I promised to myself, and I'm going back in time, New York City, I'm driving a cab,
I was an actor, I started a business with, at that time, my wife, which the business
is still going, the marriage isn't, it's called Mudd Sweat and Tears, it's still on 46th
and 10th Avenue, a pottery shop, but I digress. Back then, when I was in my cab driving and
I was still attempting to get back into theater, I'd been on Broadway and another time I'll
tell you about that. All of a sudden, I'm in my early 30s and I realize that it came
clear to me that I have to make a conscious decision, do I go along with the American
dream or not? And my point of view was that it's not a dream, in fact, to me back then,
and still to a degree, I believe it's a nightmare. So I don't come with a preconceived ironclad
sense of what your character is supposed to be. Other than, I want it very honest, authentic,
and no British accent, the best American you can give us, articulate.
Hold it in fashion, and a toy in blood, a violet in the youth of primary nature, forward,
not permanent, sweet, not lasting, the perfume and suppliance of a minute, no more.
No more but so.
Think it no more. For nature, crescent, does not grow alone and doos and boke, thus this
temple waxes, the inward service of the mind and soul grows wide with hope. Perhaps he
loves you now, his greatness weighed, his will is not his own, for he himself is subject
to his birth. He may not, as unvalued persons do, call for himself, brought his choice depends
the safety and health of this whole estate.
I think that in this scene, I feel like I have to tell her this, but I don't really
want to about how much was my thought. I feel like I've put it off to the last minute, I'm
ready to go, I'm out the door, but I really have to tell her this.
Okay, I want to add on to that, I think there's the big brother in that, and I'm speaking
for myself as a big brother, you know, I think I know better than my younger sister, and
so there's a certain, dare I use the word, you can use your own, I'm going to say arrogance
in there, knowing it, I'm going to tell you, I know the world, maybe I'm only four years
older than you, but I've lived longer and I know more about it than you, so I'd like
you to throw a little of that in there as well.
So there can be this push-pull thing of I don't want to, but I really need to say it,
so you have a wide spectrum there to work with.
And there's definitely with her character a sense of duty to her father and brother
as well as Hamlet, so there may be a tear in the scene between trying to listen to him
but a love for her fiancee.
For her fiancee, who is?
Hamlet.
Okay.
The ideas that we have make them big, broad, and knowing that they're going to be sculpted
and tweaked, but now's not the time to just sort of go for the subtlety.
And this is not to cast an aspersion on any one of you, but none of us are that good of
an actor that we can just nail it right now.
So the canvas is there, big strokes, so that you and I can see, ooh, that's what's going
on and we can make some more clear choices.
My necessaries are embarked, farewell.
And sister, as the winds give benefit and convoy is assistant, do not sleep, but let
me hear from you.
Do you doubt that?
Even more.
Even more.
Bigger, more familiar.
Bigger boost up in terms of that familial energy.
And sister, as the winds give benefit, take your time.
If we could change instantly, we'd already be gods and goddesses.
We need that temporal dynamic called time in which to be able to take it in and give
it back.
My necessaries are embarked, farewell.
And sister, as the winds give benefit and convoy is assistant, do not sleep, but let
me hear from you.
Do you doubt that?
Okay, I'm not enough, and not enough.
Okay, I'm sorry, you're my opening piece, okay?
They're all going to get this, okay, all right.
Really?
I'm just, take it again.
Oh, sister, go there.
You know, it's just us, you know, and the Shakespeare police are not going to be breaking
down the door.
And if they are, I'll be in between you and you'll have time to run, okay?
And the rest of them will get in, this man, you know, look at that look on his face, man.
He's going to stand up for you.
Does not grow alone in views and bulk, but as the temple waxes, the inward service of
the mind and soul grows wide with all.
Perhaps he loves you now, his greatness weighed, his will is not his own, for he himself is
subject to his birth.
He may not, as unvalued persons do, car for himself, but on his choice depends the safety
and health of this whole state.
Then wait, what loss your honor may sustain?
Give it to him!
You know you want to give it to him, give it to him!
Start again.
Build it up.
I want to be him.
Come on, and be, you know what this is about.
My brother, do not, as some ungracious pastors do, show me the steep and thorny way to heaven
whilst, like a puffed and reckless libertine, himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
and ricks not his own reed.
Oh, fear me not, I stay too long.
But here my father comes, a double blessing is a double grace, occasion smiles upon a
second leaf.
My blessing upon thee, and these few precepts in thy memory, look thou character.
Is thy thought no tongue, nor any unproportioned thought his act?
Be thou familiar, but not vulgar.
Those friends thou hasten, their adoption tried, grapple them unto thy soul with hoops
of steel.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for oft, forlone oft loses both itself a hand friend,
barring dolls the edge of husbandry.
This above all, to thine own self, be true, and it must follow as the night the day that
thou canst not be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season, this and thee.
Most humbly do I take my leave, my lord.
The time invite you.
Go, your servants tend.
Farewell, Ophelia.
At the same time as I decided to give my board an olive branch of doing something other than
Shakespeare, then they said, well, well, if you're doing a play about Hamlet, then we
should do Hamlet.
So I have to be very honest with you and say the board sort of pushed this on me.
I frankly wanted a few more years of developing my appreciation, understanding, and my ability
to direct Shakespeare before taking on this major epic adventure.
