This weekend I plan on taking a closer look at all the onlin epoetry sites I have been told of and will also add more to the blogroll. I then plan to post links to items I find interesting - which is what this blog is about: sharing with others things I find interesting that have to do, in the widest sense, with the world of books.
For instance, I learn from the Times of London that tomorrow is Sir Ian McKellen's birthday. I first encountered McKellen when PBS broadcast his one-man show Acting in Shakespeare. That must have been in the 1970s. How long ago that seems (especially since I can remember the night quite vividly - I rarely revisit the past, but I can conjure it very well when I choose to). I have been a fan ever since. The Times also notes that Sir Ian has a website and that he blogs. I just visited the Ian McKellen Official Home Page and see that there are video clips, one of which is taken from Acting in Shakespeare. I also see that in March of next year he will be playing King Lear at Stratford. I think I will at least look into the possibility of attending that.
But for now, to bed.
I too remember the "Tomorrow" speech - it was unforgettable. I wish the whole thing were available on DVD. And you know, I don't think he regrets the pop roles. Judging by his performance in The Da Vinci Code - he's the only cast member who escapes with his reputation intact, I think - he seems to enjoys doing these over-the-top parts. Also, I think he's a genuine pro: He's paid to act and does the best can with whatever comes his way.
ReplyDeleteSir Ian (who I, too, adore) is a true professional who have nothing to prove to anyone, in my opinion. Like, say, Judy Dench or Maggie Smith, he can do big, pop culture roles and not have it threaten their "rep." I admire actors like that; those who are too snobby to do a comic book movie are laughable, mostly because, as I've heard Patrick Stewart say, they're obsessed by how much money "sell-outs" like him make. They're just jealous, really. Plus, if you're a great actor, you're a great actor, no matter what you do.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Alec Guiness isn't a really good example. He was, from what I've read, a very... prickly and insecure sort. He may have hated being known to most as Obi-Wan Kenobi, but he doesn't seem to have LIKED much in life, anyway.