Ian McKellen Explains The Difference Between Acting on Stage and In Movies | The Dick Cavett Show
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 кві 2019
- Ian McKellen suggests why film actors don't always look the most naturalistic on stage.
Date aired - November 11th 1981 - Ian McKellen
For clip licensing opportunities please visit www.globalimageworks.com/the-...
Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC.
His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015.
Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere.
#thedickcavettshow - Розваги
What's your favourite Ian McKellen movie/performance?
Unforgettable: "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy (2001, 2002, and 2003)
Award-winning: "Gods and Monsters" (1998)
Unseen (relatively): "Rasputin" (1996)
Popular" "X-Men" (2000)
Unheard (relatively): "Jack and Sarah" (1995)
Unbelievable: "Sharknado" (2021)
I wish I could have seen him in the play The Three Arrows.
Richard III (1995) is my favorite role of Ian McKellen's. He really sells the Duke of Gloucester's vile nature yet evokes legit chuckles throughout the runtime of the film. The film takes liberty with Shakespeare's play but is quite entertaining.
"Acting Shakespeare" PBS....the best performance by McKellen on DVD....
Ian Mckellen the brown, before he became Ian Mckellen the grey.
And eventually turned into Sir Ian McKellen the White.
@Christian Astor Because of homosex?
🤔
@@therespectedlex9794... no.
@@davincent98 Was I talking
to you?
Imagine a talk show host asking questions with intellectual value. Inconceivable today.
They should probably stop hiring former comedians for hosts then
In order to do intellectual questions, you should have intellectual guests in the first place.
Just proves what Ian said in the interview :D About how the perception of reality changes with time
Actually these type of talk shows do exist. Only problem is they get no views or attention cause they can be quite boring.
Wainscoting imagine if even our politicians were interviewed like this also...
He didn't get older, his body caught up to his wisdom.
Beautifully put, sir!
A wizard's body is never old, his body aged precisely when he means it!
Acting is telling a story.
Actions can help fill in the details of the story that cant be vocalised.
Seriously though, his voice and manner of speaking make him sound much older than he is. I think he grew into his voice.
"AMEN"
This was 42 years ago.
He was 42.
He's absolutely mesmerising on stage and always seems to be a lovely man.
damn that's crazy, what a long and well accomplished life
defuq?!?! --- I'm 46 and I would have thought him to be older that I ... even in this video.
I think he looks a lot younger than his true age here.
Thanks I was just working that out, good to see it stated
When you’re so used to someone being old, that he still looks old despite being young.
yeah, what's up with his long white beard?
Phuu
He is so old now that he was still old here. He isn't young here. Just youngER.
We're being constantly deepfaked
YES EXACTLY
The Dick Cavett show isn't indicative of what talk shows were every like, for those wondering, this show was always very unique and intellectual.
Caleb Hellegers I’m really happy these videos are being shared. The Dick Cavett Show is delightful and thoroughly engaging
thanks for letting us know! many in the comment section seem to generalize.
Thank you for pointing this out. These type of videos are always inundated with comments talking about how it was so much better in the old days. And most of those comments are just trolls trying to get copycat likes.
@Tom Smith Of course they are, things change over time. Media companies are businesses too - so every year they research and try to do better (ie make more money). As consumers change, products must change, too.
@Tom Smith kinda what ian McK was talking about, diff societal norms in diff time periods.
Its crazy how you don't need to have over the top antics or forced corny jokes for a talk show. this 7 min conversation is infinitely better than anything seen on late night shows nowadays. A genuine conversation with nuggets of wisdom from the white wizard himself
Thats why podcasts are more popular today and talk shows are dead
Yandalf the Brown
Usurped from Saruman.
I mean, apart from the fact that it's Ian McKellen who has an amazing voice, I am amazed by how soft this interview is. Their voices are calm, not loud or shrill, there's no wild music or bright colours or flashing videos. It's so calming to listen to. I could do this all day.
