Wednesday, June 22, 2016

“From Shakespeare I realized that people are capable of anything” – Kommersant

In Moscow, began the festival “Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night”, organized by the British Council as an-One of the key events of the program «Shakespeare Lives», which takes place in the framework of celebration the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s memory, and the year Russian language and literature. On this occasion, I arrived in the capital of the legendary film and theater actor Ian McKellen, to present his solo performance of Shakespeare in Pashkov House and restored by the British Film Institute for “Richard III of” in “Gogol-center.” In an interview HELEN KRAVTSUN eminent actor talked about Shakespeare, kings and blockbusters, and then turned the conversation in real solo performance

-. You are widely recognized as a master Shakespearean repertoire, playing in 15 of the 37 plays he has written. Do you remember when you first sang the role in Shakespeare? And if you understand, then, that play

– I was very lucky: I was not familiar with the works of Shakespeare in school. This is not a subject that should be checked on the exam, Shakespeare’s plays are for the theater. As a young boy I saw a game of amateur theater in the North of England, they showed the play “Twelfth Night.” A few years later, I was given a role in the production of a small excerpt from the play. I played Malvolio – control with puritanical mores, which exposes itself a laughing stock, falling in love with Olivia. So Shakespeare has quickly become part of my life. I was terribly interested in how things work on stage and in the end I began to play himself. Fortunately, Shakespeare’s work causes a reaction, regardless of age – whether young whether you are middle-aged or elderly, in me, for example, is always something echoed

. – you see the difference, as it is today perceived Shakespeare saw at 20-30 years

-? this is you could write a book! Hamlet told the actors: “Speak, please, the role as I showed: / easily and smoothly. If you’re going to bawl her, / like most of you, it would be better to give it / town crier “(translated by B. Pasternak). So do not be shouting the Shakespeare, say it! Shakespeare’s language is incredibly complex and beautiful. But there are different styles of acting, and they change. Are they getting better? I do not know, they just change. A hundred years ago, at least in my country, the world was a very clear and specific location. We know exactly which direction to go, and in the same spirit existed manner of Shakespeare’s play. This was done for show, it was a demonstration – huge theaters, broad gestures, loud voice! (Literally cries out the last sentence). Today we postpsihiatricheskie interests and a completely different concept of the norm. Now we understand that you can not blindly believe someone else’s words. We can not trust what they have on their faces – we need to understand what lies behind them. A certain naturalism. So yes, there are different styles of acting. Even Marlon Brando on their background looks a bit old-fashioned, but it is always considered a great actor of our time! Personally, I like to watch Shakespeare in the chamber theater to its pronounced quietly, easily and without hesitation … ( says an excerpt from the monologue of Hamlet ): «To be or not to be, that is the question. Worthy l / humbles under the blows of fate, / Il is necessary to resist … “(translation by Boris Pasternak). Direct communication with the audience is only possible in small theaters. I noticed that in large theaters many things can go wrong

-. If you look at Shakespeare’s heroes, who are you closest to? With whom do you associate yourself

– One thing I understood from Shakespeare: people are capable of anything. We can be incredibly generous in love, in the art of love. We can be wonderful parents who love children – and we may hate our parents hate each other, and even to get to the murder. We are all capable of both great, and the wicked deeds. So in a sense, I’m all the heroes can find themselves. In particular, as an actor, you have to sometimes present themselves committing terrible things

The role that I wanted to play, but that’s probably already too late -. This role in “The merchant of Venice” Antonio, who is gay. It is clear that he is a homosexual relationship, when his boyfriend reported that he was going to marry. And it causes incredible pain Antonio. A man aged, he puts at stake his whole life for this lad, whom he loves. I’ve never been in this situation, but I am also gay, and I was very touched by that Shakespeare wrote this at a time when people did not raise the subject of homosexuality. Even plead homosexual was illegal. Shakespeare gives this feature of the central character of the play, and you do not understand the importance of this, until you realize that this is a time when society is cruel to the Jews, slaves, blacks and gays are not taken. That’s what this beautiful, contemporary play, and I am particularly interested in it for personal reasons. Shakespeare was fascinated by the subject of human sexuality, all these constant changing and transformation in the characters of the men and women back, and it is amazing for its time.

– your one-man show, which you show in Moscow, called “Shakespeare on stage, on screen, anywhere.” Do you think Shakespeare what was a man

-? This idea was called that way because I am puzzled that I include in it, and as a result I decided to include all. What kind of person was Shakespeare? He was completely different from anyone else – and that’s saying a lot. But he was also, like many other people – it’s very hard work, he was a professional, a boy he left home and went to find his happiness. He was a man who lost a young child. He was very ambitious. All these qualities are found in ordinary people

-. Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings” and the superhero Magneto, the role that you played in the Hollywood film of Shakespeare’s level heroes

– It is possible, as the characters, but not in the script. You know that the scenario of “X-Men” is based on a comic book, which is, in fact, are just illustrations. The words are not as important as the picture, and this applies to the majority of films. Tolkien brings some deep thought, but still the basis of constant action. None of them has not been disclosed on the level of intimacy, intimacy, which gives Shakespeare. In a scene from “Macbeth”, which is considered the most popular among the audience the play – perhaps because it is the shortest ( laugh ), – when Lady Macbeth dies, she is holding a candle. And a short time later, Macbeth tries to define what is life and death, and he says: “The end, the end, candle burnt out!” – As if our lives – is a candle. But why did he twice says “faileth» (fade out)? “Fade, fade away …” He has to do this twice, to make sure that the candle went out. Such is the level of sophistication, intimacy and accuracy of Shakespeare. He was an observer, he does not miss a single detail, and in addition he has a very vivid imagination, but he’s one of us. What I like about Shakespeare – he is always present in the moment, here and now. One of his pieces begins with the word “now.” Do not “long ago”, not “in the distant past,” and “now”! And in this “now” -. The entire Shakespeare

– Ian, how hard the intellectual actor with tremendous backgrounds decide to shoot blockbusters

– you do not suspect that people walk on the action, until we drop that one. You just shoot him in the same way as in any other film. Well, only it will cost more, but overall it’s the same thing. I’d be lying if I say that there is a difference between breakfast and dinner, a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. Of course, they differ, but in fact are the same: Both in the cup, both hot, just one light brown and dark brown other. They are different, but at the same time the same. This is similar to her acting in theater and play in a movie, a game of untwisted film and independent film – in fact, it’s all the same, although their differences have

. – in 1996, you played the role of Emperor Nicholas II in the film “Rasputin”, that brought you the award “Golden globe”. Your opinion about Russia then and now

-? Oh, you want trouble for me. ( He laughs. ) I’m not an expert in the history of the world, but I am very interested in politics. Perhaps because of Shakespeare, because I’m curious: what it is – to be a member of the royal family. I like to observe the queen of England, for the way it behaves, for its movements. St. Nicholas, I think, felt that he had received from the Lord their status as Elizabeth I, like other kings, rulers, all the time talking with God. Richard II believed that he was given the divine right. All of their stories come to this: they were deceived. The main motivation in their lives was wrong, they were not representatives of God. You can treat this as a tragedy, and it is possible like this: “Oh, thank God, even before his death, they understood it”, and I ask myself, as if they thought at the very moment that they are equal to all other human beings in the face of death. As for the modern Russian policy – as well as the British, American, African politics – I like it when politicians do not interfere with other people live. As long as I do not harm others, including verbal, the state has no right to dictate how I live – this is my cause, my friends and family

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