Help us make My Brother, My Brother and Me more accessible by creating transcripts of each episode! This is a super large undertaking that will take more than just one or two people working on it, so we’re hoping to get as many fans involved as possible.
You can find the transcripts that need work on the Master Tracking doc. (hint: it’s pretty much all of them, as of right now. There are two that are finished though, yay!)
Anyone can edit these Google docs, so pick any episode you want and start transcribing! If you don’t want to transcribe and prefer proofreading and formatting, that will be an option too. Please check out the Resources and Formatting Guide for tips and tricks.
If you have any questions or tips on how to make this process easier and/or the end results even more accessible, please let us know. Follow us @mbmbamscripts for updates and clarifications.
Thank you all so much for the effort put forth so far. Transcribing this much content is not an easy task and we wouldn’t be able to do it without all of your help!
Please share this post and hop on board if you can. We’re always looking for more volunteers. And again, thank you! You’re the coolest babies I’ve ever met.
Griffin: Justin, you got real quiet. Are you okay?
Justin: I just… sometimes it gets… [sighs]
Travis: Is it too real?
Justin: The walls you try to put up for yourself, you think that they’re to keep…the person I know as Justin inside, but it turns out the walls have been there to keep all this out the whole time, you know?
Griffin: Because maybe, just maybe – it’s your thing?
Justin: It’s gotta be somebody’s thing. What if it’s my thing? Like, how much of me guarding myself…maybe some of my social anxiety can be traced back to the fact that I’m constantly worried I’m gonna be like, “woof! Let’s fuck!”
Griffin: We can’t let those fears control where we go on this show, you know? We have to have this agreement: no limits, no restraints, take this pill, let’s go down this sexual oubliette together –
Travis: Some restraints, but only if they’re extreme.
Griffin: Yeah…we have to figure – we gotta – this show is a sexual spirit journey. In more ways than one. And when we start pulling back a little bit, when we start holding back the reins…
Travis: Do you remember three years ago when we sat down and we started discussing doing this show, and we said, “We’re gonna do this show for one reason and one reason alone.”
Griffin:Mmhmm.
Travis: “To learn about ourselves sexually.”
Griffin:Mmhmm!
[Justin bursts into laughter]
Justin: Come! My Brother, My Brother and Me – come listen to three brothers discover themselves sexually!
(fromEpisode 128, Y Tu Hermano Tambien. If you want to help transcribe every episode of MBMBaM, start here!)
A great many people gave not just their full efforts, but also their lives, in the endeavor to take humanity beyond the bounds of Earth’s gravitational pull. Even today, only 24 people have done it, and 10 of them remain alive today.
If you ask me if I’m fluent in Chinese, I will tell you my Chinese is a ghost lodged in my throat. A dried up flower I tore from the ground long ago, rootless.
My Chinese is missing pictures in a photo album: the first day of preschool, a mouth full of useless characters, ancient taste buds numbing out of existence, leaving the bitter aftertaste of a new language.
My Chinese is kneaded dough cut into little circles, filled with meat and folded over, cooked and served with vinegar in porcelain dishes.
My Chinese wears red dragons on silk qipaos, dressed in pearls and jade earrings. My Chinese is red. My Chinese is gold.
My Chinese is something I must hide.
My Chinese is a racist joke I threw in the garbage, wrapped in a napkin, stained with my culture and made a sound as it hit the bottom. Chink.
Chink as in the weakness in armor. Chink as in crevice, gap, hole. Chink as in the slits they called our eyes.
My Chinese remembers Yellow Peril hysteria, Chinese Exclusion Act, remembers alienation, remembers otherization, remembers being banned from this land, being treated as everything but human, remembers the clanking of metals to railroads as immigrants built train tracks to connect this country. My Chinese remembers. My Chinese forgets.
If you ask me if I’m fluent in Chinese, I will tell you that my Chinese doesn’t think it belongs here sometimes.
Sometimes my Chinese is angry.
My Chinese wonders why, “Hey, this person I know is really into Asian girls. You should talk to them,” is a compliment. My Chinese wonders why it is exotic, why you think fetishizing my culture is the same as loving it.
