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Jul. 12th, 2004 03:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebeegeeTom freaked me out last night. Our scene occurs about 10 minutes into the second act, and usually right after intermission, he goes off away from me (he enters a couple of minutes before me). Sometime last week, I'd made the comment that we shouldn't see each other before our scene, so we felt more distant. So last night he was still in my section of the dressing room, and I wasn't sure what he was doing--he seemed to be pushing against the wall. I went over to say something funny to him, about an article I saw in Backstage and he slapped the paper away and said "Get the fuck out of here." My eyes got huge. I said "Are you okay?" Understand, Tom has never treated me with anything but the utmost respect. He shook his head and said "Tell me later."
So, I'm thinking he's pissed at me for something (this was especially noteworthy because there was yet another ugly incident with Suzanne before the show, directed toward Tom and me, one involving foul language). I was a little distracted during our scene, wondering if I'd done something wrong. (His acting was pretty good in that scene, though, perhaps because I'd given him extensive notes on his opening monologue--"Ah, splendor of sunburst breaking forth this day whereon I lay hands once more upon Helen, my wife." Among other things, I told him to think about Menelaus's indecisiveness and how that defines the scene; in the first monologue he goes back on himself twice--"to kill...or not to kill" and "take her out--no, drag her out" and of course our entire interaction is about whether or not he kills me. From what I heard, it sounded much better.) After we exited, he smiled at me like "that went well." I pulled him aside and said "why did you get so pissed at me before the scene? That really upset me." He was surprised and explained how it was this whole Meisner preparation technique, and how he was psyching himself up emotionally for the scene--he needed to hate me (Helen) for the scene. I dunno. I guess I'm not that kind of actor. Tracy and I discussed that--she said I'm more technical than that. I need a little preparation but not that kind, and I generally snap right out of character as well (highly emotional scenes are of course an exception--I had a rough time getting out of character for the Ophelia stuff I did for the Shakespeare showcase, especially that one night when I burst into tears during the scene). It's all in the lines--I act on the line. Just listen to what you're saying, and act on the line (of course, this is easier with classical text).
So, I'm thinking he's pissed at me for something (this was especially noteworthy because there was yet another ugly incident with Suzanne before the show, directed toward Tom and me, one involving foul language). I was a little distracted during our scene, wondering if I'd done something wrong. (His acting was pretty good in that scene, though, perhaps because I'd given him extensive notes on his opening monologue--"Ah, splendor of sunburst breaking forth this day whereon I lay hands once more upon Helen, my wife." Among other things, I told him to think about Menelaus's indecisiveness and how that defines the scene; in the first monologue he goes back on himself twice--"to kill...or not to kill" and "take her out--no, drag her out" and of course our entire interaction is about whether or not he kills me. From what I heard, it sounded much better.) After we exited, he smiled at me like "that went well." I pulled him aside and said "why did you get so pissed at me before the scene? That really upset me." He was surprised and explained how it was this whole Meisner preparation technique, and how he was psyching himself up emotionally for the scene--he needed to hate me (Helen) for the scene. I dunno. I guess I'm not that kind of actor. Tracy and I discussed that--she said I'm more technical than that. I need a little preparation but not that kind, and I generally snap right out of character as well (highly emotional scenes are of course an exception--I had a rough time getting out of character for the Ophelia stuff I did for the Shakespeare showcase, especially that one night when I burst into tears during the scene). It's all in the lines--I act on the line. Just listen to what you're saying, and act on the line (of course, this is easier with classical text).
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Date: 2004-07-13 06:08 am (UTC)I tend to go off by myself before a scene to get ready and I generally can be found in some corner of the backstage staring at the wall and talking to myself. However, I do explain to all actors who are in the show that this is what I do and this is my time and that is how I work....that is to avoid ugly incidents like the one you had with Tom. I do not want my need to focus to interfere with the performances of others.
Once, when I was doing Out of the Frying Pan, I did have an ugly incident. I was taking a moment alone right before my cue and one actor kept pestering me about how he should have gotten a bigger role. That was his diatribe for the entirety of the production. Anyway, I told him to please let me focus and he persisted. After my scene, I told him in no uncertain terms, "If you ever do that again, I'll kill you."
Only twice have a threatened a fellow actor that way. The other time
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Date: 2004-07-13 10:12 am (UTC)