Sean Penn: Just The Beginning

Sean Penn: Just The Beginning

This the season for Hollywood's big 1)blockbuster films, but when all is said and done, this may well be the year of Sean Penn. He's been nominated¹ for three Oscars in the past eight years, and a fourth this spring is a 2)virtual² certainty³.

(In a movie)
Penn: I had a dream, we all went out to Hollywood, and I became discovered as a major star.

Another man: You, a major star? You were dreaming.

Penn: Why not, I got a good face?

And we've been watching that face now for more than 20 years. After early years as a stage actor and 3)method acting⁴ student, Penn's now been in more than 30 films and has directed three more, but he believes his career is just beginning.

Penn: I'm right now where I thought I was going to start, you know I saw myself...

Interviewer: You're right now where "I thought I was gonna start?

Penn: Yeah, I saw myself in little theatres till I was 40 years old, looking down at 4)Levis and a pair of 5)roughout boots getting before putting on my 6)wardrobe, uh, and with my head hung just trying to get relaxed before going on stage and that I would get into the movies at about 40. That's what I thought was gonna happen.

Growing up in Southern California, Penn just wanted to be a surfer.

Interviewer: In surfing what would you describe this point in your life, I mean is this catching⁵ a big one?

Penn: You know, there are, if you go out in a 7)heat of surfers, somebody's gonna take off on a wave and then if the next wave is a bigger, better wave, that's the next person's gonna score higher. And that's a lot of, you know, a lot of it is timing⁶ and I don't know if there are such things as accidents but I think that, you know, I've found a stronger voice lately and, and that has a lot to do with all kinds of elements coming together, and together.

And it is coming together in a big way this year, so big that Sean Penn is now being acclaimed⁷ as one of the finest if not the finest film actor of his generation.

And one of the reasons is "Mystic River? a dark, 8)disturbing film about child 9)abuse, loyalty⁸, revenge⁹ and the murder of Penn's teenage daughter.

Interviewer: What does he have?

Clint Eastwood (Director of "Mystic River"): He has the ability to involve himself in the character that you see rarely. Once in a while every generation, you'll find somebody who can involve themselves to the depths that no matter how wide-open they play, it stays in a believable range because he's serious about what he does.

And he got as far as he wanted to go in "21 Grams", which opened a few weeks ago. Like "Mystic River" it's about guilt¹⁰, regret and revenge. For his performance he was awarded Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.

Interviewer: You would not have any problems saying he is probably as good as he is in his generation?

Eastwood: No, not at all.

Interviewer: He's the best, maybe.

Eastwood: I think, I think at this particular time and out of his generation of actors coming up he's probably the very best.

Penn: Some part of you always wants to try to be the best that you can be and, to take 10)compliments as well and to take them...you know, you accept people's feelings especially when they're positive, but it's obviously nice. It's better than getting, you know, 11)kicked in the ass¹².

注释:
1) blockbuster [5blCk5bQstE] n. 耗费巨资拍摄的电影
2) virtual [5vE:tjuEl] a. 有效的，事实上的
3) method acting 〈戏〉体验派表演方法
4) Levis [5li:vaiz] 利维斯，世界著名美国牛仔裤品牌
5) roughout [5rQfaut] n. [美]（衣服等）非正式户外场合穿的
6) wardrobe [5wC:drEub] n. 衣服，行头，剧装
7) heat [hi:t] n. （赛跑等的）赛次，分组赛
8) disturbing [di5stE:biN] a. 烦扰的
9) abuse [E5bju:z] n. 虐待，辱骂
10) compliment¹¹ [5kCmplimEnt] n. 称赞，恭维，问候
11) kick in the ass 批评、出乎意料的拒绝

