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home life. "A wife stands between you and life's many frustrations"

add so much more to your life than . . . What I mean is . . . I couldn't live without her."
He had obviously warmed up to the subject and showed no intentions of letting it get away from him. There was a lot a woman could mean, he continued. She represented security for a man outside his work. She was the only one capable of bringing him down to simple humanity where all the human emotions could be felt. Home, then, became a place where you could let down the guard on your weakness.
"You get closer to positive things," Cassavetes decided, "because a woman can step between you and all those little frustrations in daily living that can drive you crazy.
"Oh sure, I want to be a success," Cassavetes admitted. "I want to be a millionaire with two—no, make it three— swimming pools."
Lane and McEndree thought that was the funniest thing they had heard in the last second or two. "John's been turning down a lot of work so he could stick with Shadows," one of them said. "Nobody here has any money. We've been pumping it all into this project."

 

RARE SHOT of Cassavetes relaxing. "I can't be bothered with all that nonsense," he says and proceeds to work his usual 16 hours a day.


The main concern of this actors' workshop, Cassavetes insisted, is to develop the separate individualites. Once you figure out what your capabilities are, nothing, including criticism, should stand in the way of your own individuality.
"It's not only my opinion but has been proven many times: Individual expression is the highest paying commodity.
"Who needs good looks, when you're an individual?" Cassavetes demanded. "For example, a lot of stars look entirely different in ordinary everyday living. No producer, at first glance, would call them good material. Before James Dean became a star, I saw him around town many times. He certainly didn't have what you'd call physical appeal. Nor did Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Edward G. Robinson, and Charles Laughton. Make-up can do wonders for any face, but you can't get away with a surface job of individuality. All the great ones have it. Look at them, and you'll find a definite and personal expression."
In these times of almost dreary conformity everyone dressed alike, everyone lives in the same sort of house, every-
continued on page 23

A non-profit organization, Shadows, Inc., had been formed in September, 1956, to give new and untired theatrical talent a chance to prove itself. Cassavetes and Lane also wanted a place where they could turn out plays minus commercialism.
Cassavetes refuses to tell what the experimental picture is about. "Everyone will get the wrong idea and say we've got a cause. I couldn't care less about causes of any kind. Anyhow, this picture is just for acting groups and perhaps colleges."
" When an actor is out of work a long time, he grows self-centered and bitter. I know, I went through it for five years myself before I broke into television. You get so wrapped up in your personal worries and miseries, you lose interest in other people. That's deadly for anyone— especially an actor. Watching people is the only way to discover what they're like. How else can you expect to understand them? Whatever success I have, I want to use to help others."

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You are on page 21 of the John Cassavetes Scrapbook pages in Ray Carney's www.Cassavetes.com. This text is copyright 2003 by Ray Carney and may not be reproduced without written permission. All rights reserved.