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Interview with Eli Wallach, author of The Good, the Bad, and Me |
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Biography |
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| Born in Brooklyn in 1915, Eli Wallach remains active in film and is still married to his wife of fifty-seven years. He lives in New York City. |
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Synopsis |
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| The sparkling memoir of a movie icon's life in the footlights and on camera, The Good, the Bad, and Me: In My Anecdotage tells the extraordinary story of Eli Wallach's many years dedicated to his craft. Beginning with his early days in Brooklyn and his college years in Texas, where he dreamed of becoming an actor, this book follows his career as one of the earliest members of the famed Actors Studio and as a Tony Award winner for his work on Broadway. Wallach has worked with such stars as Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck, and Henry Fonda, and his many movies include The Magnificent Seven, How the West Was Won, the iconic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and, most recently, Mystic River. For more than fifty years Eli Wallach has held a special place in film and theater, and in a tale rich with anecdotes, wit, and remarkable insight he recounts his magical life in a world unlike any other. |
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Interview |
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Q: Reading The Good, the Bad, and Me: In My Anecdotage feels like sitting down with a dear friend and talking about times past. How was writing your memoir different than oral storytelling?
A: There isn't a big difference. I love to tell stories and this is my way of getting them down on paper. But I hated to sit down at the desk and write. I'd think of reasons not to write—maybe I'd go play tennis. And then I had to discipline myself and say write the damn thing. All of these stories bounced around in my mind for a long time.
I had an agent who read the first draft and said, "Eli, I don't know how I'm going to sell this book. You've had only one marriage, and there are no drugs and no scandals." My wife said, "Tell him to send the manuscript back and you'll add all the stuff that your wife made you take out." The agent thought that would make a much better book.
Q: Why did you write this book?
A: I invented the expression "in my anecdotage" [in reference to the subtitle]. That is, I kept telling stories and jokes and I felt it was about time to put it down on paper. I wanted the book to say, "Enjoy life and do what you want to do with it." I've learned that life is very tricky business: Each person needs to find what they want to do in life and not be dissuaded when people question them. People would say to me, "Why do you want to be an actor?" And I'd say, "Because I like to act and tell stories." That's the secret of the book.
Q: Becoming an actor was a long road for you. In 1936 you graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a liberal arts degree; from 1940 to 1945, you served in the army; and in November of 1945, you made your Broadway debut in Harry Kleiner's play Skydrift. When growing up, how did you imagine a life in acting, and how does it compare to the reality you've lived?
A: In the book, I tell the story of seeing old movies when I was young and acting out scenes at home. Now I get scripts, and I act them out. I always wanted to tell stories and act. And that's what I did. Everyone thinks acting is easy. It's far from easy, but it's the most gratifying thing I do. I never lost my appetite for acting. I feel like a magician. Some people would ask, "How do you do a play every evening?" One thing changes every evening: It's the audience, and I'm working my magic. I'm always learning from it.
Q: Throughout your career in the theater, television, and film, you continued to learn different ways to improve as an actor—by studying, by trial and error, and also by observing other actors. In retrospect, what taught you the most about your craft?
A: I've worked with wonderful actors like Marlon Brando and Henry Fonda. While I was working with Henry, we'd give him a medal every night made from a coffee can and his eyes would tear up. And I'd ask him, "How do you do that?" He'd think of things that would make his eyes tear up. The big secret in acting is listening to people.
Q: In your experience, what are some of the differences between stage acting and screen acting?
A: My wife says that stage acting is like being on a tightrope with no net, and being in the movies, there is a net—because you stop and go over it again. It's very technical and mechanical. On stage you're on your own.
Q: You've acted beside Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, and Clark Gable—to name a few. And you've appeared in films such as The Magnificent Seven; How the West Was Won; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; and, most recently, Mystic River. How would you sum up your career as an actor?
A: I always end up being the evil one, and I wouldn't hurt a fly. I'd have to think of the way I'd act if I were evil or bad. I have to find justification; it had to have meaning.
Q: You and your wife, actress Anne Jackson, were married in 1948, and you've appeared in several plays together, including Luv; Rhinoceros; The Typists and the Tiger; and many others. With three children, career demands, and a busy travel schedule, what has made your marriage work for fifty-seven years?
A: Who says it works? My wife says because she's a saint—that's why it works. We find that we've done a lot of plays with tremendous fights and battles and that saves us from therapists, etc. We kiss when the curtains come down, and that always gives her satisfaction. I think it's very sweet. We enjoy one another.
Q: Since the release of The Good, the Bad, and Me in May, you've traveled around the nation doing book signings and media promotion—both television and radio. Do you ever slow down?
A: Even if I don't want to slow down, I'm slowing down. What I do like is talking to young people and saying this is what I did in my life. I've never lost my appetite for acting; it's innovative and challenging. I'm having fun answering questions. A woman asked me, "Is that your real name?" And I said, "How do you dream up a name like mine?"
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