I am trying to reflect not only on my later influences as I grew up but also on my earlier memories and influences that still seem to have a grip on me as both a human being and an artist. Throughout my life, I have fallen in love with many artists, and I have cried over the loss of a few. For instance, the deaths of Robin Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman brought me to tears, as if I had lost close friends.
Looking back at the early stages of my childhood, there are films and actors that have, in a good sense, haunted my imagination and memories. From where I stand now, with a considerably better understanding of human psychology, I can undoubtedly claim they have influenced some of my tastes. The beginning of my acting journey was shaped by what I would call physical theatre—specifically, physical comedy. My ease and indulgence in this kind of form pushed my inherently contrarian nature to later on search for a deeper psychological form feverishly.
One of my earliest influences in the art of physical comedy was Danny Kaye. He’s the man you see in the video, dancing and singing his heart out while yelling “FIRE!” It was through him and Jerry Lewis that I was introduced to the precision of movement, vocal range, timing—especially comedic timing—bravery, and most of all, bravado in the theatre. Please enjoy this clip from The Inspector General, a 1949 film, and I encourage you to explore both his and Jerry Lewis’s other works. We still have much to learn from these geniuses of physical comedy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Kaye
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lewis