There was a time when TV producers believed that "normal people having a normal conversation" was a profitable form of entertainment. Then Rupert Murdoch came along and introduced the world to dumpster-fire TV.
Cavett let 'em talk. Check out his interviews with Burton, Hopkins, Welles, Bette Davis etc etc etc.
... and they're not trying to squeeze in a punchline for every single statement they make....
... and the audience are respectfully listening, rather than WAITING ON EDGE to laugh at some forced punchline...
And an intelligent host
“That’s great Ian, but can you do Chewbacca?”
This legitimately feels like a master class, and its free
Was thinking the same thing. Would love just listening to him analyze his various acting techniques and psychology of acting.
@@MrSF247 his comment about the shifting nature of reality was very insightful
It is indeed, and an amazing one, but nowadays everyone wants to sell you everything.
That's because he's not trying to rob you; he's trying to help you.
@@youngyoungmcgurn5088
Google global truth project and read "the Present" to see the truth about life/death. It can change the world, especially pgs 1-4
This is what an interview with an actor should be, not vacuous chit chat the way it normally is. I think the latter is a result of the creepy sort of fanboi worship of actors as Gods, whereby their simply being a guest at a show is enough for the audience. But really, we should appreciate these people in the sense of craftsmen being good at their jobs, not salivating over their celebrity.
Well put.
And actors should keep their mouths shut about politics.
@@dewfall56 should you?
@@dewfall56 An actor is as much a citizen of the nation or the world as much as you or anyone else... They have the right to express their opinions, as much as you or anyone else... You can dispute their opinion, but you can't tell them to keep their mouths shut and not express their opinions...
This is the kinda interview u fall asleep
"Not having made very many"
40 years later he would be one of the most recognizable movie actors alive.
& greatest
its such a breath of fresh air to only hear a light chuckle when he jokes instead of endless cheering and clapping for something mildly entertaining
Today's studio audiences are prepped before the show to be rowdy. Audiences on television shows are like trained seals who perform for the cameras with exaggerated behavior. For the most part they are medium to low intelligence, judging from how they behave.
IT IS CALLED CHICKLET
@@rr7fireflythem being coached to be loud and rowdy has absolutely zero to do with their inherent intelligence. They’re literally just doing what they’re told.
@@calisongbirdintelligent people would choose not to be herded like sheep.
@@calisongbird you know what else goes where they're told ?, sheep
"are we going to go deep in this or not?"
"yeah, take your time."
I love this interview
I agree.... I doubt that so much screen time would be devoted to one person's comments these days.
@@renzo6490 The Dick Cavett show had a 90 minute running time and one 90 second commercial break every 10 minutes. They had the time. 70s TV would seem unbelievably slow paced to a modern viewer.
I think Dick said, "Yeah, take a chance".
he said Take a chance!!!
He said the much more inviting "take a chance"! :)
Notice how Sir Ian actually asks the interviewer what he means. Almost NO ONE these days has sufficient humility and openess to do things like that because they don't want to appear dumb. It's a sign of intelligence and integrity.
I always ask people what they mean if I don't understand fully (their way of saying what they've said)
If anything, it does show higher intelligence when he asks what the interviewer means because it shows emphasis on the clarity and precision of the issue at hand. A lot of people I've met who are masters of their craft seem to display this habit of always clarifying intended meanings when confronted with a question so that there can be no misunderstanding.
“Does that sounds credible what I just said” such a gentleman 😭
PACING
@@ElvarMasson That may be so, but you're not being asked on national television in front of millions of people. There's (relatively) little to lose in a 1:1 conversation compared to a public misstep...
The Dick Cavett Show has aged so well. It was clearly a but niche in its time, but the interviews are now a great historical record. Always well received when viewed decades later.
Amazing! I love how they used de-aging in this scene! 👍 Technology is awesome!
