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?'
A writer lives in awe of words, for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator.
Whether it's a very dramatic part or a comical role, I feel I need to create the same thing: a full-fledged, three-dimensional character that the audience can identify with.
From all these experiences the most important thing I have learned is that legibility and beauty stand close together and that type design, in its restraint, should be only felt but not perceived by the reader.
One of the best things about directing movies, as opposed to merely writing them, is that there's no confusion about who's to blame: you are.
Magic has universal appeal. I don't believe in magic in the way that I describe in my books, but I'd love it to be real.
I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing.
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