Being handed a bouquet of yellow roses on opening night has me thinking about all of my favorite things. Cashmere sweaters in cerulean blue. My husband, who is like a part of me. Luxury accommodations on a cruise to anywhere. Mallomars (yum). And British actress Lesley Manville. The woman whose incredibly sensitive face is an inspiration for all that I do, both on stage and on film.
One wonderful thing about not being a principal in the play J.B. is that the pressure is off to carry the production. I can relax and concentrate on making the most of a small role; one of the most important being to let the tension go out of my face and body so that I can react truthfully to what is going on around me and inside me.
The role I play in J.B. is purely reactive - part of an ensemble of women whose purpose is to comment on the events transpiring center stage. Some actors would take a purely mechanical approach to that, cueing off a word of dialog to turn this way or look at that cast member. But I've been allowing myself to relax and get completely in the moment, so that I can move and react not when I think I should but when it feels natural and right. I guess one way would be an intellectual approach and the other an emotional approach. In any case, I like what's happening as a result.
At the end of Mike Leigh's Another Year, the camera settles on Lesley Manville's face and the emotions she conveys are just gut-wrenching. In one fleeting moment her character drops her defenses and tells you absolutely everything about her life. I don't think I've ever seen another actress who can do that. Sheesh, I should be so good.
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| Lesley Manville in Another Year |
The role I play in J.B. is purely reactive - part of an ensemble of women whose purpose is to comment on the events transpiring center stage. Some actors would take a purely mechanical approach to that, cueing off a word of dialog to turn this way or look at that cast member. But I've been allowing myself to relax and get completely in the moment, so that I can move and react not when I think I should but when it feels natural and right. I guess one way would be an intellectual approach and the other an emotional approach. In any case, I like what's happening as a result.
At the end of Mike Leigh's Another Year, the camera settles on Lesley Manville's face and the emotions she conveys are just gut-wrenching. In one fleeting moment her character drops her defenses and tells you absolutely everything about her life. I don't think I've ever seen another actress who can do that. Sheesh, I should be so good.
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