Underrated comment 😂
this boutta blow up
waiting for it......
rogaine does wonders
@J B It looks like you missed the joke so I'll explain it to you. Okay so the thing is that Ian McKellen seems like he always looked as old as he did so when we finally see him when he was younger it almost looks fake, hence "de-aging"
wow, how different is this to today's talkshow interviews? all the conversation was a deeply thoughtful, and gentle paced discussion about the art and history of acting. Not a rushed, try-too-hard mess of sleaze and scripted gags in efforts to induce laughter and promote the hollow "celebrities" for their own sakes .
That's because the networks are always trying to sell you something, whether it's the products in their adverts, the project the guest is starring in, the next episode of whatever you're watching, and the crap they call the news. Cavett refined his technique on PBS, no selling anything there, apart from top notch interviews of course.
Because this gets boring
@@devonbacha4037 the attention deficit generation
@@funoff3207 okay
Well they had no competition. Today they compete against UA-cam, Netflix and Pornhub.
How refreshing not to have to listen to booming music, too loud crowd cheering, and not being so distracted by all the setup of a show.
Hah. Could you imagine the disruption that a stage band from nowadays would cause in a thoughtful discussion like this? They'd just about jump out of their skin...
I guess he wasn't late to this interview, nor was he there early, he arrived precisely when he meant to.
@@SpaceGandalf342 How did you manage to get *further* from the source you were replying to?!
Excellent...I enjoyed that
*frodo laughs*
Oh, Dear Boy!
I have zero interest in acting and I still found this fascinating.
No fake laugh or tv "showmanship" just a simple and professional interview
Cough ( Jimmy Fallon ) cough ...
Way too deep for most people today even though it's just a regular talk about an interesting topic. People want and need dumb and quick stuff today. I wonder if it will ever change back/adjust or keep going in this direction. At least we have youtube today so a bit more "demanding" people can search and find what they want
@@hazardeur I rather think the.media has dumbed it all down to appeal to the common denominator. Tv and film used to set the bar higher. Now it's the opposite.
Fake(Fallon)laughs;)
@@spaceplateau You know when British schools want to replace music history like Mozart with Gangsta rap, that's the things he is referring too, and yes that's a real thing look it up.
This guy's voice is a lullaby. His tone, rhythm, pitch and lexicon is just relaxing!
Relaxing, but it commands attention.
What the f is a lexicon
Which one?
Your a beautiful person...
Big Boy guess that word isn’t in your lexicon. ( I’m trying to give you context clues to discern what it means)
Not only is Ian McKellen a craftsman actor, but Dick Cavett is a craftsman interviewer. Dick is older now (in his 80s I believe), but he could still give us what an interviewer should: an in-depth, friendly, conversation with a subject. The quality of both of these men is sorely lacking today, and we are all poorer for it.
Is it just me or old tv shows like this feel more...quiet? Like its so calm and relaxed, even the giggles of the audience are very discrete, idk i love this
A sense of decorum. Respect for (the purpose of) the event & for others (community needs/wants over individual needs/wants) :)
Things like this are evidence standards once existed and society wasn’t a total shitshow. Go look at old film reels, a lot of effort is expounded brainwashing people to believe the current age is “the best time ever in human history”.
I wouldn't take him for a conjurer of cheap tricks.
Lmao this needs more likes
Hahah! Good one man. What a great line
A brillient Gandalf reference.
Scrolled down too far to find something like this...
Amazing how similar the two actors seem.
I have never seen Ian so young! Good assessment of acting skills.
I bet he sounded like Gandalf even when he was 6. "You shall not pass!!... mum".
James Dunn There is a video of Macbeth available, starring McKellen and Judi Dench, that was filmed about five years prior to this. In it, McKellen looks like the deepest-voiced sixteen-year old boy you've ever seen. Eerie.
And a total BABE
He was quite handsome. And that dark hair was so different from how I remember him in his more recent film work.
He was 42 here!
'First of all, you will learn the words, and then you'll say them as if they're your own thoughts and you're saying them for the very first time'...
... because he's not a real wizard.
WIZARD YOU SHALL NOT PASS
"How do I act so well? What I do is I pretend to be the person I'm portraying in the film or play".
"You're confused."
