I can't become another person, no matter how much makeup I wear. Something of your own past, your experiences and personality always comes out in the role, and that makes acting very risky. You're exposed. You always wonder if you can pull it off.
Interpretation
True identity cannot be concealed by external appearances; one's inner self will always reveal itself.
In this quote, Ken Watanabe expresses the inherent risk involved in acting, emphasizing that no matter the facade created through makeup or performance, the essence of a person's experiences and personality will inevitably shine through. This notion underscores the vulnerability actors face as they delve into roles, always questioning their ability to authentically embody a character while remaining true to themselves.
In practice
During a speech at a theater conference to discuss the challenges of acting.
Actors are always afraid of ending up like overcooked old soup over time. What's risky is that you don't realize this has happened, and you just get thick and boring. Going abroad was like getting a new pot to cook everything again. I was a rookie, a new self. And they were asking me, 'Who are you?'
I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.
I think people inspire me the most. If I meet a person who is incredibly complex, and all of a sudden, I start thinking in rhymes, that person could be a muse.
To be honest, the biggest reason I write music and became a musician was to create the amount of joy that I felt about music to anyone else. To me, that's a job well done.
Anyone who regards poetry as an entertainment, as a 'read,' commits an anthropological crime, in the first place against himself.
To me, a building - if it's beautiful - is the love of one man, he's made it out of his love for space, materials, things like that.
New York had all the iridescence of the beginning of the world.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.