肖恩·潘：一切只是开始

如今正是好莱坞超级大片闪光的时候，但当尘埃落定，这也很有可能是肖恩·潘之年。他在过去的八年里获得过三次奥斯卡提名，而今年春天的第四次提名更是铁板钉钉。

（电影片段）
潘: 我做了一个梦，梦里我们都去了好莱坞，我还被人发掘当上了大牌明星。

另一个男人：你？大牌明星？你真的是在做梦。

潘: 干嘛不可以？我可有一张俊脸。

    这张脸我们已经看了二十多年。早年曾是舞台剧演员和体验派表演学员的肖恩·潘，至今已出演过三十多部电影，并执导了另外三部。但他认为他的事业才刚刚开始。

潘：现在我刚好处于我当初计划投身电影圈的年龄。那时我就设想自己……

记者: 现在才是“我当初计划投身电影圈的年龄”？

潘: 是的，那时我设想自己在四十岁之前一直呆在小剧院里：在换上戏服之前，我下身还穿着一条利维斯牛仔裤和一双便靴。我还耷拉着脑袋，试图在上台表演前放松。而我计划到四十岁左右才开始投身电影。我当初对未来就是这么想的。

在加利福尼亚州南部长大的潘曾想成为一名冲浪运动员。

记者: 用冲浪的话来说，你如何形容你人生中目前的状况？我是说，你是赶上了一个大浪头？

潘: 你知道，要是你去参加一场冲浪比赛，有人会乘着某一个浪出发，但如果下一个浪头更大、更适合冲浪的话，那么下一位选手的得分会更高。这样的情况有很多，嗯，很多情况下取决于时机。我不知道目前是不是得到了像“机遇”这类东西。但我觉得，嗯，我最近听到一个更为有力的看法：成功主要是各种因素反复揉合而成的结果。

而今年几乎所有的因素都极好地揉合到一起了。肖恩·潘现在被誉为即使不是他这一代当中最好的电影演员，也是最好的电影演员之一。
原因之一就是《神秘河》，影片围绕潘在戏中十几岁的女儿遭谋杀展开，基调灰暗而压抑，是一部关于儿童受虐、忠诚和复仇的电影。

记者：他到底有什么本事？

克林特·伊斯特伍德（《神秘河》的导演）: 他能够全情投入到角色里去，具备这种能力的人可不多见。偶尔你会发现，在每一代演员当中都有一些人，因为他们严肃认真地对待工作，所以不论出演何种角色，他们都能深度入戏，把角色演活，让观众相信一切似乎都是真实的。

在几个星期前上映的《21克》里，他也演得淋漓尽致。与《神秘河》相似，这是一部关于罪恶、悔恨和复仇的影片。由于他的出色表演，他在威尼斯电影节上被授予最佳男主角奖。

记者: 要说他现在可能是同代演员中出类拔萃的，你不会反对吧？

伊斯特伍德：不会，当然不会。

记者：他说不定是最棒的。

伊斯特伍德: 我认为，我认为在肖恩·潘演艺生涯的这个特别时期，他在他那一代演员当中很可能是最棒的。

潘: 人有时候总想尽可能地做到最好，并希望得到赞赏，你知道，人们能够接受别人的意见，尤其接受正面的评论。这感觉当然好，总比批评强得多。

 

1 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

2 virtual   

adj.实质上的，事实上的，实际上的

参考例句：

• This reply is a virtual acceptance of our offer.这一回答实质上是接受了我们的建议。
• At that time the East India Company was the virtual ruler of Bengal.那时东印度公司是孟加拉的实际统治者。

3 certainty   

n.必然的事，确定的事实，确信，确实

参考例句：

• I can't say with any certainty where I shall be next week.我不能确切地说下周我在什么地方。
• I know for a certainty that the company has been bought up.我确实知道公司已经被人收购了。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

8 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

9 revenge   

v.报...之仇，为...报仇 ；n.报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• She poisoned his mind with ideas of hate and revenge.她用复仇的思想来毒害他的心灵。
• There was anger in his eyes and revenge in his heart.他两眼闪现怒火，一心只想复仇。

10 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

11 compliment   

n.[pl.]问候，致意；n./v. 称赞，恭维

参考例句：

• The manager paid her a compliment on her work.经理赞扬了她的工作。
• Your presence is a great compliment.承蒙光临，不胜荣幸。

12 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。