My Chinese wonders why it is beautiful only if it is white enough. My Chinese wonders if it is white enough.
My Chinese wonders why it is minority only when it is convenient, wonders why the massacres, mass expulsions, and near genocidal policies are missing in the history textbooks. My Chinese wants you to know that it is not invisible.
My Chinese wants you to know that it is not an accessory for you to wear. My Chinese wants you to remember that it cannot be eaten and then spit out.
But even I forget sometimes.
My Chinese settles for less than what it deserves sometimes.
If you ask me if I’m fluent in Chinese, I will tell you that my Chinese sits in the back of class, knows the answers, but does not raise hand.
My Chinese sits quietly during family reunions, knows what they are saying, has something to say, but can’t. My Chinese is reaching for words, but only finding air.
If you ask me if I’m fluent in Chinese, I will take you to the grave where my Chinese lives.
On the tombstone it says: Here lie decomposing words. Here lie broken skeletons and broken sentences. Here lie rotting corpses and rotting cultures. Here lie the missing limbs of history. Here, in memory.
[video description: a tiktok by @/catdogcody a white and orange cat is perched on a red fence looking around, surrounded by snow. “We had 41 inches of snow a few days ago” is written on the bottom in blue text. Capone’s “Oh No” plays in the background. “We took Cody outside to see it…” appears on top shortly after. Someone in a blue coat reaches out to put some of the snow on the cat as it begins to look around, as if preparing to jump off the fence.
Person with camera: okay if he jumps in the snow, be ready to grab him- (The cat jumps into the snow and the person with the blue coat tries & fails to catch him)
Person with camera: -and make sure he doesn’t- *squeals* (The cat is fully submerged in the snow leaving only a hole that begins to fill in with powdery snow as he moves around)
Person with camera, audibly distressed: where’d he go?! *nervous laughter*
Nervous laughter continues as the person with the blue coat digs out the cat and picks him up. Still images from the cat’s ungraceful descent are displayed as the video ends.]
Scott confirms on stream that Wilbur, Techno, Phil, and Tommy are not in MCC Pride!
[transcript:
Scott: (reading from chat) “Squash our copium please” Okay, yeah so Technoblade is not in it, um… I asked, Techno didn’t want to, which is totally valid. Um… Tommy is not in it, um, he is busy. Phil’s not in it, he is busy—rainbowdragon, thank you so much for the gift subs!—and Wilbur is not in it, he is busy. So all of SBI is actually not in Pride month.
[image description: a tweet by user @indigenousAI saying
“fun fact: as a DV survivor i cannot register to vote because doing so makes my address public. anyone who is fleeing or hiding from an abuser is automatically disenfranchised from the political process and this is a feature, not a bug”]
I don’t know of the original poster might not be aware
but!
if you’ve been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, you can enroll into the address confidentiality program (free of cost!) and be registered to vote as an absentee voter and your name and address will not be made available for the public
it is super easy to get enrolled - the application takes like 5 minutes, but it has to be with someone who is certified to do it (most likely an advocate! try going to a family justice center in your area or calling the Attorney Generals office in your area!!!!)
ALSO :
you don’t need to have any police reports or have a protection order to qualify!!! you just have to sign stating that you’ve been a victim of one of the aforementioned crimes.
Links to the info for every state in the Wikipedia article:
also because I know a lot of people who assume american standards apply to other countries
this is not the case in the UK, you can chose to have your details on the electoral register private (known as the closed register) when you register, and if you’re currently on the open register you can change it at any time
Oh wow I DID NOT KNOW THAT THIS IS GREAT NEWS
That ADHD feel when you go to add an image description to something because you forgot it already had an image description
seriously I had some little TikTok teenybopper burst out laughing on my tour because I said that a historical figure was “most likely what we’d now call gay”
like
listen
you’re free to take a ouija board out to the cemetery and try to explain the dizzying array of current queer terms and get a solid answer as to how he identifies within that framework but
until then, I’m going to continue NOT definitively assigning someone identity terms they didn’t self-identify with, and might not have even known, when I’m responsible for representing them faithfully and they’re not here to correct me. even more so when they’re part of my own community
I mean, you know, as long as that’s okay with you. Bestie.
