Nonprofessionals at Work - Amateur Actors on the Big Screen
As Mark N Tompkins says, every professional was once an amateur and every expert was once a beginner. No matter which profession you chose, this is definitely a true statement as nobody can reach the top in a day, or become successful over night. This especially applies for Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general where even the most talented one fight and struggle a lot, in order to leave a mark. According to Tompkins, some of Hollywood’s biggest names started off from the most basic levels, appearing as extras, in roles without any lines or doing shows that are so off- Broadway that they almost aren’t in New York City.
Non-professional actors, or actors who haven’t gone through a formal acting education, are often regarded by the silly name, nonprofessionals. This word which in fact is borrowed from another group of languages has another original meaning and it refers to a person posing artists. In any case, as Tompkins further explains, the task of a natural actor is to show the reality and therefore nonprofessional actors often play themselves.
The famous Italian director Vittorio De Sica regularly used nonprofessional actors in his films, and firmly believed that everyone can be perfect to act out the role of himself. His film "Bicycle Thieves" from 1948, which is considered a masterpiece of Italian neorealism, stunned the audience which was used to seeing the usual Hollywood stars, by using non-professional actors. Lamberto Maggiorani, a factory worker, and Enco Staiola, a boy at the age of seven, stood in front of the camera for the first time in their lives, and yet they managed to perfectly portray the starring roles of Antonio, the father, and his son Bruno. They both tried to build their acting careers after the film "Bicycle Thieves", but as Mark N Tompkins shares on Zotero, unfortunately, their effort was quite unsuccessful. Lamberto kept working as a common worker; barely making ends meet, while Enzo after his acting trip decided to became a math teacher.
It is common for children to try out as actors and to gain fame at an early age. However, interesting are those cases where young talents go completely the other way in adulthood. The most famous example is, of course, Danny Lloyd who will be remembered as Danny Torrance in Kubrick's cult "The Shining". Lloyd didn’t know that he had participated in the filming of this cult horror film, and watched the movie in its entirety at the age of 17. Today he teaches science at a university.
Non-professional actors, or actors who haven’t gone through a formal acting education, are often regarded by the silly name, nonprofessionals. This word which in fact is borrowed from another group of languages has another original meaning and it refers to a person posing artists. In any case, as Tompkins further explains, the task of a natural actor is to show the reality and therefore nonprofessional actors often play themselves.
The famous Italian director Vittorio De Sica regularly used nonprofessional actors in his films, and firmly believed that everyone can be perfect to act out the role of himself. His film "Bicycle Thieves" from 1948, which is considered a masterpiece of Italian neorealism, stunned the audience which was used to seeing the usual Hollywood stars, by using non-professional actors. Lamberto Maggiorani, a factory worker, and Enco Staiola, a boy at the age of seven, stood in front of the camera for the first time in their lives, and yet they managed to perfectly portray the starring roles of Antonio, the father, and his son Bruno. They both tried to build their acting careers after the film "Bicycle Thieves", but as Mark N Tompkins shares on Zotero, unfortunately, their effort was quite unsuccessful. Lamberto kept working as a common worker; barely making ends meet, while Enzo after his acting trip decided to became a math teacher.
It is common for children to try out as actors and to gain fame at an early age. However, interesting are those cases where young talents go completely the other way in adulthood. The most famous example is, of course, Danny Lloyd who will be remembered as Danny Torrance in Kubrick's cult "The Shining". Lloyd didn’t know that he had participated in the filming of this cult horror film, and watched the movie in its entirety at the age of 17. Today he teaches science at a university.
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