📘 Part 3: Actors and acting

This episode's vocabulary

Rehearsal (noun) - a time when all the people involved in a play, dance, etc. practise in order to prepare for a performance.

To nail (verb) - to do something successfully.

Amateur (adj.) - taking part in an activity for pleasure, not as a job.

Taxing (adj.) - difficult or needing a lot of thought or effort.

Window (noun) - a period when there is an opportunity to do something.

Method actor (noun) - an actor who tries to understand and feel the emotions of the character he or she represents.

High-paid (adj.) - used to describe people who earn a lot of money.

To compensate (verb) - to provide something good or useful in place of something or to make someone feel better about something that has failed or been lost or missed.

Hierarchy (noun) - a system in which people or things are arranged according to their importance.

Low-paid (adj.) - not earning or paying much money.

Paparazzi (plural noun) - the photographers who follow famous people everywhere they go in order to take photographs of them for newspapers and magazines.

All and sundry (idiom) - everyone.

To wind up (phrasal verb) - to find yourself in an unexpected and usually unpleasant situation, especially as a result of what you do.

Stand-in (noun) - a person who takes the place or does the job of another person for a short time, for example, because the other person is ill or on holiday.

Stunt man (noun) - a person whose job is performing stunts (= difficult physical actions) that are too dangerous for the actors in a movie or television show to do.

Grievous (adj.) - having very serious effects or causing great pain.

Tremendous (adj.) - very great in amount or level, or extremely good.

Line (noun) - the words that an actor speaks when performing in a film, play, etc.

Close-up (noun) - a photograph taken from a short distance that gives a very detailed picture.

Fitting (noun) - an occasion when someone who is having clothes made for them puts on the clothes before they are finished to make certain they will fit.

Flexibility (noun) - the ability to change or be changed easily according to the situation.

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Questions and Answers

M: Are there many people in your country who want to be actors?

R: How on earth would anyone know the answer to that question? I would imagine they'd like to be rich and famous, but not necessarily becoming so by being an actor or an actress. It's a very stressful and demanding job. So the rewards are definitely earned.

M: What are the differences between acting in a theatre and in films?

R: Well, aside from the physical differences, like having to work on and share one stage versus a variety of sets, I suppose rehearsals are of a very different nature, since you can stitch things together in a film during the editing process. Whereas theatre is usually live, so you really need to nail it the first time, assuming it's a professional performance. I mean, to be honest, even amateur events must be quite taxing.

M: And which is more difficult do you think? Acting in a theatre or in films?

R: Probably theatre, because there's just so much that could go wrong. And there are so few windows for addressing that, that it must be quite stressful.

M: Is it interesting to be an actor?

R: Well, not being one, I wouldn't know for sure. But I imagine the lifestyle it allows you access to is very interesting, since you get to rub shoulders with different kinds of people from the rich and famous to the people who work putting things together like the sound sets and costumes. If you're a method actor, it might get even more interesting.

M: Some people say that actors are paid too much money. Would you agree?

R: Well, how much is too much? I mean, if we take high-paid male actors, for example, they have to train hard for their roles, change their lifestyles, I mean, almost to the extent they give themselves up to the role in order to meet the expectations of it. Well, some people might think they could do that, I think it actually takes a very special kind of neurotic talent to go to that level of self-destructive effort. So according to the law of supply and demand, they're rewarded accordingly for that. It generates content for millions of people to enjoy. So why shouldn't they be compensated fairly for the sacrifices they make?

M: Is acting as a respected profession in your country?

R: Well, that would probably depend entirely on the place in the acting hierarchy the actor occupies. I mean, there are low-paid and general actors who are treated, like and behave like normal people. And then there are highly paid talented people who turn the whole thing into a lifestyle. I mean, assuming they behave respectfully, then there'll be well respected. And if not, then everybody knows about it, and they aren't treated respectfully.

M: Are there any drawbacks to being a famous actor?

R: Well, I imagine it's not fun being chased around by the paparazzi and having every aspect of your life open for all and sundry to see. And of course, you might fall down in the hierarchy and wind up as a stand-in or a stunt actor, then you might open yourself up to financial uncertainty and grievous bodily harm if you manage to get injured. So there's a tremendous amount of pressure to stay at the top in that respect as well.

M: What would be the main advantage to being a famous actor? What do you think?

R: Like in a nutshell, power, but, you know, there's power in terms of influence, and there's power in terms of the money that you get. But ultimately, it comes down to the same thing.

M: What kinds of people become talented actors?

R: You need to have a good memory to learn your lines and maintain a reasonable physical appearance for close-ups and costume fittings. I suppose there's a great deal of flexibility involved to play the different roles too. I mean, one day you're Abraham Lincoln and the next you're Adolf Hitler.

M: Do you think acting will become more popular in the future as a job, as a profession?

R: It's difficult to say, I mean, in real terms, there will be more actors, because we're producing more media now than we ever have at any other time in history. But whether it's, you know, an increasing percentage in terms of popular jobs, I have no idea. My guess would be yes, because it's becoming more accessible now. So that should encourage more people to go for it.

M: Rory, thank you for your answers!

R: No problem!

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