PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

"Twentyfour Seven"
ADDING THAT CREATIVE EXTRA BIT

There is no doubt BOB HOSKINS is a good actor. He seems to be regularly in work, playing memorable roles in stories that are worth telling. So examining his achievements may identify some specific elements of the actor's process which could then be universally applied.

Twentyfour Seven is such an opportunity. In this film BOB HOSKINS plays Darcy a middle-aged loner who decides to bring some sense of community and individual purpose back into the vacant lives of the young people of his district by reviving a local boxing club. The boxing club is Darcy's idea and against the odds he sets about convincing the authorities and commercial interests to support it. However his most difficult task is convincing the lads of the area to participate.

This is obviously the job for a salesman - someone who can convince the doubters and inspire the uninspired. This must be a character who has energy, charm and determination.
No doubt BOB put some time and effort into thinking about how these elements could be transferred to the character.

Here are three examples where BOB brings a little bit of extra detail to his scharacter - three moments where the audience's response might be "that was good acting".

Allowing and Using Intuitive Impulses
In an early scene Darcy is trying to convince the toughest group of boys in the area to participate in his scheme. He has a plan to challenge them to a penalty shoot out on the soccer field and if he wins, they have to agree to participate in the boxing club.
It would appear BOB has decided that Darcy's intention is to either "challenge" or "trick" the boys. It is also evident that he intends to go about this either "excitedly", "energetically" or "cheekily".

While BOB'S MCU is being shot it appears that one of the boys (to the left of the frame) is looking in a bemused way at the beanie Darcy is wearing on his head. The source of this "look" could be from at least two origins

• the actor playing the boy could have been personally amused by the beanie BOB was wearing and because he was not being seen by the camera he may have decided to tease BOB (from his off screen vantage point) about this choice of wardrobe - if this was an 'actor versus actor' game then BOB quickly turns it into a character versus character interaction.
• or the actor playing the boy may have decide that because Darcy was obviously on some sort of 'mission' and because the boys culture naturally resisted any outside attempts of control, his character would endeavour to undermine Darcy by mocking his beanie - a more professional and responsible approach.

Whatever the source of the stimulus, BOB decides, entirely spontaneously it would appear, to respond to this provocation. And fleetingly he diverts from his main purpose of the moment to acknowledge this look. This is a spontaneous improvised choice which indicates that Bob Hoskins on the spur of the moment can adapt to and include the unexpected in his performance.

And the outcome of his choice?

All BOB does is

• acknowledge the look
• and raise both hands to his head to make sure the beanie is sitting neatly.

Why is this diversion successful?

On this occasion there are two reasons the actors choice is such a successful embellishment.

Firstly, it is absolutely evident from the first frames of the scene that BOB as Darcy has chosen the clothes he is wearing for this confrontation with great care - they have been selected to help Darcy's plan succeed. Having been through the conscious process of why Darcy would dress like this BOB is in full possession of all the detail of Darcy's choices. Thus BOB HOSKINS (the actor) doesn't have to do any conscious thinking to decide how Darcy (the character) might respond. His response can be intuitive and unpremeditated - just like Darcy's would have been in real life. (A conscious actor's decision is never going to look like an unconscious character one.)

Success is achieved because the actor is free to be spontaneous just as the character would be.

Secondly, BOB 'S choice is successful because it never really shifts the focus of the scene from its primary purpose and neither does it slow or interrupt the energy with which he is pursuing that purpose. Too often such moments become a conscious illustrative actor's embellishment rather than a character's inherently intuitive one.

BOB HOSKINS succeeds here because he can allow the character to think and speak at the same time. And significantly, he succeeds because he doesn't divert from the purpose of the scene but merely intuitively adds a bit of colour while he continues to tell the story.

Turning Energy into Business
In a later scene Darcy is revealing to the boys the good news that they have enough money for a trip to Wales.

It is possible that here either BOB or the director (SHANE MEADOWS) decided that in this scene Darcy's enthusiasm and excitement should be translated into physical activity and Darcy should therefore move around as he speaks.

It is evident that the movement was planned and rehearsed because it happens continuously form one shot to another.

One of the moves is a complete pirouette. BOB executes this manoeuvre just before he announces the good news. This is the sort of movement blocking that can end up being self-conscious, obvious and contrived. Yet in BOB HOSKINS' capable hands this is not the case.

Why does it succeed?
It is plain that BOB never lets a secondary goal (i.e. the aim of keeping Darcy active) eclipse the primary one (i.e. to interest the boys in his plan). This is the key to his success. Not only does BOB carry his sense of purpose all the time he is making the turn, in fact he uses the pirouette to further his purpose. Everything is done for purpose.

Relating to Props and Wardrobe
In one very short scene Darcy is observed preparing the venue for its first big competition night. Although the preparations still have some way to go (as yet the floor is not even swept) Darcy is already wearing his brand sparkling new '101 Warriors' jacket with his name emblazoned on it.

BOB appears to have decided quite understandably that Darcy is excited and pleased with his new jacket. However there is no specific or deliberate action that is used to illustrate this. There is no obvious looking in the mirror. No overt preening. This is absolutely appropriate for the scene is not about the jacket. The scene is about preparing the venue. Yet BOB manages to clearly convey a sense of the importance of the jacket.

How does he do this?

By realizing that:

1. the decision to wear the jacket in a scene more appropriately played in overalls or work clothes is in itself a huge statement about the importance of the jacket - and in fact nothing more needs to be said
2. the enjoyment of wearing something new is an experience in itself which needs no illustration - although BOB seems to have found a special pleasure in putting his hand into the jacket pocket
3. embellishments such as this should never interrupt the storytelling - so having donned the jacket Bob gets on with pursuing Darcy's intention of doing a good job preparing the venue

BOB'S well thought through process relates to handling props as well as wardrobe.

So, make sure that the specific idiosyncratic character choices you create don't interrupt the purpose of the story-telling or the function of the scene.

© The Rehearsal Room 2001. All rights Reserved. www.rehearsalroom.com

HERE IS A SIMPLE EXERCISE TO CONSIDER.

1. Create a scene in which your character has a simple task to complete for a specific purpose. It could be tidying or cleaning a room because someone special is coming to visit etc.
2. Play the action to its conclusuion (i.e. to the end of this part of the story) simply focusing on the purpose of the task at hand.
3. Introduce an obstacle into the scene - i.e one small obstruction or difficulty to you achieving the intended final result. Make it a small problem that a moments thought will resolve. Play the scene again.
4. Put on an item of clothing or jewelry etc which has some other and separate significance for your character then play the scene again aware of the character's connection with the item but in no way illustrating it or pointing it out to the audience.
5. Now remove the jewelry or item of clothing and introduce an object (prop), which has some special significance for your character into the scene. Make sure you put it somewhere which is secondary to the action of the scene - for example don't put it in the middle of the bench you are cleaning so that you are forced to move it for this will probably change the story into a scene about this object/prop instead of it being a scene about preparing for the arrival of someone special. Play the scene again, just working through the story (as planned in point 1) but aware of the significance of the object.
6. Play the scene again this time placing the special prop in the center of your work space (so you are forced to actually handle it in some way) but don't allow it to take over the story. This item is of secondary importance to the story of this scene.

You are aiming to achieve a similar level of energetic enthusiasm as BOB HOSKINS while not allowing yourself to be diverted from the purpose of the story.

Copyright © The Rehearsal Room 2001. All rights Reserved. www.rehearsalroom.com