Marian Seldes on the Study of Acting
"I do believe in sin. I believe in evil, and I think it is both evil and a sin to deny someone the opportunity to see what they might be capable of doing."
When I was walking in Central Park with Marian Seldes, a young woman walked up to her and complimented her work and then began to describe herself. "I'm thinking of studying to be an actress," she said, then paused. She blushed. When she began talking again, Marian interrupted her, put her hand up, and said, "Do it. Don't deny yourself this. Don't deny the world the actress you might be. Don't deny other students what you can bring to a company or a class. Do it." The young woman beamed, Marian hugged her, and we moved on.
Later, at Marian's apartment, I asked her why she told the young woman to pursue the study. What if she wasn't very good?
"I have this argument with lots of people. I know we are not arguing, but I have had arguments with people who have very rigid standards, and I believe in rigid standards. At Juilliard a student auditioned and we had high standards, and we also looked at the person to see where they might fit into a four-year program that would call on them to do more than a career in the theatre will. We exposed students to a very demanding schedule of classes and exercises and plays. If only a career in New York kept an actor as busy! So I know that they are looking for talent; they are looking for handsomeness; they are looking for voices; they are looking for those mysterious things that make an actor interesting. John Houseman called them those ineluctable things. Kevin Kline, by previous standards at Juilliard, was entirely inappropriate: He was too old; he had already attended a university. These were things Michel St. Denis did not like. But how do you reject Kevin? He was a marvelous actor, and his 'equipage,' to quote Anna Sokolow, was marvelous.
"Back to your question: When I attended the Neighborhood Playhouse, I had fellow students who were marvelous. They had talent. They gave me so much. I remained friends with them. I sought out their opinions. Many of them drifted away from acting. Some became writers. Others just decided to not pursue something for which I could see they had potential. Why? I don't know. Sanford Meisner and Martha Graham believed in them, but perhaps they didn't believe in themselves. I don't know. This I know: Their lives--their lives in totality--were improved by studying at the Playhouse. To be exposed to Sanford Meisner and Martha Graham; to read the great plays and discuss them; to read and perform the great poems and sonnets; to regularly attend the theatre and films and discuss them. All of that is invaluable.
"It is not entirely about a career, even though I know that I wanted one. I know that most students want one. But things happen, and that study is a beautiful foundation on which to stand, wherever you plant it. What you've learned will color and enhance everything you do. So, yes, go for it. Pursue the dream. Learn about yourself and others. Perhaps Juilliard or Yale or another school won't accept you, but you can still study somewhere, with someone. It will not be a waste of time.
"I talk about how I don't have a religious background. I don't know if there is a God. I don't know a lot of things. But I do believe in sin. I believe in evil, and I think it is both evil and a sin to deny someone the opportunity to see what they might be capable of doing. To tell someone they are wrong to have a dream. I will never be--I never have been--the person to tell another that they are wrong to have faith in something. I think that is unforgivable."--Marian Seldes/Interview with James Grissom/2001