ACTOR KARL MALDEN: ‘IDEAS CHANGE AS WE EXPERIENCE LIFE.’
THE HUMAN RACE
OSCAR WINNER DISGUISED HIMSELF TO STUDY HUMANITY
Karl Malden had just finished co-starring
as Gen. Omar Bradley in “Patton,” the 1970 film
biography about the World War II exploits
of Gen. George Patton when he explained to me
how characters in movies and novels change as the
story unfolds. Since I don’t have his exact quotes, I
paraphrased. He told me that actors, directors,
writers realize that life experiences can
alter the philosophy of any person, real
or fictional. Malden might just as well
have been talking about today’s politicians.
(In 1951 Malden won an Oscar for
Best-Supporting-Actor for a co-starring
role opposite Marlon Brando in “Streetcar
Named Desire”) He took his art seriously.
He told me: People change by experiencing
the good and bad of living. When I asked,
how did he know? he said that emulating
a real person is a significant part of the art
of acting. “We work hard studying the
characters we must play. We’re all flexible.”
We were alone in his home when he pointed to his
large nose. “Even with this,” he said joking,
“I’ve disguised myself to study people. In
this line of work, it’s hard to hide from
the public.” Marlon Brando, he said, (In 1955
won an Oscar for Best Actor in “On the Waterfront”)
“had a two-way mirror installed in a tobacco
shop Off-Broadway to study people. He approached
characterization quite seriously. In real life,
people make mistakes; their philosophies change.
Failure to change course can lose a war, break a heart,
or turn a honest man into a criminal. experience
alters the life of every person.” With that, he gave
me a shove. Behind that large dimpled nose was a
pair of handsome blue eyes. They were smiling.
— Boots LeBaron —
(Malden is not mentioned in Boots’ book, THE HUMAN RACE.
But Robert Mitchum is. The book contains a collection of interviews
with unique people interspersed with light poetry and essays about
life, death, love, courage, art, etc. It’s available on Kindle and Amazon)
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