New-York tribune., 1922-07-30
Character Acting
To DispIace Sex
And Triangle Stuff

And Triangle Stuii
That the character actor 10 pictures
is coming into his own, possibly A. The
expense Of what is known As the star
system" is the belief of Claude Gil
lingwater, who. after years Of success
fui delincs,ion Of character parts %
tho spoken drama, has recently turned
his talents % the screen and will
be seen in Marahall Neilan's First
National picture. Pools First" a. the
Strand Thester to-day.
1T may sound egotistiesl," says Mr..
Gillingwater, "for me 20 talk about the
great future Of the character actor
when I'm one myself, but ! do not base
ny conclusions on my personal success
In pictures or anything Of that sort.
Il Am quite sure, from observation.
that people are getting tired Of sex
stuff. the triangle and all the rest Of
the cut-and-drIed screen formulas, and
the Development Of the character role
into a bigger and bigger feature seems
70 me logical.
"For an instance. take Norma Tall
madge's last release, "Smll.n' Through"
There is love story there, but 4,
takes up Awfully small space in COM
parison with the troubles. friendships
and quarrels OF the two old men, and
the contrsrt between their age ard
the freshness OF Miss Talmsdge's
youth.
"That contrast is what I'm getting
at-that and the changes IN grabbed
old age when IL comes in contact with
youth. This sort Of interest is not love
interest, not sex interest, but Il Is
heart interest in the true sense; and
IN heart interest it seems 20 me you
have the fundamental or dramatic sp-
peal.
Besides, heart interest Is inexhsus-
tible. The triangle has been worked 10
death. and Il never Rad but three
angles anyway. Sex interest In pic
lures isn't good and never was, though
! don't deny that Il has made money
Tor the producers in the past What
else is there except the thing that has
always been AZ the bottom Of good
drama-ehsraeter development?
by this ! mean the growth, mental
and spiritual, OF ordinary people who
are neither perfectly beautiful nor
Overpoweringly rich.
"Asny pictures lately have proved
that heroes needn't be Greek gods, for
heroine goddesses to be interesting.
Several have proved that there Is not
even need for love interest.
Take Ny Boy for another instance.
There Is a picture which is bull, up
on the cOntrss, between a grabbed old
man and a twest and loyable child.
The interest Is In the mollowing Of th.
old man By the inhuenes Of the child.
II have proved the point TO my own
/ satisfaction on the vaudeville stage
over and over again. But there are
several obstacles 20 be done away with
before films Of this sort can be ex-
peeted 70 take the place Of The others
and perhaps they will never ely
do that
"ons obstacle is the hostility Of some
producers 20 anything new. Another
iss similar hostility on the part Of the
public, or part Of Il.
Il saw something the other day-sn
interview with J. d. Williams Of First
National. beiisve--in which no talked
about grading pictures 10 suit thestsrs
and audiences. II seems 90 me that IL
The solution Of my second objection.
And the producers are getting over
their affection for formulas very
rapidly.
III, human nature that's wanted, I
believe, and a lot Of human nature Is
neither rOmantieslly beautiful nor en-
iirsly prsoeeupisd With ser. Nsvsrthe-
less. II 10 beautiful. with the bssu,y
Of character, and I humbly believe that
this is a higher beauty.
II suppose that Is the reason | love
10 play old men. II I succeed al all I
can Eiys peopl. somsthinE more essen.
'isi than Just a coed looking face. II
ihe type Of picture am most interested
in succeeds II Is bound to do some
good and cannot DO any harm"