[Image: Screencap of someone’s tags. Transcript follows, edited slightly for readability.]
Time Traveler: So now that I’ve explained our current understanding of sexuality would you say that you identify more as lesbian or bi?
Sappho: We went to the moon?
Time Traveler: Yeah, but remember what I told you about the gender binary? Can we talk about—
Sappho: The moon in the fucking sky?
[End transcript.]
Sappho: I mean, not to detract from the fact that I live on Lesbos, and I’d therefore I’d be a Lesbian regardless of whether I identify as a lesbian or bi, but
Sappho: Artemis let men walk on her sacred grounds?
Note: The thread clarifies that volunteers for the OTW are not being SWATted at this time. The reason to get in touch with your local police about your risk of being SWATted is that someone malicious has obtained a list of OTW volunteer emails and is sending illegal content (CSAM) to them. A person who will do that is more likely to SWAT you, or give your email to someone who will, than most people, so contacting your local police now means that if it happens you’re prepared in advance. It’s a low-effort way to increase your safety, but is a good move to make if your risk of getting SWATted ticks up above normal as it has for these people.
(CSAM = child sexual assault material. SWAT/SWATted = having a fake bomb or gun threat phoned in naming your address, causing a SWAT team to attack your house, damaging your place of living and risking injuring or killing you and people you live with.)
Additionally, if you’re an OTW volunteer, look up “[your email client] disable image loading”. The steps are specific to whichever programs and services you use, but this will reduce your risk of getting exposed to graphic & illegal images if you’re sent them. It may not catch everything (because that’s more intensive and starts to affect the client’s functioning) but it’s better than nothing and it’s another preemptive step you can take.
[Image transcripts follow] Tweet by AO3 Status ( @/AO3_Status ): The OTW is currently dealing with malicious email attacks against our volunteers. Some of our processes may be slower as a result and we ask for your patience as we manage this issue: bit.ly/3Fsu3JS (Date: May 7th, 2022)
Reply by rahaeli ( @/rahaeli ) to the same tweet as made by @/OTW_News: If you are now, or ever have been at any point in the last 14 years have been, an #ao3/#otw volunteer under your wallet name, you should immediately and without any delay call your police non-emergency number and arrange anti-SWAT precautions. (Date: 8th May, 2022)
TomboyX is collabing with Target to put out discreet half binders in stores for Pride season. These will be moderate compression without a lot of branding, so it will look like a sports bra to those not used to seeing binders. A great option for young people who may be figuring things out, for cosplayers, and men with gynaecomastia and uncomfortable with how they look. Ladies and theydies with bigger chests won’t be totally flat, but it gives you an easier silhouette to improve on. Spread this information as you will. ]
also important that OP left out - they have packing underwear too. looks like compression tops (the binder-like items they’re selling) are $25 and packing underwear is $15. the sizing goes up to 4x.
I wear the compression tops basically as normal bras. as someone with a large chest in comparison to my small frame they are the most comfortable bra/etc I’ve ever worn because they actually fit the parts of my body correctly, since the focus is not on fitting my chest but compressing it. I think the amount of compression may be close to that of someone who layers 2 sports bras—Im not anywhere CLOSE to flat but it’s better than a single sports bra.
also, I’m not hugely into exercise but they don’t make my ribs hurt or make it difficult to breathe.
Target has made some shit moves in the past with regards to queer stuff (theft of design from an independent queer artist, anyone?), but this seems potentially okay.
Instead of the sun/moon trope, how about the lightning/thunder trope
which of your otp is showy, bright and illuminating, always visible and dramatic, lights up the earth, usually looking for a fight – not subtle at all and truthfully, not very threatening
which of your otp is subtle but also very scary, is not always visible, is always a threat, shakes the earth, and is mostly peaceful until they’re not – a subtle but ever present threat
DONT JUST HIDE THIS IN THE NOTES WTF
[Image: tenyaiidasimping101 says, “one of the big differences between sun/moon and lightning/thunder is one of them is always meant to be together and the other is doomed to be separate for eternity”. End ID.]