@@nathaniel201 there will be no script on the night!
Sir Ian Sir Ian Sir Ian ACTION! You shall not pass! CUT! Sir Ian Sir Ian Sir Ian
Suppose you were to plot a graph of my performance against time
Looked through the comments just for this!
3:17 "In the movies, it seems to me, not having made very many..."
Oh, darling, just you wait.
Ahahaahah I thought the same thing. "Oh, man, you just wait a couple of decades..."
His Golden Age is really his golden age
@Parental Guardian Don't get me started :)
@@nailmontana1993 I'm afraid that, much like graphite, reality won't change because you _hope_ for it.
Comrade Dyatlov calm down darling. It’s not a big deal.
It's refreshing to see, so unlike today, a talk show host spend time exploring a subject with his guest, even several layers past the point where "the question has already been answered".
Dick Cavett didn't just leave it there and move on. He wanted more. And, his perseverance paid off with progressively deeper answers from his guest, Ian McKellen.
Stop watching cable and start watching Joe Rogan. He has all kinds of people on (including actors) and goes quite deep into several subjects with them...
I know this may seem like an odd recommendation but I advise checking out a show on UA-cam called "Between the Sheets". It may seem a strange place to look for a great talk-show because it originates from a weekly online Dungeons and Dragons live stream called Critical Role. It started as interviews of the cast (who are all pretty successful voice actors) but has branched off to include other people in the acting industry and beyond who are friends of the cast and the niche nature of the shows origins means that the interviewees are interesting personalities whom you may be unlikely to hear from in mainstream talkshows. The host (Brian W. Foster) does a brilliant job of creating intelligent, insightful conversation on a variety of topics which can in turns be funny, thought provoking, and emotional. I genuinely hope that the show and it's great host continue to grow their success and renown.
I miss Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show, because he would often have long discussions with his guests that just got into philosophy and brain-picking. Sometimes he would do long monologues where he told life stories or postulated about things. And he would manage to be naturally witty along the way. He was so underrated as a late night host.
@@AWSVids hear hear! i like Craig because he talks about the stuff that he's interested in, that he genuinely wants to know about the person he's talking to. and by going off script, i think this by proxy makes the interviewee seem like a more interesting, engaging person, with real stories to tell.
Back then talk shows were not just glorified advertising.
Nowadays, cynical sales manipulation has taken over from actual content with these 'talk shows' (adverts)
Back when there didn't need to be forced laughter every 5 seconds to keep an audience engaged 😌
Sad but true!
Can you imagine if this came out today? We would've lost this to Carpool Karaoke.
I miss talks shows like these. They still existed sort of in the 90s. The quiet, insightful and intelligent ones. In the beginning, I thought there was no audience but they simply were truly fascinated and listening. Great interview!
What a great pleasure to see and hear a master craftsman talk seriously about his craft.
acchaladka agreed
What he does is, he imagines he is the character, and then he tries to do what he thinks that character would do.
@Power 2 Weight /woosh
"The fashions of reality today are governed by the camera." - what an excellent thought
What he mentions in the same breath (namely that the acting of an age reflects the thought/image of reality in that age) is something that is fleshed out beautifully (although in a different subject matter) in this phenomenal series 'Civilization' by Kenneth Clark:
ua-cam.com/video/xxRGQzUOyhk/v-deo.html (this is my fav episode, but they are all amazing!)
A tour around the rise and fall of different intellectual power-houses throughout the ages and how the art, architecture and philosophy of these times were reflected in each other. Enjoy!
The medium is the message.
Like Morgan Freeman, McKellen is somebody that you assumed was always old.
Add Walter Matthau to that. Even when he was young he was old like Andy Griffith
cause they were old in their most famous films and both of them has a unique voice. it feels like hasn't aged a day
walter matthau was a stallion once. definitely appeared young when he was young. morgan freeman was already grey haired in his first film, he was always old as far as we're concerned
Maggie Smith too
Gandalf was always old, from the day he stepped on Middle Earth. Of course he was never young.
