galt1

Academy Award nominations are finally out, but how many true artists are being recognized?

Having spent many years working both on stage and the screen, directing, teaching, acting and writing, I would like to share some observations that may or may not resonate, but hopefully will suggest for some that a wake up call is long overdue.
I can say with conviction, young people today are entering the acting field far too often for the wrong reason. As I've shared many times in my classes, there are many levels of expression for the would-be professional. Such aspirants generally fall into one of the following identities: The personality; the actor; the celebrity; the artist. Unfortunately, "the artist" aspiration is much maligned and discouraged by those who would prefer to create cookie-cutter paste ups for audiences to identify with. Bottom Line advocates (the people who heretofore have provided permission for actors to express themselves) are only interested in pacifying the knee jerk need for escapism associated with their demographic target. Too often we hear, “Give them what they want.” Perhaps it’s time to give them what they need. Yes, I know, sounds a bit “Big Brother,” but as the Executive Producer said during an audience warm-up period for a sit com I was directing, “When the applause sign lights up, clap and laugh. That’s because we know what’s funny.” Well, as egotistical as that might sound on the surface, it has a point to make. If plays, screen plays and programming in general are only created for a dumbed down audience, how in God’s name can viewers grow in their appreciation of what might appear to be out of reach… a bit beyond their present understanding… a perspective on life they may not have considered?
Just as painters paint because they have to; just as composers compose because they have to; and just as poets write because they have to; so too should actors as artists seek platforms of expression where they can mirror human behavior for the growth and betterment of… well, just plain living life to its fullest. The sad fact is, however, that personalities, actors, and those who have achieved a level of celebrity seek platforms for expression where a false sense of worth is ostensibly satisfied with dollars. It has become the norm to equate an actor’s worth by the amount of money he received on his last job. There are of course a few exceptions, but for the most part, equating value for an actor has fallen to this level. Does anyone out there believe that Beethoven, Van Gogh, or Olivier for that matter, started their expressive lives because they were motivated by the big bucks? Being paid for one’s effort has its merit, obviously, but not at the expense of obviating the integrity of ones values… assuming one has some. And that brings up another sore spot... wasting one’s talent in order to buy the mansion in Beverly Hills.
Actors as representatives of the human race have not only the largest media reach of any group of people, but also have the greatest responsibility for using that platform to cause reflection, self-assessment, and revelation into one’s sense of life. Acting is one of the most rewarding aspirations a person could have... pursued for the right reason. The quintessential self-realization is, either you are a personality, or an artist. There’s room for both, but none of us should masquerade. And, let’s hope that more of us will show up on stage as well as the big screen, small screen and even mini-screens as artists needing to be who and what we are because we have a philosophy of life that needs to be expressed, not because we are afraid that we won’t get work if we chance that direction. And finally…
Among the small group of noteworthy films up for Academy Award consideration, I’m sure the writers, directors and actors of Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Transamerica didn’t spend months and years working to share their creativity and or philosophy for living because they believed the studios would guarantee them big bucks... or an Academy Award nomination. They did it because they were compelled to take a risk and share a unique perspective on life, knowing it could just as easily back fire on them as create the magic. It makes me wonder… might not the same kind of thoughts have occupied the minds of Beethoven, Van Gogh and Olivier?