Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain. A day without laughter is a day wasted. The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury. The basic essential of a great actor is that he loves himself in acting. That is why, no matter how desperate the predicament is, I am always very much in earnest about clutching my cane, straightening my derby hat and fixing my tie, even though I have just landed on my head. I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician. I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the make-up made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked onto the stage he was fully born. Words are cheap. The biggest thing you can say is 'elephant'. In the end, everything is a gag. Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot. |