This is like ASMR interviewing. Compared to today, it's so relaxed, quiet, and enough time is given to fully flesh out the thought.
"Fashions of reality change" is such a profound revelation.
yea my mind did like a double take
My question for him: "How would you play an old man in robes trying to stop a fifteen feet demon to cross a narrow bridge?"
By shouting: You shall not pass!
More like 50 feet
Or Richard the III in a 1930s fascist dictatorship.
By swinging his staff and yelling: you shall not pass!
Would you like to play a mutant which controls the metal around him through his mind ?
"Now, in the movies, it seems to me, not having made very many..." Ohhh, if only he knew what he was in store for. What a brilliant man and what a great artist.
I absolutely love him. And this kind of talk show. I miss the conversations; now it’s just trying to get a laugh and there’s less focus on the person. These clips from Cavett are true treasures 💛
38 years later, he was in a masterpiece called 'Cats’
Leave it to Rici to knee-cap the conversation ...LOL
Oh no lol
Money's money.
@@ZiddersRooFurry Absolutely.
Micheal Caine: "Somebody said, 'Have you ever seen Jaws 4?' I said, 'No. But I've seen the house it bought for my mum. It's fantastic!'"
It's hard for an actor to know what the final production will look like, and nobody sets foot onto the set before contracts are already signed. Their job is to inhabit the role they are given, via script and direction. Nothing more.
Neat.
I didn’t know he was once young
It seems like he's always been Gandalf!
Exactly 😆
...and how old is he there...50?
His face never changed. Really.
that, is not young. He's at least 40 here
"Not having made very many."
Narrator: And that was about to change for good.
Absolutely superb video. How have we lost this articulate, calm and sound discussion?
Jimmy Fallon: So let's play a game called "act like an amateur"
Ian McKellen explains the problem with the game
Fallon: hAHahahHAhahHAhAHhahaHAHahhHAhHAHAhhahAHaHaHhahH
Also Fallon: * Doesn't get it * ...
Therefore Fallon: "hAHahahHAhahHAhAHhahaHAHahhHAhHAHaHaHhahHa"
@@reactions5783 you forgot add in the context hahhahhaHahHahahahahahaHhaha (table smack table smack ) hahahaahahaha hahaha hah (table smack table smack )
*"band" plays awful music for 5 seconds*
That is powerful irony
Jimmy Fallon is a Muppet. He's not real
Sir Ian is very articulate and analytical of the craft......this is how he became one of the world's best actors.......
Sir Lawrence Olivier was exactly the same in interviews, and also said the same about the camera being a person in the room. Both brilliant men, unlike most actors today, except maybe Daniel Day Lewis.
@@scottinbristol
Sir Ian discusses "Larrie" aka Olivier in another part of the interview
1:45
ua-cam.com/video/peISp-hDkME/v-deo.html
MilesBellas the results of a thespian
And also.....magneto
What's a magneto?
Dick Cavett was the best late night talk show host, his knowledge, his intelligence, the way he allowed his guests to develop an idea without interruption, always with a sharp wit to intervene at the appropriate moment. Top class!
Peter Jackson comes from New Zealand and says to me, "Sir Ian, I want you to be Gandalf the Wizard." And I say to him, "You are aware that I am not really a wizard?"
Mr. Cavett did something today's interviewers can't seem to replicate, which is listening. In this interview I was particularly struck by how Cavett clarified McKellen's points about acting. McKellen was speaking of a Shakespearean actor who repeated the line three times. Perhaps I exposing myself to a bit of ridicule, but after Mr.McKellen repeated the line three times I asked myself the very question Cavett so effortlessly clarified for me. He said something to the effect of (What you're saying is, in the old days ".... you could bring an audience to tears, with what today would bring roars of laughter." ... (is that correct?) Then McKellen said something to the effect of "Yes, that's exactly right." Today the interviewer would be too busy mugging for the camera to have heard anything the guest had to say.
