The Way of It

Some may wonder why the interest on Langella. Truth be told, I did not recognize the guy by name until I heard the NPR interview this past Saturday October 8th. But what he said was so simple, potent, and he said it with such conviction and earnestness, that I looked him up, and have enjoyed learning about how he acts and lives in the world.

Here are a few more gems, from the Backstage interview:

Langella, who is 73, says belief in oneself is the key to a successful career, and indeed, self-destructive behavior comes from a lack of belief in oneself. Equally important, an actor needs to believe in the project and truly want to be a part of it. As Langella tells it, back in the day when he auditioned, if he wasn’t drawn to the role or script, his audition reflected his lack of enthusiasm. The most successful auditions were for roles he especially wanted.

(…)

His career has been defined by many ups and downs and dry periods when he had neither work nor representation. But he never toyed with the idea of doing something else nor even questioned his talent. “When I had difficulty getting work or representation, I told myself it was not a reflection of my ability, but rather a reflection of my demeanor or manner, or it was luck of the draw. I never felt, ‘Now I’ll go do trash.’ My motto is ‘Never give up, never give in, if the dream is still strong in you.’ If the need to act is so strong it wakes you in the middle of the night, then stay with it.”

He adds, “If you think you’d kind of like to be an actor because it’ll get you laid, or you’d kind of like to be an actor because it’ll make you famous, or you’d kind of like to be an actor because it’ll make you lots of money and you won’t have to work much, then you shouldn’t be an actor. You should be a commercial commodity.”

(…)

“I’m not going to fix myself to look like 63. Why would I want to? I would have to compete with 60-year-old actors. There are fewer actors my age.”

“I think it’s madness to try to be what you were.”

“I was once told I act in the wilderness and that I have no point of view. I’ve come to trust that something will emerge from the wilderness. I like going in every which way during rehearsal. I usually work from the inside out, but sometimes it’s the other way around. I may rehearse at top energy or top speed, and then the next day I’ll play it low-key. It’s all a big cauldron. I throw everything in, see what works, and then do less and less. It starts as a minestrone and then becomes a simple broth” (From an interview with Simi Horwitz published on Backstage).