From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Julie - Andrews: … …

A silence fell, like a stone sinking into the ocean.

Annie looked at Anson, and Anson looked at Annie. The two young people looked at each other, completely unsure of what had happened. Anson hadn't said anything wrong, had he? Could Anson's words have awakened some sad memory in Julie?

After carefully listening to Anson's question, Julie didn't answer immediately, but fell into contemplation. A hint of serious solemnity appeared on her gentle and elegant face, not profound, but enough to slow down time.

Anson remained patient, not interrupting Julie's thoughts, simply watching her quietly, using his eyes to convey a signal, anticipating an answer.

Julie noticed.

Coming back to her senses, Julie noticed Anson's gaze, and the corners of her mouth gently lifted.

She opened her mouth, paused for a moment, seeming to change her mind, and then gave a completely unexpected answer that had nothing to do with Anson's question.

However, Anson wasn't in a hurry—

He knew that Julie had performed on Broadway for many years, and that it was where she had made her name. Her bringing it up now certainly wasn't just idle chat.

So, Anson honestly said, “No.”

Julie wasn't surprised. For the current generation, stage plays had lost their appeal. Broadway and the West End, like everywhere else, needed to attract tourists to make a living. Those who truly understood and appreciated stage performances were aging, disappearing, being forgotten.

Julie revealed a smile, glancing at Anson, “You should see one.”

Anson didn't speak, but made an "OK" gesture.

Julie chuckled, “Stage plays are like this: there's a certain distance between you and the audience. They can't see or hear clearly, so actors need to amplify their performance, using body language to express emotions.”

“You see, in movies, when I speak, I try to minimize gestures and reduce the range of movements. But in stage plays, I need to open up my body, and every sentence needs to be accompanied by some body language. Standing still like a fool won't allow the audience to feel the character's emotions and attitude.”

As she spoke, Julie accompanied her words with gestures and movements, clearly presenting the differences between film and stage plays.

“So, in stage plays, how to use body language is a fundamental skill, a very, very important fundamental skill.”

“Do you know that every British actor needs to perform on the stage to gain true recognition?”

Suddenly, Julie looked at Anson and asked a rhetorical question.

Anson immediately understood, “You mean, the fundamental skill of body language, that's the answer?”

Julie gave him an expression of 'you are teachable,' nodding slightly with satisfaction. “When you stand in front of the camera, body language doesn't lie. How to naturally blend into the scene, blend into the situation, blend into the dialogue—those body language cues are often invisible, but they are the foundation of an excellent performance.”

Anson vaguely understood—

Someone once discussed, what is the difference between American actors and British actors? Or rather, the difference between American actors and European actors?

Overall, many American actors come from humble backgrounds, while British actors tend to be more academically trained. Of course, this isn't absolute, but after the start of the twenty-first century, reality shows have thrived in the fertile soil of North America, and this trend is becoming more and more obvious, which is indeed a phenomenon.

Undoubtedly, the UK also has a series of amateur actors who have entered the field of performance through talent shows or other means. Not all actors come from systematic academic teaching, but the artistic atmosphere is ultimately different.

As Julie said, if you want to gain true recognition in the British acting circle, you must meet three conditions.

First, academic background. If you have an amateur background, it doesn't matter, you can still go to the academy to study after entering the circle, which is also feasible.

Second, perform on the West End stage. That is, you must be baptized by stage plays. No matter how big a British actor is, they will return to the West End every once in a while, step onto the West End stage, and continue to hone their acting skills.

Third, seek breakthroughs. In a sense, break your own inertia and perform some challenging roles; of course, this requires opportunities and conditions, and not all actors can get the chance.

Thus, the actor's understanding of the role, the training of basic performance skills, etc., European actors, represented by the British, are indeed different from American actors.

So, how is the fundamental skill of body language reflected in performance?

Julie didn't say anything about this, because it cannot be explained by language alone. You must experience it yourself, learn it yourself, and go through it yourself to understand it; but Anson had some ideas.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've at least seen a pig run.

Here's a simple example.

In the future, streaming platforms will fully rise, and more and more traffic actors will be born. Watching the web dramas they shoot gives a very direct impression.

Although their lines, expressions, eyes, etc. are all criticized, what is even more direct is the full shot. When the camera captures their full-body movements, they often don't know how to stand, sit, or walk. That unnatural stiffness even breaks the balance of the shot, and the feeling of affectation lingers, causing the audience to have no sense of immersion at all.

Obviously, this is part of the fundamental skills.

In fact, it's not just them.

Anson couldn't help but think of Meryl Streep. This actress, who created history by winning twenty-one Academy Award performance nominations and winning three Little Golden Men, is already a legend. Obviously, no one would say that Meryl's acting skills are not good.

But precisely Meryl, she also has her own shortcomings—

Body language.

Meryl is a typical representative of American actors, using the method school to feel the emotions and thoughts of the character, and then presenting it with her own understanding.

Meryl's eyes, performance, and unparalleled line skills are indeed amazing. The delicate and layered performance in "Sophie's Choice" is worth recording in history; however, the clumsiness of body language is her fatal flaw, not to the point of being stiff, but there is no expressiveness at all.

Therefore, carefully watching Meryl's works, close-ups and close-ups occupy the main part, while full shots are relatively controlled, as far as possible to avoid shortcomings; moreover, Meryl holds Emmy, Oscar, and Grammy awards, only one Tony Award away from the unique "EGOT," but she has never been able to win it.

—"EGOT" represents the highest awards in the four major American fields: the Emmy for television, the Grammy for music, the Oscar for film, and the Tony for stage plays. Those who can collect the four major awards are all legends.

The only thing Meryl lacks is a Tony Award.

It can be seen that the basic skills of body language may not be as easy as imagined.

No wonder!

No wonder when Anson watched Julie's performance, he had a special feeling, from top to bottom, from the inside out, a natural sense of harmony.

Originally, he thought it was Julie's elegance, a kind of self-cultivation, especially when playing the Queen, who needed to hold on to the airs, which gave this feeling.

But now it seems that it is not the case, there is also a secret to the performance behind it, even if you don't need lines or actions, just standing there is different.

Fourth chapter.