It took me two years to walk around a chair with ease; it took me another two years to learn how to laugh onstage - and I had to learn everything.
Laurence OlivierRead
I'd like people to remember me for a diligent expert workman. I think a poet is a workman. I think Shakespeare was a workman. And God's a workman. I don't think there's anything better than a workman.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the value of hard work and craftsmanship in artistry.
Laurence Olivier's quote reflects the deep respect he holds for the dedication and labor that goes into being an artist, comparing poets and playwrights like Shakespeare to skilled laborers. It suggests that true artistry is rooted in diligent work, and that the act of creation, much like any craft, requires a strong commitment and expertise, highlighting the nobility of the workman's role in society.
In practice
During a speech on artistry and dedication, one could quote Olivier to emphasize the importance of hard work in creative fields.
It took me two years to walk around a chair with ease; it took me another two years to learn how to laugh onstage - and I had to learn everything.
What is the main problem of the actor? It is to keep the audience awake, and not let them go to sleep, then wake up and go home feeling they've wasted their money.
Work is life for me, it is the only point of life - and with it there is almost religious belief that service is everything.
I don't know what is better than the work that is given to the actor - to teach the human heart the knowledge of itself.
Acting is an everlasting search for truth.
Nine books have been written about me, and there's not a word of truth in any of them.
'Tristan' is a very unique case, not just in Wagner's output, but in music in general. It remains contemporary no matter what else surrounds it. There is something self-renewing about it.
When I'm stuck for a closing to a lyric, I will drag out my last resort: overwhelming illogic.
When I started, I was an artist; I wanted to be an artist. I became an actor almost by accident. I acted for fifteen years and tried to produce. I looked for stories that were the story beneath the story that you thought you knew, like 'The Candidate'.
The more dollars the studio producers put in, the less freedom we have. If the budget hits $100m, they get scared - they'll take the existing score of a successful movie and expect composers to copy it, like wallpaper. The biggest challenge for any composer in Hollywood is to be as creative as possible within those boundaries.
All I know is when I start getting serious about songwriting... it's like a playground. All responsibilities slip away and you're with your essence. There can be delight there and self-discovery. You can dance there... I think of it as my serious playground.
The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.
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