A Look in the Mirror

Image259I thought of a trivia game (perhaps it is already on the market) where you have names of characters an actor played in films and you have to guess who the actor is. For instance, if the following sequence of names were read out loud, after which name would you guess Marisa Tomei: Natalie Hegalhuzen, Danika Merrick, Ida Horowicz, Mona Lisa Vito.

 

Try this one: Lancaster Dodd, Phil Parma, Caden Cotard, Lester Bangs. If the next clue was Truman Capote, and you had not guessed yet, most assuredly you would call out, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

 

In the many obituaries and testaments to Mr. Hoffman this past week there was one line from a film critic that caught my attention.

 

“At best, I have an image of him — an image drawn from seeing him onscreen — that affords me the illusion of having known him. But all it is, is an illusion.”

 

Contrast that with the following observation made in another article about Mr. Hoffman: “Actors are playing what we think we know about them as real people even as they are portraying a made-up person. And, through their accumulated roles, they are not just creating a body of work—they are telling their life story.”

 

So which is it? I would offer that the answer is “and.” Illusion and their life story.

 

According to Capote’s biographer and friend Gerald Clarke, Hoffman was more like Capote on screen than Capote himself. “Through the alchemy a very few gifted actors possess, he has done more than impersonate Truman,” he said. “For the length of the movie, he has resurrected him.” Hyperbole aside, Hoffman, as in the case for all of us, whether we are actors or not, choose roles that mirror for us the masks we need to contemplate.

 

Here is Philip Seymour Hoffman on his role as Truman Capote:

 

“What I was drawn to was the tragic tale. This classic tragic tale. Something being inevitable, something playing itself out and no one could stop it. There was something about that, which was very interesting to me and compelling. I think that what makes the film compelling is you can’t stop it and it’s so subtle and simple and kind of slow. It’s there and it’s lulling you and you realize that you are on this train toward this place. It’s inevitable and that’s, I think, something that makes for good story and a good film.”

 

As we often say in Kabbalah class: “Objects in the mirror are much closer than they appear.” So are the roles we choose.

 

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

cosmos

In the Image of the Cosmos

by Dr. David Sanders A story is told of King Ptolemy of Alexandria (second century BCE) summoning many learned Jewish scholars to translate the Torah from Hebrew to Greek. He placed them in separate rooms

illustration of mystical tree of life womb

Creativity in the Tree of Life

by Melanie Gruenwald This summer, I created and facilitated a course called  Isha al Achota, As a Woman Faces her Sister. It has been a wonderful process of discovery– exploring primary texts and contemporary voices,

closeup photo of Barbie doll face

Ken, Barbie, and the Tree of Life

by Dr. David Sanders On the insistence of my wife and daughters, I went to see Barbie. Barbie? Why? I knew more about that doll than them. My sister had Barbie dolls and at some

picture of a bicycle with a moon and reflection

Tree of Life: Malchut

by Melanie Gruenwald The Tree of Life is constantly surrounding us. We just have to be aware of it.   I’d like to start with two stories.   Several weeks ago, our family was cycling

Taylor Swift concert- Swifties

Celebrating Swifties

by Dr. David Sanders I was barely six years old when they arrived. It was called an invasion. I am referring to The Beatles hopping over the pond and landing in New York City in