The morning journal-courier., 1908-11-04
A CHAT WITH THE DEVIL
How George Arliss Has Worked
 His Latest Remarkable Tale.

George Arllss, whose impersonatI of the title role in Molnar's play, d Devil, has been one of the sensatil of the early season, tells in the Thea Magazine for october how he stud the part;
 T trust that my friends know tha have not many qualities in comm with the devil" he said, "so that I hE not found my model for the impersol ton in myself. It happens that nave known a great many persons extreme type. My father was in publishing business block from British Museum, which Is. you knE the largest library in the world I'll Hooked about that part of the 4 strange men, men of talent and sI but who through illness or some deI Of character often through love drink, had failed in life. They were Y who should have been successes but stead they were failures I got my VII from among these men. The \ was poor. He earned his living wlthI pen, but he worked as little as md ole He was not very bad nl but l am not sure that he would have been had he had occasion or portunity He was very lean. nearly bodiless as 1t was possible fl man to be and live. wanted to Il vey the impression of the man bd almost fieshless, and while I was thI ing of this, the picture of this whom ] had known as boy came lI to me. The man was of exceedi,I quiet manners. l have copied his nI ner as l have his physical appearal for l conceived that that was the sort of devil that would have apvl fuence with the people in Mol1 play They are persons in society. that class could only be influenced suggestion, by light, playful areurl They could be led, not driven. If had been servants l might have fl the bludgeon form of argument. would have affected them. but not sons in society, accustomed 10 the Ihnements of life. They would N laughed at the devil who tried to 4 them I studied the role of the E as I do every other part I have studied, as long time as have ceived the play early in July an. brought 1t back with me from the d side. We came back on a slow std CT, It was very empty and had of one side of the lower deck to mJ I had the feeling l must alwa.s when I am studying part, of tI quite alone. When one is studyiA part he creates world of his and any intrusion of the other vs his real world, is a shock It nI him self-conscious He has to T again at the beginning.
 "I did most of my studying ors windy side of the lower deck. whelA one was liable to see or hear nE followed my usual course in studA a singular course suppose if is I r first place l like to hear an author his play. Did you know that an a,H always reads his play badly? Th3 true. Although the thoughts ard he does not convey them we'll NE
 theless, like to hear him read hisS for somewhere in the back of his there Is an idea that is illuminal More than probably he will glvea this flash of an idea in some comA
 in passing, rather than in the plaA
 self. I did not hear Monar read
 play, so read 1t myself. It was d
 to mo one act al time, When '
 the first act ] liked it, but I db
 think the rest of the play could
 it. When I got the second act I tho tho same, I got the third act andA surprised and content Within theb hour of reading the play entire IH the conception of the part. It Is alH so, not only with me but with et one If you don't get the concelI
 at first you never get 1t.
 "The hardest scene in the plal
 found to be the one in which am ing with Sandor. endeavoring td
 press upon him that I have falef love with Jolan, and endeavorind , impress upon the audience that I done nothing of the sort. that ina of having lapsed from devil into nF am always and consistently the H To seem to be one thing, and confI !, ly suggesting that you are soineh 5 else, is difficult, That sort of rej sion, I suppose is the hardest thia be done on the stage My grfI anxiety in the play ls that l mayII $ from the suggestion of the spiriH . seem too much the man,
 TRVTE LOVE,