Patrick Stewart, translated by Cheng Xiaojun
Editor's note: British veteran actor Patrick Stewart has been in the film for decades, and is well known to fans for his roles such as Dr. X in the X-Men series and Colonel Picard in the Star Trek series. This week, he wrote an article for the British newspaper The Guardian to mourn a mentor from his childhood who died not long ago, and felt that without each other, he would never have become an actor today. The article is written with deep affection, and it also gives people the opportunity to learn more about the old drama bone's past life and how to embark on the road of acting.
I have never taken the Primary School Selection Exam in my life. On the day of the exam, I walked for a long time on the hillside near the golf club in my hometown of Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England. At noon, I sat on the stone battlement wall, eating lunch while looking down at the town. On the playground of our elementary school, my classmates were taking a lunch break, and they had to continue taking exams in the afternoon. I didn't attend; I didn't get by. Frankly speaking, I didn't think I would be able to attend a key middle school.
14-year-old Patrick Stewart (first from left) with his parents
It's good not to go to the exam, otherwise I probably wouldn't have met Cecil Dormand. He was a teacher at the ordinary middle school I went to later. When I was 12 years old, it was he who handed Shakespeare into my hands for the first time, which changed my life. It was a copy of The Merchant of Venice. He lets us look at the first act of the fourth act (the famous courtroom scene). He assigned us different roles and asked the big guys to read them in order. At first we all meditated in our hearts. "No, no, you little idiots, don't meditate!" He shouted, "Read it aloud!" It's drama, not poetry. This is about life. It is real. ”
"I have already said this to Your Highness." This line of Sherlock became the first line of Shakespeare I have ever read in my life. I didn't quite understand the meaning of many of the words at the time, but I liked the feeling and the pronunciations that came out of my mouth. That morning, a writer from four hundred years ago held out his hand to me and extended an invitation. I felt an inner, private me being released, connected to something exciting and mysterious from another world. I was fascinated.
Cecil is our homeroom teacher and language teacher. Like most of the students he taught, I fell in love with him instantly. He is usually relaxed and humorous, but he is quite engaged in the lectures, fascinating, thought-provoking, and the most important thing is that he is full of enthusiasm.
I have a hot-tempered father who loves to beat people, which makes me want to escape from the dull, unpleasant and even terrible family atmosphere and escape into the fantasy world of words. I wonder if Cecil had intuitively seen this in me early on. In short, he made literature a part of our lives.
In the same year that we were introduced to The Merchant of Venice, he assigned me a role in the school's theatrical performance. The other actors are adults, mostly teachers. I hadn't acted before. We rehearsed The Happiest Days of Your Life, a comedy about life during World War II, and I played a schoolboy named Hopecroft. When the official performance was held, the audience came more than a hundred people, but I didn't feel nervous and scared, but felt quite comfortable and fearless. Standing on stage gave me a sense of security, and I've been there ever since. Perhaps, that's because I was no longer Patrick Stewart, but a Hopcroft relationship.
Soon after, Cecil called me to the principal's office and introduced me to Gerald Tyler, the county board's drama adviser. He was another nobleman in my youth, and he said the county was going to take the Easter holidays to run an eight-day drama training course at Cade High School in Medrom royd village. The principal said I could represent our school. As a result, this was the beginning of my formal acting training. It took me many years to learn that it wasn't free to attend that course, and that I must have paid Cecil for me.
In our small one-room home, I was not the only one who was blessed by Cecil. He was the same person who persuaded my brother Trevo to try it out at Disbury Technical College; my brother was admitted and had a successful career after graduation. He also encouraged my father to become the chairman of the school's parent committee. When my father used to be a soldier, he was a non-commissioned officer in the regiment and was a superstar in their paratrooper unit. But after returning to the place, he faded away from the glitz and became a passerby. The role of the chairman of the PTA has allowed him to regain some of his dignity as a human being.
One day near graduation when I was fifteen, Cecil asked if I had ever thought about acting as a profession. When I heard it, I couldn't help but laugh, thinking that this idea might be too absurd. But two years later, I was awarded a scholarship to the Old Vic Theatre Drama School in Bristol. Generally speaking, they only offer such opportunities to Oxbridge graduates, but in me, whose life background is completely different, they may have found something that is not inferior to those of young people.
Patrick Stewart (left), who is the honorary chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, awards his mentor Cecil an honorary doctorate in literature
For many years, I've been looking for an opportunity to thank Cecil Dormand. Finally, during my first year as Honorary Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, I awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts. A few years later, I invited him to my knighthood luncheon and expressed my gratitude to him again. The host of the banquet invited each guest to the stage to say a few words, and Cecil said: "What will I call him in the future?" For decades, he's been calling me Sir! ”
Just a few weeks ago, Cecil died at the age of 96. When I was a little boy, when I lost faith in education, he saved me. There is no doubt that he is the most important person in my life. If I hadn't met him, what would have happened to me later? I am infinitely grateful for the trust he has placed in me. Sir, may you rest in peace.
Patrick Stewart (left) plays Dr. X in the X-Men series
Editor-in-Charge: Zhang Zhe
Proofreader: Liu Wei