Back then TV still had some intellectual content. It was not the total idiot box it is now with ever channel driven by advertising revenue rather than content.
Check out Norm MacDonalds talkshow on netflix
problem is you dont really get a steady stream of good interviewees so its hard to remember to shut up for them sometimes.
Dick Cavett always seemed quite intelligent and he was always able to be in the same flow as the interviewee. Not hijacking the conversation or trying too hard to make their own version of what was just said; but enriching it in an agreeable way, without any degradation of quality whatsoever!
Toady, these shows are just advertising and paid promotion for idiots.
It is amazing that these old shows and interviews are finding success years later. But at the same time, who is surprised? When modern television and interviews do not provide anything close of comparable substance and quality. I'm happy these shows are getting their deserved modern recognition.
Based off what others have indicated here, this show was the exception at the time, not the rule.
Gorzagh Not really. Or not completely. There were David Frost & other intellectual shows at the same time.
The shows' ratings are a reflection of the American audience generally. Today's American audience generally suffers from attention deficit disorder.
@@chrispettus2532 when we are easily, constantly distracted we can’t focus on revolution
in terms of depth, Cavett outshines his near contemporary : Michael Parkinson. I suspect this show was always regarded as rather unique.
So many nuggets of gold from your old shows when many gave little notice, and watching free network TV many decades ago. Thank you Dick. Your reruns enrich the nostalgic warmth that comforts us in old age.
You know this is old when the title reads Ian McKellen instead of SIR Ian McKellen.
I´m just 25 but I grew watching this guy, probably like a lot of people in the past 50 years if we are being honest. such a legend
This man’s voice is so fascinatingly soothing. And a great pleasure to listen too.
@Bugsy Segal I'm a man and I find his voice soothing. Maybe you're a woman for finding his voice annoying.
You are aware that he is gay?
@@zhyrikan1449 What about it?
@Bugsy Segal your mom is barely a woman yet is still annoying af
which one?
“Do you want me to get deeper into this?”
“Yes”
Would never ever happen today
....take a chance
Now it's like..oh we're out of time lol
Oh no !
Anyway...
Bullshit. They probably said the SAME THING about TV and how it was so much better in the past when this interview was being done.
It would never happen back then either. This show was very different
He legit flipped everyone the bird right before he said he might use his hands to signal something to the audience.
Brill.
Your right, it starts at the 5:09 timestamp
This is one of the most in depth interview I've seen for a long time
"Fashions of reality change" - very wise words, indeed!
"Fashion of reality" = Zeitgeist?
That line leaped out at me too
So true, stuff that we found great even ten years ago can already been seen today as cheesy, cringey or somehow untrue to our view of reality.
BauAuslese A true omen. Look at, don’t listen to, talk shows today.
Why the hell don't we have chat shows like this anymore? Brilliant, subtle, relaxed, insightful, intelligent. No braying whooping crowds.
What has happened to us?
It’s all about comedy these days. Even advertisers have realized this and now weave humor into practically every television/UA-cam commercial they make.
Look for podcasts
Attention spans are much shorter now.
There are chat shows like this. Check out the Off Camera Show.
You may want to look to other countries interviews.
I just love the speed of the interview, taking time to go into topics in depth.
He had the same deep and charming voice even when he was young. Incredible.
"And so fashions of reality change, and the reality today is all governed by this thing: the camera." WOW
This is what an incredible interview looks like. I miss shows like this.
Watch some podcasts
"Acting Without Acting": a pamphlet by Jason Alexander
Pretzel Boy.
It is a pity that we no longer have interviews like this.
"Pretend to be inexperienced"
"I'm too experienced, so no"
lmao
It's a trap!
When he talks about relaxation and controlled intention those are the exact points of practice for just about anything a person could want to accomplish in life. there's only one energy making us move and that is the power of intention and heartfelt sincerity.
We are so used to seeing the actor at their old age we didn't realize how attractive they were when young.
His responses are so deep and thoughtful. It really sheds new light on that worldly performance where Ricky Bobby doesn't know what to do with his hands. A beautifully subtle nod to Ian's magnetic words, true art.
