"Fame has an enormous impact on an actor's life, on my life, which I'm often unable to ignore anywhere but two places - within the walls of my own home, and in front of the camera. In both places, quite fortuitously, the essence of my role is the same: to be supremely present, and to try at every turn to open myself up, rather than perform what I think would be right, or what I've seen before."
"This can be difficult in either space, but it is in front of the camera - only in front of the camera, nowhere else - where the seed of fame is generated. The camera is, therefore, the polar opposite of a true home. I have to remember that always: it wears a mask, even while my job is to try to remove my own."
"Mid-pandemic, early 2021: I'm filming the third season of my very popular, very beloved, very, very great Netflix series You, in which there are quite a few intimacy scenes, as we call them in the biz - simulated sex, or anything sexual like, say, masturbation (my show has plenty of both, for reference). We're shooting a fantasy sequence and as a stylistic choice, one that makes a lot of sense, the director has chosen to place the camera directly in front of my face."
Fame exerts a pervasive influence on an actor's life, leaving only two spaces relatively immune: inside the home and in front of the camera. In both spaces the actor's work is to remain supremely present and to open up rather than perform rehearsed actions. The camera simultaneously generates fame and acts as the polar opposite of a home, wearing a mask that complicates authenticity. During early 2021 filming of a popular series, intimate scenes and a director's choice to place the camera directly in front of the actor's face created distinct practical and emotional challenges.
Read at Vulture
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]