
A latest GQ profile checked out what occurred when Sturdy lastly obtained what he wished:
Earlier than, he was toiling, if not fairly within the unknown, then the not-exactly-known. Off-Broadway performs and bit elements in huge films, however no breakthroughs. He spent years in a studio house that had “one chair, one set of fork and knife, a espresso cup, some books, a pile of scripts.”
Now, he has a household. Three daughters together with his spouse, youngster psychiatrist and documentarian Emma Wall. Ages 4, two, and one, they had been all born whereas he labored on Succession. He has an Emmy and the luxurious of alternative in terms of roles. Presumably a couple of extra chairs and forks and knives. “The distinction,” he says, “is any person lastly giving me the ball.”
The factor about getting what you need, although, is that it often comes with some baggage you didn’t discount for. That entire monkey’s paw situation.
For Sturdy, that meant being cracked open publicly. He swiftly went from Jeremy Sturdy, that man you want on that TV present, to Jeremy Sturdy, tortured actor who’s typically overly intense to the purpose of mania and delusion.
“Final yr this time,” he says, “I kind of cratered a bit.”
He appears at his friends, who’ve filmed 5, six, seven tasks whereas he was within the Succession trenches. He envies “that freedom to only shoot your self out of some completely different cannons. Generally Kendall appears like the identical cannon again and again.”
Generally getting precisely what you wished can result in unintended penalties.
Fame and fortune sound nice however it’s not all enjoyable and boar on the ground whenever you grow to be wealthy and well-known.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had been on The Invoice Simmons Podcast this week and I cherished each minute of it. I’ve been watching their films for thus lengthy that I virtually really feel like I’ve recognized these guys for 25 years.
The Good Will Searching duo opened up about among the challenges of changing into well-known (edited for readability):
Affleck: We all the time say I’m going to be wealthy and well-known as if the 2 are synonymous in a approach. These are the 2 issues that can ship happiness. However the aspiration to be well-known is admittedly kind of lacking it as a result of it makes life bizarre.
Damon: Individuals grow to be bizarre as a result of your echolocation, your radar, you may have a greater likelihood of changing into bizarre than not changing into bizarre. But it surely’s such a mindf*ck, proper? As a result of the world doesn’t deal with you a similar. So it’s like, how do you not grow to be bizarre? It’s a lot more durable.
My brother all the time had this concept that I actually suppose is true, which is that you just retard sort of socially and emotionally in the mean time you grow to be well-known. You cease rising. You cease rising as a result of your subjective expertise adjustments fully, proper? It’s by no means the identical. Like, your expertise of the world, and that’s the thoughts f*ck.
I’m not saying we should always really feel sorry for the wealthy and well-known.
They’re fairly far down the checklist when it comes to folks that ought to obtain our sympathy.
But it surely’s fairly telling that so many individuals who obtain a sure stage of wealth and fame appear to finish up unfulfilled or sad.
Don’t get me unsuitable, most of us would take the cash and fame if we might get it. Hope springs everlasting.
I simply suppose it’s vital to acknowledge that outward measures of success don’t mechanically translate into inward emotions of happiness.
Life is usually extra sophisticated than it appears.
Additional Studying:
Everybody Struggles
1If they will stick the touchdown on the ultimate season, Succession is transferring into the dialogue with Breaking Unhealthy, The Sopranos and The Wire when it comes to finest TV reveals of all-time.