I think I need to examine this dynamic much more closely.
‘What do we want to say and how do we want to say it and to whom?’
• For years we’ve been warning against artists ‘parachuting’ into unfamiliar territory.
• Socially involved Art Workers, like everybody else, have to choose among the tsunami of issues around sustainability that we should be weighing in on, fighting for. But sometimes it feels like we are spread so thin that we will blow away. As a South-Westerner my list is headed by climate change, water, indigenous rights, saving public lands and the heartbreaking fates of the youthful undocumented immigrants of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) whose lives have been put in terrible limbo because they had the courage to risk their futures by speaking out against unfair immigration policies.
• Confronted by this endless list we have to focus, hard as it may be, to choose. We have to ask ourselves ‘What do we want to say and how do we want to say it and to whom?’
• Of course the rest of the endless litany is equally important: racism, poverty, incarceration, guns, #metoo, #timesup, homophobia, police brutality, Middle Eastern wars and Palestinian rights, deadly pollution on land and sea, the toll of fossil fuel extraction, race, gender, class, religion. What did I miss?
• Suzanne Lacy, who is my longtime Social Practice mentor, say she works at the intersection of community, development and visual art; she talks about creating ‘Citizen Artists’. She’s a genius at contextualising non-Art contexts, at choreographing collective expression and bringing unheard voices to the foreground; if not exactly the centre.
• These days Lacy’s planning for a solo show at the San Fransisco Museum and she’s struggling over how to create visual impact in a museum while maintaining authenticity within the community. She says ‘The Art World is where I get to TALK, the Community is where I get to LISTEN.’
• Suzanne has said if she hadn’t been interested in addressing the Art World she would have gone into politics and she credits Allan Kaprow with showing her the advantages of putting LIFE into the GALLERY and putting the GALLERY into LIFE. She talks about not starting with an idea but arriving at the idea as it’s generated by those at the table.
• A recent panel in Santa Fe on Feminism and Intersectionality emphasised ‘Radical Inclusiveness’ and made several points about entering a community that is not our own:
– Take part but don’t take-the-lead. – Curiosity is good but not voyeurism. – Honesty is good, condescension isn’t. – You cant fake empathy.
• Have we educated ourselves about unfamiliar cultures? Listen. Do they want our help? Who are they and who are we? Shouldn’t it be just ‘we’?
• Artists working ‘in’ communities have to work ‘with’ communities and sometimes social success means aesthetic sacrifice.
• We are still a long way from achieving the gender and racial fluidity that we’ve begun to contemplate in recent decades. Black Lives Matter has changed the dialogue and upped-the-ante just as #MeToo and #TimesUp are resurrecting Feminist issues and some real soul-searching about ‘whiteness’.
• There’s no question that we need ‘thicker skins’ in order to really understand racism within our society. I’m always torn between staying safe, focusing on what I know, and venturing into areas where I may not be welcome and my ignorance will be exposed. I’m not entirely sure why the terms Multiculturalism and Identity Politics are so discredited (I know the Right Wing has had a lot to do with it) since they are terms that lead to a consideration of diversity, hybridity, cross-overs and ‘intersectionality’ – the favourite terms these days for working across boundaries, and even across walls.
• In the last few years groups formally perceived as voiceless have stood up and finally been heard. Indigenous people at Standing Rock and in the Idle No More movement, have raised consciousness not only about pipelines, clean water and treaty rights but suddenly the Art World knows something about Indians…which is rare.
