Last week students at The Liverpool Institute for
Performing Arts (LIPA) were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
learn from one of Hollywood’s leading actors. Woody Harrelson visited
LIPA to take part in a one-hour question and answer session with
students during which he talked about some of his most famous and
celebrated roles.
Speaking to a packed and excited audience in LIPA’s Paul McCartney
Auditorium, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor reflected on his
work over the last three decades.
The conversation was chaired by the
Founding Principal/CEO of LIPA, Mark Featherstone-Witty, who introduced
clips throughout the session from Harrelson's roles in films such as
'Natural Born Killers' and 'The Messenger' (for which he received one of
his two Oscar-nominations), last year's acclaimed detective drama 'True
Detective' and the sitcom 'Cheers', the show which first brought him to
the public's attention.
Asked by one of LIPA's BA (Hons) Acting students how he approaches creating characters for film, Harrelson replied:
"As you're reading a script, you get a feel for your character,
and how they fit in to the piece. You need to look for the thing that
opens the door to that character."
One of his main pieces of advice was for students not to hold back when bringing their characters to life:
"I want to encourage you guys to be bold with your choices, and
not go with what's safe. I would rather go for it and get pulled back by
a director, than play it safe and not do something special."
Harrelson talked about how he felt
about working with film icons such as Robert Redford, with whom he
worked on 'Indecent Proposal'. He said:
"It was daunting, but pretty
exciting to be working with Robert Redford. It was a great experience,
but definitely nervous doing scenes with him."
Featherstone-Witty asked him about how he chooses what projects to go
for and whether he looked at money or the quality of the material.
Making a direct reference to Featherstone-Witty's own advice, Harrelson
said:
"A man I've recently come to admire told me 'Find out what you love doing and how to get paid for it'." He added:
"I don't do projects just for money. If you do that, your career
isn't going to last. Someone once told me, careers aren't made by how
many times you say yes, but how many times you say no. If money is the
prevailing thing, then you're lost."
Harrelson was also asked whether he would be returning to the stage,
or if he felt his future was in television and film. He disclosed that
he has been writing a comedy and that he might try and put it on in
London and said:
"I prefer theatre. I think it's the best way to get psyched as an actor. Getting up on stage is so exciting."
Speaking after the event, Harrelson commented on his visit to LIPA, saying:
"I love it here. It's learning at its best. The students are so
enthusiastic and love what they are doing. What better environment could
they have? There's a great vibe."
Woody Harrelson’s appearance was the latest of LIPA’s regular
masterclasses and question and answer sessions, which give its students
the opportunity to learn from successful figures across different areas
of the performing arts industry. In the past, LIPA has hosted sessions
with Sir Ian McKellan, Alan Rickman, Dionne Warwick, Dawn French, and
Will Young alongside luminaries in senior roles that are about making
performance possible (such as award-winning producers and lighting
designers).
LIPA is located in Paul's old school,
the Liverpool Institute for Boys, which underwent a multi-million-pound
renovation to turn it into a state-of-the-art performing arts higher
education institution. It was founded by Paul and Mark
Featherstone-Witty and opened in 1995 with the aim of providing the best
teaching and learning for people who want to pursue a lasting career in
the arts and entertainment industry, whether as performers or those who
make performance possible.
For further information about LIPA please click HERE
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