Stella Adler by Howard Kissel

Author:Howard Kissel [Kissel, Howard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781476845623
Publisher: Applause
Published: 2013-04-22T16:00:00+00:00

Let’s try something a little bigger. I’d like you to hold a palette, hold a brush, and in front of you see a little canvas on which you’ll paint a daisy.

See the color of the canvas? Begin to say, “Do I know how to hold the brush? What’s the nature of the brush?” Immediately I do this. Then I know if I really can hold the brush. Then I’m going to wash the brush, put it in the white paint and follow my action. I’m going to draw. Now, before I draw I already see my canvas is outlined in pencil. In this way I make the canvas mine, make the brush mine. I don’t just say, “Here’s the brush and I’ll paint the daisy”

I say my brush is dirty. (That makes it mine.) Now I’m ready to use the paint. Every physical action is much better if it’s yours, if it bears your signature. You must reach your norm, not my norm. You must make everything belong to you — your brush, your canvas, your daisy.

Start with these physical actions truthfully. Also justify why you are painting the daisy. Because the little girl for whom you are babysitting asked you to or because you want to find out if this new German paint is any good. But first you have to ask, “Can I paint a daisy?” Then reinforce it with other things.

Once you understand the basic elements of an action you have to complicate them. Let’s say my action is to sew. To sew what? To sew the fabric together. To make the action belong to you you have to know the fabric. If I say, “I’m going to sew this miserable, dirty, horrible sock,” then I know it. It’s mine. Make the action yours. Don’t put it in the world of demonstration, of showing.

From now on never take the simplest road. Who understands what I mean? For even the simplest action find something to complicate it. On the one hand it’s good for the audience because it’s not boring. But it’s even better for you, because the more little tasks you give yourself within the action the more you have to concentrate on, the less likely you are to indicate.

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