The actor’s high [is] like falling in love.
Almost out of body. The feeling of wanting
to share everything with someone – in
one case an audience, in the other case
another human being. And whether that’s
a reflection of your ego or your hopes...
either way, it works on the same area of
the brain. It’s like a solid couple of lines
of good blow. It’s dopamine. And in my
brain my dopamine receptors are blocked
or something. I don’t receive enough of it,
which is probably why I was an alcoholic
for 30 years. Well, I still am one, but
I haven’t had a drink in quite some time.
And I’m sure that all had a lot to do with
what I do for a living.
I remember finding myself in the middle
of a drama department [in college] that
I thought I wouldn’t be able to crack.
And the more I learnt about the basics
of acting, the less I cared about anything
else. It was about self-expression through
interpretation of someone else’s art,
finding my own voice that way.
I had a problem with [self-confidence
in my early career] and... I drank for
a while and, towards the end of that,
the lines would not come. And it was
like a snowball. It just built up a lack of
confidence that I could even learn lines.
And I was punishing myself more than
anything else and even using my energy
wrong, and it’s just a matter of being
relaxed with it and knowing [that the
lines] are going to come. Have patience.
It’s my personality disorder that I want
everything right now. I gotta have it now,
now! Mr Now! I mean, you can’t do that
[onstage]. It’s a process.
It always feels challenging [getting into
character], but I think if you feel relaxed,
it’s even easier to be challenged. When
you are physically relaxed you can do
a lot more. I think it’s a lot easier and you
can react a lot quicker to things when
you are relaxed.
I get approached by a lot of people
[offering me roles], so it’s really all in the
script for me. If there is something I have
never done before, I will try it. I just try to
do something a little different every time.
There have been movies that people
have told me I was in that I wasn’t in.
During interviews. People look on the
computers and the computers are wrong.
I was [also] dead a couple of times, s***
like that. I don’t care. It’s so far out of my
control – what am I going to do? Bust
John Goodman
Embracing his flair for comedy as the patriarch of a televangelist family in HBO’s
The Righteous Gemstones, the Golden Globe-winner gets candid about self-doubt
THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES Stream* or watch from August 20, Tuesdays at 8.30pm on FOX SHOWCASE [115] available in the DRAMA pack
“The lessons I’ve learnt”
“I’m afraid
that people are
going to be
disappointed
[meeting me]”
a blood vessel and really die? [It’s] kind
of hard to get too worked up about it.
I really loved [doing The Front Page on]
Broadway because I got to watch some
actors I’ve really admired every single
night. I couldn’t just go away when I wasn’t
onstage and tried to just stay invested in
the play. I loved watching the group and
learning their approach to the audience
every night of the show. They are master
actors, so it was just a pleasure to watch
them. But, really, the longer I am away from
home, the tougher it has been – especially
since I’ve gotten older. I don’t know why that
is, but I’ve felt that way recently. I like my
home time. I haven’t been able to work in
my hometown [of New Orleans] for several
years, so when I do work on a film I mainly
have to go out of town, which is tough.
I was so intimidated by [Dancing on the
Edge co-star Jacqueline Bisset] that she
thought I either disliked her or was so
extremely stupid that I had nothing to
say – which is probably true. I’m afraid
that people are going to be disappointed
[meeting me]. I’m thick and dull, and that’s
the end of it. I put too much pressure on
myself and I find myself wanting.
My very favourite character [I’ve played]
is, surprise, from a Coen brothers
production – Charlie Meadows in Barton
Fink, because he was very sympathetic.
For a man who was a snake, that is. He
was someone I could sink my teeth into.
Homicidal maniac but kind of a nice guy.
PH You don’t get many of those.
O
TO
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