Claire Danes on wanting acceptance Claire Danes admits that when she was growing up, she “wanted desperately to please, to be a good girl. I wanted acceptance. I still do.” Like many artists, she sought acceptance in renown: “A part of me desired fame because I associated it with love. That was a total mistake. [...]
Out of the comfort zone Many people, maybe most, want to avoid anxiety, fear and other “stressful” feelings. Except for the occasional roller coaster ride. But talented actors (and other artists) often use those kinds of feelings to guide and energize their work. Julia Stiles [left] says she chooses projects based on “ways I need [...]
Shy since childhood Clea DuVall has referred to herself as “an only child and I’m just a real loner kind of person, and yeah, kinda dark. But I’m happy. Not sad. I’m just shy and nervous.” Like many other talented actors, she considers herself shy. Maybe acting – playing other people – is a way [...]
Harry Dean Stanton – compelling authenticity “I play myself all the time… on camera and off. What else can I do?” Harry Dean Stanton [photo and quote from the HBO.com section for “Big Love”] Nicolas Cage thinks “Harry Dean exudes a spiritual awareness that’s steeped in deep sadness, and it’s so compelling to watch on [...]
Ian McKellen on timing Ian McKellen admits in a recent article that it has taken time and life experience to develop the self-confidence that now helps fuel his dynamic roles. “Suppose it had been me who played Tom Jones [1963], not Albert Finney?” he said. “There was never any question of me playing those sorts [...]
Brad Pitt In a magazine interview, Brad Pitt once candidly admitted, “I’ve got a couple of friends that might as well be family, and I’ve caught myself just ordering one of them to do something because you get accustomed to people doing things for you… It’s the money and the power, it just crushes everything.” [...]
Cherry Jones Cherry Jones [left], earned a Tony nomination for her acting in a stage production of A Moon for the Misbegotten [2002] but was “nearly paralyzed by a profound case of stage fright” according to a Time Out New York article. She said it was from “Living up to the greatest performance I have [...]
Philip Seymour Hoffman In a recent interview, Philip Seymour Hoffman [Best Actor Oscar nominee for “Capote”] admitted he used drugs and alcohol earlier in his life. A lot. “It was all that stuff. It was anything I could get my hands on. I liked it all.” He got sober, he says, because “You get panicked. [...]
Navi Rawat One of the pleasures of the tv series “Numb3rs” is a character [Amita Ramanujan - played by Navi Rawat] who is not only a math whiz, but a woman of exotic beauty, not the standard blonde [as appealing as many blonde actors may be]. Navi Rawat was born to a German mother and [...]
> excerpt from article: “This top grossing actor has strict code – Samuel Jackson sees his stardom as artistic capital, something he’s unwilling to have frittered away.” By Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2006 He is intensely disciplined and purposeful, a combination that has made him much in demand as an actor, though [...]
“The film industry is very old fashioned in California. It is very, very, very difficult for an American actor who wants a film career to be open about his sexuality. And even more difficult for a woman if she’s lesbian. “It’s very distressing to me that that should be the case. It’s not true of [...]
The enemy of art Commenting about her feelings this morning and her best-actress Oscar nomination for “Transamerica,” Felicity Huffman [left, as Bree in the film] said, “I woke up in fear and anxiety – which I know is the enemy of art, and in general.” [CNN Showbiz Tonight Feb 13 2006] Nicole Kidman admits, “Every [...]
According to a recent LA Times article there is “an explosion” of one-man and one-woman shows around town: 25 solo shows in 2003; last year, at least 54. “We like to hear personal intimate insights that we can connect to,” says Jean-Louis Rodrigue, who teaches theater at UCLA… Sandra Tsing Loh [photo] developed her solo [...]
M. Night Shyamalan cast and directed Bryce Dallas Howard [photo] in a key role in the 2004 film “The Village” and recently commented : ”There’s a purity to her that comes through in her acting. When an emotion comes through, it’s unadulterated. The gunk from fame and money — all those things that would gunk [...]
Maria Bello on playing with gender roles Maria Bello found her role in “A History of Violence” was “really sort of the supportive husband. She’s the man. She’s the A personality: aggressive, masculine – even the way she dresses. And I really felt she was in control and driving this family, and he was more [...]
Heather Graham “Acting is telling a story, and you’re part of telling that story. In some ways therapy helps more than acting class. You realize why you operate in certain ways.” Heather Graham [in our interview several years ago about making "Lost in Space"] expressed one of the most valuable and positive reasons for therapy [...]
Maybe all of us need to alter our feelings and state of mind at times. Mountain climbing, skydiving, yoga, using drugs and alcohol are all ways, as noted by psychologist David Duncan in his article Human’s Need To Alter Consciousness. [This is an article on a huge addiction research and treatment site that I am [...]
“I know what it’s like to loathe oneself. To feel that deep self-loathing. “It’s painful and ugly and f**ing unwanted. “And it got in the way. I can dip in there, into the old black-Irish melancholy. “You think ‘Am I smart enough? Am I equipped enough to deal with it all?’ “You don’t want it [...]
Sometimes I feel competitive when I see somebody else in a movie that’s really beautiful and really big, or when I’m vying for a role and I can’t get in and it’s the usual suspects — Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Connelly, all great actresses. Then I feel like a loser and I get sad. [...]
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