A bowler hat, cane in hand and toothbrush moustache, this legendary comic actor needs no introduction. If described in his own words, he is “a tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.”
I was first introduced to Charlie Chaplin, the actor at the screening of The Kid, a 1925 silent movie. Before that, I knew him as a legendary comic who was often impersonated by other comics and celebrities. As time passed, I realised that his bumbling vagrant-like character could not hide the brilliant man behind it.
A global phenomenon since his acting days, I was thoroughly intrigued by the prospect of interviewing him. So, with my time-turner in hand and a wand at the ready, I decided to transmigrate to the era where actions were indeed louder than words.
Presenting some excerpts of the conversation:
A global phenomenon within years of your film debut and winner of numerous awards and accolades, you are a true legend even in the future. What do you credit your success to?
Imagination and striving for the impossible! Imagination is nothing without doing and to do something revolutionary, we need to strive for the impossible. The great achievements throughout history have been the conquest of what seemed the impossible.
As a child, born in poverty, I was hardly aware of a crisis because we lived in a continual crisis; and, being a boy, I dismissed our troubles with gracious forgetfulness. Watching my mother work encouraged me to go on stage. And she in turn imbued me with the feeling that I was talented. From minor roles on stage to minor roles in motion pictures and later acting in and making my own movies, everything I do is a dance – a pantomimic dance.
My experience in the theatre has helped me a great deal in films. Even with the settings. That’s always been at the back of my mind. And I think it’s my vitality… I’m an optimist within my own self. At my age, I enjoy it very much because there are a lot of things that one gives up, especially if you’ve been successful. Although, as I succeed, I always worry about who long it will all last? How long will I be creative? The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.
Your films are often described as slapstick comedies. They make the audience laugh, relate and think in retrospect. You have created a legacy, influenced millions and will continue to do so for eternity. What influenced your choice to become a comic and be the artist you are today?
My comedies stem from tragedy. It is paradoxical that tragedy stimulates the spirit of ridicule … ridicule, I suppose, is an attitude of defiance; we must laugh in the face of our helplessness against the forces of nature – or go insane.
My mother would often entertain me by mimicking people she saw through the window. It was through watching her that I learned not only how to express emotions with my hands and face, but also how to observe and study people. She was a stage actress, and through her, I met others in the same field. Alas, my first impromptu stage performance ended up getting her fired. It did not stop her, and she continued to support me until she fell ill and I was sent to live with my father. I went back to stage at the age of 14.
Shy of 20 years, I joined my brother Sydney, who was a key performer at Fred Karno’s comedy company. This company was my training ground! It was here I learnt different styles of comedy which I used later in my films. If I look at the film industry, I am a great admirer of Max Linder (French actor, comedian, filmmaker and screenwriter).
And what about your Tramp outfit, how did you come up with the iconic character?
It was all accidental. The cameraman was looking at me all scary like, urging me to put on some funny makeup. So I decided to do just that!
I wanted everything to be a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large … I added a small moustache, which, I reasoned, would add age without hiding my expression. I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the makeup made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked on stage, he was fully born.
The character, however, was in making since my teenage years, when I played the clumsy dolt in Repairs (1906 comedy sketch). I mimicked my mother as she used to act in pantomimes and my father’s drunken antics. And mayhaps, the character worked because it stemmed from reality.
According to you, what should a story convey, especially when presented in the format of a film?
To my mind, the underlying motif of a story should be bright, not depressing. Motion-picture audiences like cheerfulness and don’t like to see too much suffering. They really don’t want the great truths brought home to them, and strongly resent having pessimism of any sort thrust in their faces. Yet I do believe in disappointments in a story, through which suspense may be obtained. Of course, what one is doing often falls far below one’s expectations. After a picture is released, you think of better things that might have been done with it. Perhaps, in the final analysis, one’s hopes have not been realised, after all.
The ‘talkies’ were commercially introduced in the late 1920s. Despite the craze, you did not adapt to the new style until 1939. Was there a reason behind this?
I was previously cynical about the form and still am to some extent. There were many technical shortcomings when sound was first introduced, which took away from the joy of watching the films. Also, I was afraid that giving the Tramp, my character, a voice would make him less appealing to an international audience. I was determined to continue making silent films … I was a pantomimist and in that medium, I was unique and, without false modesty, a master.
What would you be if you were not a comic?
Nothing! I cannot imagine myself being anything else. The summation of my character is that I care about my work. I care about everything I do. If I could do something else better, I would do it, but I can’t. Even if I were born anywhere else, I would still choose to do what I am doing now.
(Disclaimer: This interview is a fragment of our imagination and author’s habit of daydreaming and reading too much fantasy fiction.It did not involve any kind of black magic.)
References:
1. Charlie Chaplin’s official website
2. Chaplin’s interview with Richard Meryman