"You want me to get deeper into this or not?"
"Yeah."
That would never happen on a modern talk show.
Although the demand for more thorough conversation as opposed to popular superficial TV interviews can be observed in the surge in popularity in lengthy podcasts like Joe Rogan's, which I think may eventually kill network television.
This 7:37 clip is longer than most talk show segments today. Most talk shows are also variety shows, some are game shows, and almost without exception, interviews are promotions for a movie, a television show or a celebrity/politician's book with a few silly personal questions thrown in, which in most cases obviously were coordinated beforehand with publicists or managers. What irks me most is that actors generally are interviewed, but most musical artists who write interesting music and potentially could share a lot of interesting thoughts are limited to one abridged performance and maybe a one-minute exchange with the show host before the end credits roll. I don't understand the entertainment value of this model, but I do understand that as with most things, it is designed to sell products--television, movies, books, music or in a few cases charitable causes that pay for "issue placement" via celebrity spokespeople.
@@DavidMichaelCommer
In the context of actors talking about their work, I was always impressed with 'Inside the Actors Studio' (find on youTube) where well-known actors were interviewed and explain what they do in front of drama college students. Much of it very intelligent and thoughtful; some of it even profound. Some bits quite witty. Yet this was not really primarily designed for mass audience consumption. Seems so many modern tv interviews and discussions are designed to dumb stuff down or rely on vacuous fawning of 'celebrity', rather than stretching and inspiring viewers.
@@frglee I agree about Inside the Actors' Studio having been interesting. As you wrote, though, the television show was designed as conversations for the benefit of acting students and it wasn't exactly made for a lay audience. That was its real appeal and also at times a little bit alienating, as when they'd discuss techniques that are of interest to actors but not necessarily to everyone. I went to graduate school for creative writing and some of the program was designed a lot like this, with readings followed by discussions about techniques. I think the format could be interesting for every form of art and creative expression.
I still do prefer the Dick Cavett show format to Inside the Actors' Studio, though, because it was an in-depth conversation without any obvious TV gimmicks, whereas James Lipton did have some established 'game show' aspects such as always asking guests what their favorite curse words are, etc., made for entertainment rather than using the time to really engage in thoughtful discussion.
Someone here mentioned that podcasts have come to fill the role of in-depth talk show discussions, and I think that person is totally correct. I lost all interest in talk shows, both daytime and late night, a long time ago because they are so mindless and guests are only there to sell, sell, sell. It seems as if a lot of people love serialized 'true crime' podcasts and things of that sort, but I have come to love ones like RuPaul's, which was a real surprise. He engages guests in discussions similar to Cavett's and he has a deep knowledge of botht the film and music industry's behind-the-scenes history, and so many of his interviews have been surprisingly fascinating. At the same time, the format lends itself to total self-indulgence, unlike a television show with a limited air time, and so weaknesses emerge. On RuPaul's podcasts, for example, he often spends 10 minutes or more asking people about how they navigate around cities, which I find maddening and frankly inexplicable, and which would never occur on a professionally produced television show--so ultimately, there's probably no perfect format and host.
Dick Cavett's show, based on what I have seen on UA-cam comes the closest.
That said, there's also an account on UA-cam called EMMY TV LEGENDS that has archival interview clips with so many television stars from the Golden Girls actors to Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden and so many more, and I've really enjoyed a lot of their interviews, although they are produced more like reality TV testimonials, with the actors speaking to an unseen and unheard interviewer, and so it's more of a talk-to-the-camera format than a conversation, which for me is less engaging and far less organic.
I respect and admire Sir Ian McKellen so much as an actor and a human being. His voice is pure magic. I could listen to him all day!
One of the most insightful and fascinating analysis of acting I've ever seen
Loved this interview
"The fashions of reality" that's an excellent term and an excellent insight.
In music, "fashions of reality" come and go. Every five or ten years some new star comes along with a fresh way of delivering reality, but then everyone starts mimicking it and it eventually becomes a familiar mannerism and finally a cliche.
