One of the the movies' most versatile actors, Gary Oldman began his career in British films like Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears before making the transition to Hollywood starring roles such as Coppola's Dracula. His recent feature debut as writer/director, Nil By Mouth, is a powerful portrait of life in the South London council estates where he grew up.
What does James Stewart mean to you?
Well, as a kid I remember watching those movies and he was that kind of gangly guy with the really strange voice that my mum liked. But I never saw him on the big screen. And as I got older and watched movies, as an actor taking an interest in movie and actors, I saw his grace and a humility. It's strong, but it's masculine and self-effacing and there's a humbleness about it. And that makes you feel very comfortable its company. It's like hanging out with a friend.
I can only think of one actor working today who has a similar effect - John Travolta. He has a very endearing quality - it's like a joy of life. He makes it seem effortless, so you sit back and know you're gonna enjoy your time with him. As a viewer you feel safe and comfortable around good acting.
What about Stewart's acting technique?
The skill is to make it look effortless, like you're not working. He doesn't read into the text, he always reads out of it. I think with modern acting, actors sometimes read in too much, they bring too much baggage, too much psychoanalysis to it. Often if it's a good text, it's like your map - it's all there for you. You just need an innate trust in the material.
Tell us about the films you have chosen to look at more closely
They're The Spirit of St Louis, directed by Billy Wilder (about Lyndburgh flying the Atlantic) and Hitchcock's Rear Window. I would imagine that in both films he was being directed as a silent movie actor. He wouldn't necessarily have Raymond Burr (who plays the murderous husband in Rear Window) doing all of this stuff in the window when the camera is on him. The eye-line to Raymond Burr would have probably been a bit of tape or something stuck to the side of the camera. Another bit of tape would have been the girl up in the window, and then the guy over on the other side would have been another piece of tape stuck to the window over there. And Hitchcock was probably three or four feet away from him, saying "Now he's coming in through the door, Jimmy..." and Jimmy's looking, and then Hitch says "Now reach for the binoculars..." so he reaches up for the binoculars and looks through and Hitch says "He's going into the apartment...now you watch him...now he's doing something, and you're suspicious...." It's all played off his face.
And I'm sure in The Spirit of St Louis that plane is probably some little cardboard box on a sound stage somewhere. And Billy Wilder's three feet away from him with a bullhorn, cos they've got the wind machine and he's going "Now look out of the window, you are feeling cold, you smell the oil from the engine...now look down... you are lost! You are lost Jimmy!" So he's doing all this acting, looking out, thinking, and we see all of this on his face. We experience the journey with him, and we completely buy it. It's amazing because it's effortless, it's artless, he does it like we breathe air. I was directed like that once, by Francis Ford Coppola and . . . it's not easy. I just think that in both films, it's a Herculean acting job.
(Copyright of the BBC.)