by Who will head Instagram account?
I don’t know what you are talking about. I have absolutely no idea, it’s something that has just happened. If I find it out, I’ll thank you.
You did a lot of Shakespeare in your time. Which game is your favorite?
The story are pretty good – Richard II and III; Henry IV, V and VI. We don’t present them here [in Australia] Often, but I’m now testing a production.
They are a wonderfully complex analysis of the way in which people – now and in the past – have tried to create the best possible state. And failed.
What is the best lesson you learned from someone you have worked with?
Always staying positive and nothing to reject – because they never know when the things they release will be useful. I have learned that there are no stupid questions; You could be one a little Stupid but silly questions can create interesting solutions.
What is the most chaotic that ever happened during a show?
There was a wonderful moment in Les Mis [in 1991] When I played at the time, the stage should turn, and the line -up had to take off all tables and chairs at the same time when we let the stage sing – through a rather narrow wing room. But the rotation went into the wrong way, then he took a standstill and went back in the other direction, twice the speed – and so a stage was full of tables and chairs and actors fly. Some of the actors were laughed at with laughter – others were injured.
What is the most underestimated Australian game?
Ron Blairs The Christian Brothers [a one-man play about a teacher at a Christian Brothers school] is the most wonderful piece. I was in the first production in Nimrod in 1975 [directed by John Bell] And I often did it in different seasons. The last time I did it, it was in the Sydney Opera House [in 2001] And at that time there was so much with the Christian brothers that the piece suddenly became much darker, and much more like a piece of Beckett. Context is everything.
At that time they played hundreds of characters in their career. What was the most difficult to shake?
I don’t have this problem – the character works; The curtain comes down and it is gone. Certainly some roles were physically exhausting. And if you have to touch in darker areas, this can also be very exhausting. But I am lucky – I have a home life that is loving and stable as people are always stable. Schauzalleben is this kind of underground thing that I can only do in the context of film, television or stage.
That sounds pretty functional.
Well, I think it has to be. And I think we have learned a lot in the past decade [bring the work home with you]. There used to be an idea that the actor had to live in a Garret and had to starve because that would be wonderful for his soul – what a lot of garbage!
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It’s really different now. There was a lot of work to change things like the way in which intimacy is treated and to develop support systems. And I think that achieves really good results. The jobs differ enormously from the beginning: they were much hierarchical, they were often male dominated, there was often a lot of alcohol. And the actor started from the baseline of: You are nothing but the director will build you up and make you something.
The general atmosphere in a rehearsal room is usually [better now]. There is more acceptance. We have the HR department when there are problems. The acting is always such a jump into the unknown. It is instinctive. And so they need themselves – they make a fool of themselves and they are very vulnerable. And now we are more conscious.
Do you believe in theater spirits?
No, but I like to think that the spirits of former actors float. When I go to a theater, I am immediately aware of the atmosphere. Theater are places where there has been an enormous amount of human endeavors and all possible stories and feelings, and that [leaves a trace]. And every time a theater is pulled down, it is quite difficult for actors.
Are you sure you don’t believe in theater spirits?
Well, my sensible part says: Don’t be so silly; It’s nerves. But another part of me says [shrugs, raises eyebrows]. But architecture has also changed a lot. I don’t know that there are many spirits who like to live in concrete and straight lines and such places. I think you prefer very wood and plaster and the Victorian [aesthetic].
What is the oldest that you have and why do you still have it?
I stick to books for a long time. I am under pressure – the room is finally. We have been living in the same apartment for 16 years, but before we lived in a house, and when we moved, we searched a lot of books because they simply couldn’t fit. And I regretted every book that was ejected. I am a bit of a after this regard, I have to say.
What is the last great Australian book you read?
There were so many, but Robbie Arnott’s latest book was fabulous. And Helen Garner’s latest – football – was absolutely wonderful. I always said that if I could act as Helen Garner writes, I would be happy – because it is so clear, so easy and yet invited.
Which animal do you relate to the most?
It used to be dogs, but I know a certain cat that is very splendid – it doesn’t live with us, but I know it – so I’m a cat now. I had a fur phobia for many years – after completing cats [the musical, in 1995, playing Bustopher Jones]. When we talk about what was the most difficult role, it was what it was – due to the damage that my spine and several other areas had been done. It is outrageous. It damaged endless generations of dancers. Not that I was a dancer, I was an actor who moved strongly and cat -like.
