This conversation took place in Burton's later years, and even though he had already achieved fame and was considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, Burton was still full of inferiority and denial about his screen performances.
My friend Moon listened to Burton complaining about himself, and he has been trying to console him. He thought Burton's performance in "The Holy Robe" wasn't cinematic enough, but it was charming as a theatrical one.
Moon recalls: "Ricky thought he was bad. 'I tried,' and he told me, 'I worked hard. But the harder I tried, the worse it got.'
However, his performance was not bad at all. Very non-cinematic, it's essentially a theatrical performance, which in a way makes his performance exciting. He's not used to subtle performances in front of the camera, and even the tiniest expression can sum up a lot.
So he adds an extra dimension to the film, especially in the scenes where he acts crazy and paranoid, like on stage. It's not really a cinematic performance, and it can seem too dull at times, but it's still a mesmerizing performance after 54+ takes over and over.
Here's a preview of a great stage show if you like. It also shows his special charm in cosplay, which I tell him a lot.
But nothing I can say makes him feel better about his work, even if he does have better screen performances.
'I wasn't taught how to do it," he said, "and I didn't know how to perform all the theatrical art to the camera and make it believable on the widescreen. '"
The picture shows Marcellus, the Roman tribune played by Liburton in "Holy Robes", holding the robe left after the martyrdom of Jesus, and suddenly became insane. The male partner Victor Mecher is looking up solemnly direction to heaven.
Burton wondered how he could act like, "What do you think when you look up at the sky?" He told Burton, "I was thinking about the money they gave me."
Burton also told Moon Maitai himself: "I have no body, I'm like a little barrel with long legs. Even my neck is short, which makes my head look too big. I don't walk either. Demeanor, I'd be better off standing still. I also hate wearing period clothes, I'd rather wear casual modern clothes, and I hate wearing leggings and skirts."
He was very afraid to see himself on the screen, maybe because of these reasons, he thought he was too ugly.
Looking at this still photo, he is indeed in bad shape. You must know that there are a lot of white people with nine heads. He has a big head, and he is not very tall. It's not wrong to complain that the neck is short.
The question is, he has a handsome face, why not focus on his own face? Caucasian youths with good stature grabbed a lot, how many have good faces, and how many are as good as him? It's really scrapping.
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