Comments on: “I. Have. Striven. For. Genius. All. My. Life. But I have known failure.”

By: OldYanksFan

OldYanksFan — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:14:08 +0000

I think Shatner was much better suited for stage then TV. He is also a natural comedian, as Denny Crain has showed us. I thought Boston Legal was a great, great show.

By: The Hawk

The Hawk — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:57:54 +0000

[9] Yeah, The Rock came out in 1996 so he’s been at it for a while

By: Diane Firstman

Diane Firstman — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:34:20 +0000

Nicolas Cage seems to have adopted the “work is work” mantra, though I think nowadays its more because he’s in financial trouble.

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:53:42 +0000

[7] That’s an interesting point. Even though the “great ones” undoubtedly work hard, they have an ease that seems to elevate them from the fray. Everyone else, however, really has to grind. Bringing the conversation back to baseball, Roger Clemens, an all-time great who often made it looks easy, would always say he took more satisfaction out of the games in which he had to really labor.

From the outside looking into greatness, the same thing seems true. Although one might admire or be inspired by the great, the daily struggle is what really resonates. And, maybe that’s why baseball is such a integral part of our social fabric. It is the one sport where the great really do struggle quite often, and even fail more than they succeed, and not only as a group, but as individuals. Although baseball does have it Oliviers (think Pujols) and Shatners (think Swisher), the game has a way of leveling the playing the field from time to time.

Then again, maybe I am reading too much into the obvious. Shatner, like baseball, is just so much damn fun to watch.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:31:38 +0000

6) So right. You know, the thing for me is that I really love professionals, no matter what they do. I gravitate towards the craftsmen and women. I suppose this is because my own father struggled so much to realize his talent. So it’s not that the craftsmen I admire are necessarily the GREATEST, don’t have to be Norman Mailer, just that they see it as their vocation, as part of who they are.

Pat Jordan has been that way for me, a guy who I met when I started reaching out to writers and interviewing them for the blog. Pat became a mentor and dear friend, and he’s almost 70 and he’s still working. I can’t imagine him not working. This also holds true for guys like Shatner–and there is NOTHING to apologize about in being a working actor, you are right–and Woody Allen or Elmore Leonard. I just love those guys that do the work. Again, the work doesn’t always need to be great–strikes and gutters like everything else–but when the approach is authentic and consistent, man, I just have so much admiration for that. It’s what I strive to achieve one day…

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:23:34 +0000

Some actors make you think; some might make you cry; others can be inspirational or even cathartic. But the very sight of Shatner makes me smile. I am not sure if that counts for much in the craft, but from his old Twilight Zone episodes to the Priceline commercials, William Shatner is nothing if not entertaining, and isn’t that what acting is supposed to be all about?

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:11:49 +0000

2) DeNiro was famous early on, or by the time MEAN STREETS and GODFATHER II and TAXI DRIVER put him on the map as the “new guy,” for being a chameleon, never playing the same role twice, and getting so far into his characters that DeNiro, the actor, wasn’t recognizable. Then, by the mid-80s, he started to just be DeNiro the Icon, and hasn’t shown much variety in the past 25 years. Actually, DeNiro is closer to being Shatner now, without the self-knowing sense of humor.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:09:18 +0000

I’m sure he’s more than a handful, maybe even a monster at times. I thought he came off kind of funny here though, better than I thought he would.

By: The Hawk

The Hawk — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:08:38 +0000

I like the article too but I don’t get the import of this line: “Shatner has said he once wore a William Shatner mask on Halloween — ‘Nobody knew who I was.’”

Yeah, he had a mask on. And …?

Though I wonder if it was a Michael Myers mask.

By: The Hawk

The Hawk — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:04:22 +0000

Shatner has nothing – nothing – to be ashamed of. Sure not everyone gets to be an actor’s actor (or whatever) – but Shatner is something even rarer – he’s an icon; an archetype, even.

His acting style may have lacked taste or discretion at times but it is indelible and sometimes quite powerful. He’s fantastic in The Wrath of Khan, for instance. Broad, sure, but very affecting.

That being said I don’t understand the contrast he makes with De Niro who also played a variety of types of roles. Speaking of whom, when I was younger, De Niro seemed like the shit. Now I kind of don’t get it.He has his moments but over all he’s somewhat limited.

By: Chyll Will

Chyll Will — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:50:04 +0000

Shatner’s best role past Star Trek has got to be as Denny Crain in “Boston Legal”; his sincerely absurd character was grounded by a reflective experience that almost comments on his whole career the same way he did with Pat. I’ve heard so many people who said he’s a jerk and a supreme diva, but I imagine dealing with him personally is like standing upright in a moving roller coaster…