You should be in pictures

I admit it I'm prejudiced against a certain type of people. Actors. Men and women who act for a living. Can't stand to be around them. I don't even care for those who appear in community theater in their spare time. I not going to say that the world would be better off without them, they provide us with entertainment. A little distraction and maybe enlightenment on a Saturday night. But do we have have to let them commingle with normal folks?

Back in Shakespeare's day actors were shunned. Decent people didn't associate with the low life itinerant scum that traveled from town to town putting on plays which appealed to mankind's baser instincts. So bad was the common perception of the acting profession that women were not allow to join the troupe.

Think about what it is that actors do. What makes someone a good actor. You have to be able to put on make-up. Nothing wrong with that. Getting in and out out various costumes quickly, and looking good in them comes in handy. That's OK, we all like to dress up now and then. And it is necessary to be able to remember your lines. Having a good memory is wonderful thing. So what is about actors that just turns my stomach?

Their seemingly innate ability to make you believe that how they feel is different than what they really feel. A great actor can convince you he hasn't a care in the world when in reality his stomach is all knotted up because it is opening night and he thinks the play is going to flop. A good actress will appear to be so in love with her leading man even though she really thinks he is a disgusting drunken slobbering pervert. He probably is. Acting is deception at the deepest possible level. The falsification of emotion.

Most actors are very good at it because they do it all the time. They're always on. Either they learned at a very early age that they could get whatever they wanted by "pretending" or they detest themselves so much they spend their entire lives trying to be somebody else. I don't trust them.

Remember when you were growing up it was always the kids who were good actors that were little brats who that got away with everything. They could turn on the charm and convince all the adults that they were little angels. If one scraped a knee you would think he'd been skinned alive the way he would carry on. If some other kid had one of her toys it was suddenly the most precious thing in her toy box. These are the kids who got extra treats and always rode up front (car sick) and got to pick which movie we saw. And when they got their way and the adults weren't looking he or she would look at you and stick out their tongue. Naa Naa Naa....

Many actors are now entering politics. The fine reputation of that noble profession for integrity and honesty has suffered accordingly.

Maybe the real reason I don't like actors is because I am so shy and don't draw a lot of attention to myself. An actor comes into the room and blam, immediately everyone is watching them and listening to their every word. They are the center of attention.

They do this by pretending to be someone they are not.

OWL

June 10, 2007