NYTimes.com: Anne-Marie Duff often bares her soul onstage. Occasionally her underwear, too. At a wardrobe fitting for Lincoln Center Theater’s “Macbeth,” in which she plays Shakespeare’s “fiendlike queen,” she pointed to a transparent slip that is part of her costume and talked about the knickers she wanted to wear underneath. “The Scotland flag,” she said brightly. “Or plaid. Tartan.”
5 comments:
As a stage manager, it's sometimes easy to forget how emotionally taxing a rehearsal and performance process can be for actors. The best actors truly live in their characters; it can take a lot of exploration of their own behaviors and personalities to find ways to connect with and become a character. I love that this article refers to Ms. Duff as "inhabiting" Lady Macbeth, because that's what it must truly feel like for her- she inhabits the mind, body, and soul of another person while she performs that show. I can't even imagine how difficult that must be to do. I always try to be respectful of an actor who requests time or space for a warm-up, or needs silence before a show. Becoming another person in front of a theater full of people is not easy, and whatever actors need to prepare for that should be given to them if at all possible. Acting isn't easy, and it is truly an art and a skill, which is very evident in this article about Ms. Duff and her ability to play 'crazy women'.
Ms. Duff sound like quite a put-together human being. It is rare to come across talent that is also happy and humble, but she seems to do it with grace and ease. It must be difficult to be in wedlock with such a successful man, who might at times get in the way of or overshadow her own career, but she handles those instances quite well. The characters she has played are impressive, and the way she embodies these characters is, apparently, even more so. The way she can transform herself inside and out for these incredibly demanding roles is a gift that not many actresses have, and for her to be able to handle these crazy characters while staying sane herself deserves high praise.
I am always fascinated when I come across performers who are claimed to be so incredible at what they do. I too think it is easy to forget just how difficult it can be to become another person, when we have such a hard time becoming ourselves as we mature. But I truly have respect for those, like Ms. Duff, who are able to be so emotionally open and at the same time see her occupation from a removed and logical standpoint, as far as what she wants as a person professionally ad how it affects her personal life as with her husband. I wish I could see her performance. I'd like to see someone who can be so truthful onstage and off.
She sounds like a great actress. I did not really understand why the author threw in those bits about how little her costume left to the imagination. It seemed like something that was going to be discussed but did not. It sounds like the actress did not want to wear it but it was not a huge issue. I feel like in those situations if it is right for the piece then it gets worn. That is just part of being an actor / actress. It is different when the costume is not right for the piece though. Not really an objective topic but I wonder how often people take advantage and put people in revealing clothing for the sake of it.
It's really interesting to hear how people go about portraying characters, especially ones that are a bit insane. It is also compelling to see that it really often IS the some of the most sane people who are able to act deranged. For instance, Helena Bonham Carter is a very lovely, and seemingly kind person. She lives a relatively normal, though a bit eccentric, life, but is able to play some very mad and crazy women. She, I think is a god example of how to act insane in film and still keep up a "normal" life. One thing that concerns about acting crazy that Ms. Duff also addresses is trying not to take the problems the character faces home with you at the end of the day. An example of such behavior is Heath Ledger. His portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight affected him so deeply that he turned to sleeping pills to help him at night. These eventually led to his death, showing just how much a role can impact an actor. To be able to portray such an insane character is a great feat, but not something to be taken lightly.
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