It is an excellent term, and an interesting interview (although I am finding the "fashions of 1981" challenging, it was an ugly period for casual wear)
"Fashions of reality change." What is reality in one era is not the reality in another era. It just struck me, he could be talking social media today. Wow! Great interview. Great video!
Okay, so he's just always been an amazing genius. Love this man.
Thoughtful questions, long, thoughtful answers, careful listening. The two of them exploring the ideas together. No sound bites. Thought is not limited but moves forward creatively.
5:05 - "what do you do with your hands?"
*gives the middle finger*
lol
I caught that, too LOL
XD
"I try to tie my hands to my thoughts"
*Ian's brain:* fuk u
Budgie Cat I ask myself if THAT is what he meant. There WAS a time you could use all your fingers to express yourself openly, honestly. But he does mention giving a sign to the audience. .so, you may be right, after all. Dunno.
RandoNoLogic Not 100% convinced of this. Maybe.
Damn I thought his voice had just grown deeper over the years but its actually always been that amazing
I was watching this and finding myself drawn into how the answer he gave was deeper, more involved and more profound than I could have ever expected and then up pops "IAN MC KELLEN" and I was free.
I love this interview. I hope that talk shows like it still exist today.
I took an acting class taught by Ian McKellen.
I did not pass
real or joke?
Well.. you shall not pass
Bravo 👏
HA 😂
Cory you win and erteple you fail
Amazing acting lesson from one of the greats.
This is amazing, i could listen to him all day
Oh if only we could have good interviews like this today, with interviewers that actually know what they’re talking about and leave the guest room to talk!
"Amen Brother... Amen"
shows in 1981 : good questions and respect towards the guest
shows in 2019 : HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
shows in 2020: Trump bad man. (Cue vacuous laughter)
lmao
and slapping the desk
Dick Cavett was very different from other talk shows of his time. He changed networks several times because ratings were low. People are people and the past wasn't some magical place where people were more intellectual.
@@nerychristian
It doesn't matter who the selected candidate is, the point is they are selected. In my opinion, both wings of the political machinery, democrats and republicans are wings connected to the same compromised bird. The fans on both sides are so fervent to even see when it comes to politics, just like sports team, they trash the team they don't root for.
Behind closed doors these politicians are very much friends laughing at all of us.
and there was me thinking Ian simply coalesced into being at age 60 looking fucking amazing. how is that voice coming out of that face?
Lol it's THE SAME VOICE.
This is such a great interview
Really enjoy DC's old shows! Thanks for posting these gems.
"Fashions of reality can change". My God, that's deep.
This is not the kind of thing that you hear in a Interview nowadays
that bit at the end about the "fashions of reality" changing with time was surprisingly illuminating... There is no way you could expect conversations of this sort on late night TV these days.
George simopoulou, it wouldn't work with today's late night because the second it gets deep people rush to IG and facebook.
“A wizard arrives precisely when he means to.” 💜💜
I had no idea. Thank you for posting!
its so weird hearing his old person voice coming out of a young(er) body XD
i always assumed his voice came with age, but he sounds exactly like he does all of these years later!
omg exactly
He didn't just decide to speak in that dramatic Received Pronunciation accent as an old man lol.
@@anaussie213 no but it is the voice of an elderly man, its weird seeing someone in their 30s/40s with that voice XD
funny thing is, everyone with a 'young person voice' now is gonna seem as equally weird when it still sounds like that coming out of their 'old person' bodies
So true!!! lol
Lovely that these old clips are being shared on UA-cam!
5:10 *Flips everyone off... "I might decide to signal something to the audience."
Haha genius
This was a very enjoyable interview and yes very enlightening.
That de-aging is INSANE.
The new X-Men Movie is starting to look pretty good!
Learned more about acting in less than 8 minutes than 180 interviews with other actors.
I love watching interviews like this nothing to promote just a great conversation between 2 intelligent individuals being their true selves.