REFLECTIONS

Drew Hunt reflects upon his experience of both getting and playing the part of Tom Ripley in "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Drew has experienced a number of Rehearsal Room workshops and is working at developing and refining his performance process.

A Challenging Role

Getting the Gig
There is quite a funny story behind the whole experience. I heard about the auditions and went to meet the 2nd A.D. who suggested I read for one of the smaller roles in the play. The play has seven characters who all double or triple up on their roles except for Tom Ripley, Richard Greenleaf and Marge Sherwood. This in essence permeates the whole theme of duality, as each actor is required to play more than one personality at any given time.

I was given various scenes to take home and learn and after reading through them all decided Tom Ripley was 'too much' to take on and opted for Tom's obsession Richard Greenleaf. I got to the audition, read for Richard - and frankly I sucked. I made every mistake possible. I didn't listen, I didn't focus, I had nothing in place, I rushed through it and left straight after it knowing where I went wrong ... at least that's half the battle ! I was so nervous. I put it down to experience, reminding myself that no matter how talented you are as an actor, if you don't have the basic fundamentals implanted within you and constantly re-iterate those techniques daily, you do hinder your flow and expression and possible chance for employment.

Two weeks later, I get a call from the 2nd A.D. again asking me whether I would be interested in auditioning for Tom Ripley as the guy who got it pulled out. Knowing that these things don't come around twice, I marveled at how strange the world is and accepted. I went in mentally prepared, did a cold read for the 2nd A.D. and the director, that afternoon I got the role! To date, it has been the most challenging and rewarding experience I have experienced.

Playing Tom Ripley
The role required me to be on stage for the duration of the whole play, I had numerous costume changes and many props - so the physicality alone was demanding. I had eight monologues as well as being in every scene. At any given time scenes would flow into each other from different parts of the stage making listening imperative to the flow and dynamics of the play. I was required to react all of the time with my own inner monologues expressing Tom's real feelings or need that only the audience sees. Another trait I added to Tom's character was his sense of 'stillness' - the ability to convey everything with nothing. (A good point of reference for this is Billy Bob Thornton's "The Man Who Wasn't There" by the Cohen brothers).

The American accent took a while to 'sit in' with me but I got that out of the way quickly so it wouldn't inhibit me later on. I found some actors in the early stages of rehearsal concentrating on the accent too much and forgetting what's in front of them. Trusting myself was a constant reminder before I went on, re-assuring myself that I had everything in place, was prepared and essentially all I had to do was walk on, listen, focus and enjoy the role. By having these simple things in mind I was able to deal with any changes that came up on the night i.e.: lines dropped, impro, 'being in the moment'. I had to bend like the willow not resist like the oak .., (a bit of Chinese wisdom there). Overall this experience tested my boundaries and fueled me with confidence to know that I can raise the bar a little more now. I also feel that in my own experience in the past I have made the process too complex. Keeping it simple, knowing who you are and trusting it seemed to be the essential ingredients.

The following is a brief synopsis of the play and part ...

The Talented Mr. Ripley is based on Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name. The play explores the mind of one of crime fiction's greatest anti-heroes - an intelligent, suave and charming psychopath whose amorality is the centre of a plot about duplicity and murder. Tom Ripley, twenty-five, is an utterly compelling, fastidious, charming and measured psychopath.

I saw the film after the play - they are completely different and cannot be compared.

Drew Hunt.

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