In the row between Damian Lewis and Ian McKellen, I'm with the wizard
|
Version 0 of 1. Getting involved in an actors' catty fight is like taking sides in a couple's row; it is likely that within a week they will have made up, and I will be left looking like the bad guy. On this occasion, however, I cannot but get involved. Damian Lewis, star of TV show Homeland, reckons the worst fate that could befall an actor is to become "one of these slightly over-the-top, fruity actors who would have an illustrious career on stage, but wouldn't start getting any kind of film work until I was 50 and then start playing wizards." Ian McKellen, who is reprising his role as Gandalf in the Hobbit sequel The Desolation of Smaug, responded: "I wouldn't like to have been one of those actors who hit stardom quite early on and expected it to continue and was stuck doing scripts that I didn't particularly like just to keep the income up." The truth is most actors I know would give a limb to be either. As a jobbing actor, I cannot adequately express how encouraging it is to know that a big break could come at any age. But that is neither here nor there. There is a matter of principle at stake. To voice or not to voice? That is the real question. I must declare an interest – as a fruity actor with a sonorous voice who does a decent line in over-the-top characters, I am #TeamIan all the way. It has become fashionable of late, especially Stateside, to whisper everything to camera, because apparently this is subtle. Subtle often masquerades as naturalistic, but that is not always the case. There is an appropriate volume for every word, in every scene, of every play or script. It is up to an actor to experiment and discover it. To whisper everything is as lacking in reality, as dull and devoid of light and shade, as to boom it all. The minimum acceptable sound levels on the stage are higher than those on screen. Same goes for characterisation. It is also true that as a stage actor your primary tool is your voice, while on screen it is your face. I recently worked with a director at the National Theatre who explained: "I would rather start with something big and bold, than pale and tiny. I can always moderate too much in order to bring it down to an appropriate size. Trying to breathe life into very little, on the other hand, is almost impossible." I have seen both Lewis and McKellen on stage. There is no doubt they are both exceptionally gifted artists. Lewis as Bernick in the National Theatre's 2005 production of Henrik Ibsen's Pillars of The Community inhabited the part completely. Critics were thrilled. The people sitting in the cheap balcony seats of the Lyttleton (which included me) were less so. What we could hear of it was great. During long softly-spoken monologues, we were too busy grimacing the exaggerated smile of what-did-he-say. In contrast, the first time I saw McKellen on stage was in Strindberg's Dance of Death at the Lyric a decade ago. He, too, inhabited his part (which, incidentally, is theatrefolk code for "seemed like a real person") but his every word could be heard in the furthest reaches of the auditorium, while seeming effortless. I am confused as to what Lewis expects from fruity wizard parts on screen, like Gandalf in Lord of The Rings or Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, played by those other lightweights of the acting world, Richard Harris and Michael Gambon. These are larger than life characters in highly surreal scenarios. All three actors managed to find subtlety and humanity in the smaller scenes which required it. But, frankly, I think a stony-faced Gandalf, subtly whispering "you shall not pass" to a demon made of fire, may have detracted from the impact of the scene. Contrary to popular belief, real people don't always walk around whispering things in a sexy, husky tone, like Batman trying to protect his identity. All of us use a variety of volumes every day, appropriate to the emotional landscape, physical setting and background noise. If Lewis prefers hushed, subtle performances he might take a glance at McKellen's Golden Globe winning performance in Gods and Monsters. If he chooses to watch Sword and Sorcery tales of elves and dragons, he should expect some camp – ultimately, it is what makes those films enjoyable. I love both actors' performances, respectively, as Brody and Gandalf. The difference is, while I can easily see a younger McKellen playing Brody, I can never see Lewis playing Gandalf. Perhaps he will prove me wrong, but until then, if he wishes to disrespect people in our profession, he should choose more appropriate targets. He hasn't quite earned the chops to criticise Harris, Gambon and McKellen. And if he must, he should do it in very hushed tones. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |