Acting

The actor creates on the stage infinite sensations, feelings, or emotions that become the emotions of the whole theatrical audience. Before they became the subject of the actor’s embodiment, they were given a literary formulation, they were borne in the air, in social consciousness.

I’m not exactly sure how to interpret this last sentence. The thought occurred to me: is it the actor’s responsibility to embody the emotions of a literary character in a way that is directly relatable to the audience? Surely not, right? For instance, I went to high school in a very small and rural town in Pennsylvania, almost all having the same or similar religion, the same political affiliations, what seemed to be the same or similar career paths, etc., and it was a very unpleasant experience for people who did not agree with or wish to embody these ideals (such as myself). If a theatrical performance were to be offered in the town that was too far removed from the town’s culture, yes it would be difficult for most in the town to understand easily, and it might not be popular, but I don’t think the actors should try to accommodate their act to fit the audience. I think acts of the theatre can be wonderful gateways into artistic forms from other cultures and even other time periods.

Must an actor have experienced the emotions they are trying to portray? This made me think of actors who are billed to play serial killers, psychopaths, and horror villains. For instance, it seems Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in Dark Knight took a very deep tole on him, and shortly before the movie’s release, he died (whether or not this is directly related to his portrayal of the Joker, I’m not sure). Even more complex, in my opinion, would be Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur/Joker in the recent Joker film. Arthur suffers from a neurological condition that significantly affects his self-control (most notably, his laugh) and his perception of reality. I hope that Joaquin did not have to endure neurological damage to play this role, but I suspect he conducted a significant amount of research and practice on the behaviors of people with this particular condition. I found his portrayal convincing, although perhaps a mental health care professional might not have (I'm not sure; it would be interesting to ask).