Assessing the Three Classes of Actors

By Yi Shu (Isabel Nee Yeh-su)

A third-rate actor will work himself into a frenzy to demonstrate meaning to the audience through expressions,poses, undulations, and screams ostensibly in an effort to spellbind the audience, but really out of fear that the audience won’t understand.

A second-rate actor knows how to be a bit more subtle and can really show his skills, which is more in line with what a famous director once said, “No playacting,no exaggerated actions, and no over-the-top expressions.” But performing like this gives the audience the feeling that he is an actor employed to act out a scene,collect his pay and go home.

What about a first-class actor?It is said that he should be like James Dean in Elia Kazan’sEast of Eden. In the 1950s, Dean went to the audition for the role of Cal Trask in Elia Kazan’sEast of Eden. Later the director asked his assistant how she felt about the young man’s performance. “He IS Cal.” she answered in a trembling voice.

One year, when I visited the movieVengeancedirected by Chang Cheh, I had the honor to observe the fascinating performance of Lady Wang Ping,and could see the animated emotions playing between her furrowed brows. But then the director stopped her and said, “Wang Ping, don’t move your eyebrows.” When I finally understood why, I was filled with the greatest admiration.

Just be real, and act no more.

(FromStill Looking for It If It Is There, Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House. Translation:Wang Xiaoke)

三流演員出場，一定彈眼落睛，做足表情，聳肩揮臂，聲嘶力竭，努力演出，唯恐觀眾不明白他的意思。

二流演員比較含蓄，揮灑自如，像某導演吩咐的：“不要像做戲，不要多余動作，不要太多表情。”他如此做了，但他給觀眾一種感覺：他是演員，他會收工，稍后就回家去。

一流演員，據說是這樣的：當年伊利亞·卡贊尋找《伊甸園之東》里卡爾一角，詹姆斯·迪恩去試戲，表演完畢，導演問助手：“感覺如何？”女助手聲音顫抖：“導演，他就是卡爾。”

有一年，我看導演張徹拍《報仇》，女主角是風情萬種的汪萍，她眉梢眼角交足功課。但導演說：“汪萍，眉毛不要動。”我在一旁聽到，佩服到極點。在自然的時候，不要做戲。