Last week I was hired to play a bar pool player in LATE FAME, a movie created from Arthur Schnitlizer's 1894 novella about a forgotten Vienese poet discovered by the young. the script was well-carved for the leafing man, Willem Dafoe, who had said, "This is a story about your recent life."
Sort of true. I am famous for never.
I had no written lines. I ad-libbed and Willem fed them to me without the director countering him.
I also heeded Steve McQuuen's stage stealing from Yul Brenner in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. Brenner was a big star and he demanded the six other cast members stand still. He had the biggest horse on set. In one screen McQueen stands with the other five actors. They are all still. McQueen plays with his hat. According to vintagenews.com When the camera was rolling and he was crossing a stream on horseback behind Brynner, he swung out of his saddle, scooped water in his cowboy hat, and doused himself. or dipping off his horse to get water from his hat et al. Your eyes are glued to him. No lines.
In 1985 I played a thug in Dennis Berry's LAST MOVIE starring Scott Renderer and Gabrielle Lazure. Scott had been in the Performance Garage Troupe with Willem. I asked for some acting tips. I knew nothing.
Scott, also a young painter, said, "Speak slowly and distinctly. Move a little slower in the scene. Know tour marks and lines. Don't look at the camera. if you can see the lenses, then the lenses can see you. Lastly never start until you hear 'action' and never stop until you hear 'cut'.
It was good advice.
Someone else told me, "Don't hit on the lead actress. The producer is # 1. # 2 the director, # 3 the lead man and as for the writer and actress prefers to go home with a Hollywood Boulevard valet than a writer
Good advice then
Good advice now.
No comments:
Post a Comment