Rebecca Gordon 

My repurpose assignemnt is the paper version to my remediation. This paper was essentially the thesis that I based my remediation process off of. In this assignemnt, I attempted to encompass the actor "brain and thought process," and used those ideas to form questions that I would want to ask myself. I am aware that these questions are hard to answer, or at least hard to truthfully answer, but to me that is one of the most interesting parts about being human. We lie to ourselves all the time. 

 

So, you want to be an actor?

 

If you answered yes, keep reading.

 

This questionnaire is meant to help sort out your thoughts as your embark on your artistic journey. I am going to ask you a series of questions and advise that you answer them with complete honesty. These questions are meant to challenge you to think outside of your comfort zone. Do not base your answers on what you think you should say, what other people have said, or what you think other people want to hear. This questionnaire is completely confidential and is only meant to benefit you, not dissuade or derail your ambitions.

 

With that, let’s begin!

 

Why do you want to act?

• You answer something like this: I want to act because I am my best self on stage. I love everything about it. I love the people (generally) and their willingness to play. I love the feeling I get just before I go onstage. I love the nerves and the thrill. I love the process and the flexibility to create and imagine. I love feeling the audience’s reaction. I love embodying the characters and making new worlds.

What kind of acting would you like to do? Stage or film?

• You answer is probably: Any. I mean, I mainly have a background in (insert), but I would love to be in (insert) as well. Ideally I would want to get really successful in one area so then I could be asked to be in another. For example, it would be amazing if I became big enough in film to be asked to be in plays, like Daniel Radcliff or James Franco. Or vise versa. I honestly would be open and excited to be able to do any form of acting as long as I am making art that I care about. That’s the dream.

So would you still want to be an actor if no one would ever see your work?

• You answer something like: I believe art is meant to be seen. It is meant to affect people. If art isn’t being seen then I guess it isn’t really art. I mean I could just make art for myself but that seems pretty selfish? Maybe not selfish but it seems…I don’t know. It seems counter productive. I want to affect people and make a difference and I act because that is the way I believe I can do that. It is obviously much different than being a policeman or a surgeon, but people still need art. So if no one would ever see me do what I love and what I hope will be my career and my contribution than I guess it’s not art anymore and I guess there isn’t really a purpose. So no. I would not be an actor in that case.

At the origin of Greek theatre in 600 B.C, ancient Greeks considered actors to be servants of the god Dionysus, the god of wine, agriculture and fertility, and the stage. Their performances were seen to be somewhat of a religious rite. Roman actors, their theatre originating in 365 B.C, were almost lower on the totem pole and were seen as scraps of society and oftentimes slaves. Medieval European actors were suppressed by the Catholic Church, and re-emerged in the form of liturgy. Shakespearean actors in the late 1500’s were described as “vagabonds and sturdy beggars”, and as servants of nobleman (Insights, 1994). If you were able to have any and as many parts you wanted, but the only means to an acting career were similar to that of the actors described above, would you do it?

• You answer something along the lines of: This one is tricky. I want to be able to have the career I want, inhabiting roles that I respect and feel confident in, but then again I don’t want to be a slave (ha ha)…Because of the quality of life this option entails, I am going to say no. I would not want to be an actor if I had to have a career where I was looked down upon and not respected for the work I respect.

Judy Greer is an American actress who has been involved in projects such as Two and a Half Men, The Descendants, Love and Other Drugs, 13 Going on 30, and many other film and television based works. If I were a producer looking to cast my movie and saw Judy Greer’s resume, I would certainly consider her to be a well-established and credible actor. However, Greer has recently written a memoir titled, I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star. The synopsis of this memoir reads, “You know Judy Greer, right? Wait, what was she in again? The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, 27 Dresses, The Descendants. Yes, you totally recognize her. And, odds are, if you're like most women in America, you feel like she's already your friend. Thankfully, Greer has finally written a book of essays about all the moments, topics, observations, and confessions that you would hope to hear from your best friend.”

Judging what you interpret this passage to mean, would you want to be an actor if you had a career similar to that of Judy Greer’s? A career that didn’t label you as a “star?”

• You answer something like: Yes. I think. I mean yes. Just Greer seems to have a lot of things going for her. She has a stable career, her work is credible, and she has made somewhat significant contributions to the entertainment industry it seems. Personally I think Greer has a great gig. If I were to think on my life in ten years and assume that I have a career similar to hers I would be proud. Not only proud, I would be happy. I just want to hopefully be making art that I care about. I have big dreams but I am realistic, too.

Most aspiring actors usually do not make it to Hollywood or Broadway, whether that is because of extraneous circumstances or the sheer nature of the numbers. Would you be happy with a flourishing career in community or regional theatre but never breaking out of that community?

• You respond something along the lines of: If that is going to be what makes me happy, then yes. I want to be able to support myself by doing what I love and if that would allow that then I think I could find happiness in it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with regional or community theatre. I appreciate and understand the work of a true “working” actor, and they bring much needed art to their communities. Yes right now I have plans to work on big projects and work with people who inspire me, but maybe that could be fulfilled through a life of community theatre. I guess you can’t know until it is all said and done.

What do you consider success to be?

• Your answer is similar to: I consider success to be very personal. I think everyone has their own definition of success that they strive to achieve, and I think some people’s definitions are more, what is the word? Ah, yes. I think some people’s definitions of success are more lavish than others. All I know is I will be successful when I am completely happy with my work, my effort, where I stand in my particular field, and if I have reached what I consider to be my goals at that time. Right now I consider my goals to be making art that I am proud of, that fulfills me, and that is affecting other people in some way that makes them think. In order to be successful I will be affecting people while doing work I care about.

Do you want to be famous?

• Your answer is something like: Acting is my way of being able to affect people, to contribute. When I am on stage I feel fulfilled. It sounds cheesy and overdone, but it’s true. Acting is my passion and I love myself when I am doing it because I am completely “me.” So when people say that they would live any lifestyle as long as they could act I understand but cannot fully agree. To me happiness involves being successful and appreciated in what I do.

 

I don’t want to be an actor because I want my face printed on a backpack; that sounds very strange to me. However if I am to become a successful actor, I believe fame will be a side effect of that success. People create art so the art can be seen. That is the bottom line. The joy in art is in the making and the sharing, and in many cases an actor’s success is dependent on the audience. I do not necessarily like all the components that go alone with fame, but I want to be able to have what I believe fame brings: opportunity.

 

I guess I am the type of artist who goes for the gold, but what would Van Gogh say to me? He became famous after he was dead.