This afternoon in my Theater 100 lecture I had the honor to be present for a talk by Robert Prosky. For those of you who aren't sure who he is, he's played great character roles in movies such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Rudy, and The Natural. And he's done countless plays on and off Broadway, most notably Our Town as the Stage Manager and The Death of a Salesman as Willy Loman.
Anyway, it was so much fun and I really felt I learned a lot from this man. He's been called by many an "actor's actor", and I agree. You can learn so much of the craft just by watching this man work than by taking many a class or reading a book. Robert Prosky is generally cast as a character actor, never a leading man in movies. But if you watch, ever single character he plays is different. Because, he told us, you don't play characters. You play human beings.
I also loved that when he spoke about how he felt about acting, I could relate. He said that every time he got onto a bare stage with a new script in his hand he felt like he had no idea what he was doing. But he'd rehearse, and he'd do it, and after the show he'd heave a sigh of relief and be thankful that no one could tell that he had no idea what he was doing.
I feel like that every time I do a show. And it's comforting to know that someone with his success could feel the same way.
There was one other thing that Mr. Prosky said really touched me. Earlier in the talk he made reference to an old quote that said "the act of not knowing is where the greatest creativity is found." I'll paraphrase the rest of his thought:
"Eventually, you'll find yourself being recognized at supermarkets. But they won't know why. They'll think you're a long lost cousin, or that you sold them a used car in Minnesota.
Then you'll say no, and tell them that you're an actor. But the truth is, you're not an actor. Not really. What you are...what we all are...are permanent residents in the house of not knowing."
Posted by BYuCnslr (Member # 1857) on :
I'm jealous. That is very very awesome. Satyagraha
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
Agreed...wish he could have stayed and talked longer.