Award for Cleese, the Actor

I’ve been asked to accept an award at the Malta film

festival

I am of course humbled. Very, very humbled. In the fact, the most

humbled that I’ve been in recent years, due to a lack of awards so

far this century

But what pleases me is that it is for Acting.

Last year’s winner was Russell Crowe, who is a proper actor. I am

not a proper actor. I’d be quite hopeless pretending to be a gladiator,

especially at my age

But I can sometimes make people laugh, which is beyond the

capabilities of a lot of dramatic actors

Comedy acting is, of course, much harder than proper, straight

acting, which just involves making interesting choices and then

acting them believably. As Noel Coward one said, it’s just remembering

the lines and not falling over the furniture

Comedy acting is doing all that and then adding comedy technique,

which is quite tricky, and beyond the reach of a lot of dramatic actors,

because most of them have not been to college

This is why proper actors speak lines someone else has written, while

comedy actors tend to write their own material.

So comedy acting is much more difficult than proper acting, as any actor

who can do both will tell you. Michael Gambon was very clear about this

when we discussed it

So I am accepting this award on behalf of all the neglected comedy actors

who are regularly ignored at award ceremonies, while the dramatic actors are recognised as more important, if less talented

Remember, Charlie Chaplin never received an Oscar, until he was about to

die. L>ike me.