////////////////////////////////////////
Q: What do we want to SUSTAIN? Certainly not the status quo! Western-so-called-Civilisation? ALL Civilisation? How about the entire planet and everything on it? How do we do that? We as a society are JUST beginning to understand that Social Sustainability is inextricably linked to Ecological Sustainability, which is a basic necessity for survival, and for Public Practice Art. Like Public Practice, sustainability is dependent on empathy and down-sizing, both of which are hard to achieve in a racist, capitalist society based entirely upon unsustainable growth, non-stop-for-profit-expansion and to-Hell with the consequences. Growth of everything from mansions to nuclear arsenals to strip-mines to corporate conglomerates to ever-larger-and-more-expensive-installations and artworks.
////////////////////////////////////////
• E.F.Schumacher’s influential 1973 book ‘Small is Beautiful – Economics as if People Mattered’ occupies a small but beautiful place in our pantheon. In this country ‘small’ is no longer just ‘beautiful’ its CRUCIAL. It’s not just a matter of tiny houses, urban in-fill, biking, resource conservation, environmental protection, recycling and planned parenthood. It’s a psychological impetus that is needed EVERYWHERE. Downsize or die. Halt or at least ‘slow’ growth until some sort of sustainable justice for both PEOPLE and the PLANET is reached.
• Let’s take a moment, this moment, to salute organic growth. It’s Spring, seeds are sprouting, and a lot of you are just beginning your activist lives.
• When we are talking about ‘inclusivity’, about uniting whole communities, the bigger the scale, the broader the reach the better. Part of downsizing for socially engaged and Eco Artists is conceiving of ones art within a context of unsustainable resources like water and fossil fuels. Building towards the future instead of planning for posterity, spending time in our own communities. We are still searching for our Post-Capitalist self. An alternative to the rugged individualism of manifest destiny. An alternative that allows working people a decent living and human rights, which are, alas, rapidly being downsized.
• I have great faith in small-scale projects that have potential to spread into much larger spheres.
• The strongest Public Practice, like Activism, starts from a specific location, from consciously ‘lived’ experience. But it as to move-on-out from there in a kind of ripple effect. If you don’t know your ‘hood’ you’re likely to idealise or disparage its inhabitants, fail to recognise threats or choose the wrong solutions as the basis of your Art.
////////////////////////////////////////
Q: So, where do you live? What’s your centre? How far out do the ripples go? Are you ‘following’ or are you remaining at the centre and holding the reins? Are there other Artists? Community members with whom you may have little in common until you forge alliances over issues that effect everyone? Who do you live with? Dispossessed locals, deracinated newcomers, grumpy landowners, Artists, opioid addicts, rich part-timers, stray dogs, abandoned horses, feral cats, threatened wildlife, too many damn bunnies?
////////////////////////////////////////
• For some of us the best way to deal with the onslaught of urgent issues is in trying to strengthen our local community.
• A concentration upon PLACE, which cant be conflated with land, site or landscape, can bring EVERYTHING into focus, including politics.
• I’ve heard from friends coming from generations of deracination, (they are often Jewish, but also Middle Eastern, African & Asian) that it’s often hard to work with rooted communities when one can identify no ‘home’ place of ones own. I insisted in a 1998 book called ‘The Lure of the Local’ that wherever we find ourselves, even for short periods, we have to take responsibility for that place as long as were are there. I talk about ‘senses of place’ (plural)… it’s a much better idea than a sense-of-place, I mean, there isn’t just one. Listening to the stories of long term occupants of the place we live and work is one way of knowing ‘where’ we’ve landed for however short or long a time.
////////////////////////////////////////
Q: How can Artists help change the way humans relate to nature and to each other? We share DNA with every form of life on the planet. It’s not too late for humanity to consider the legal right of nature herself. Indigenous people are demanding rights for nature and for themselves, from India to Ecuador to New Zealand where a 400,000 acre National Park taken from the Maori’s has been designated as a ‘person’ not property. Land belongs to itself; what a concept! Nature, which of course include ‘us’ should not be a commodity that we can sell off to the highest bidder. It’s a community we belong to and harm at our own risk.
////////////////////////////////////////
• Pollution causes three times a many death as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
• The blip-in-time that is the human race will not be missed but we’ll miss ‘us’ a lot. Everything’s coming-down-the-pipe far faster than we imagined it could. I used to worry about my grandsons and future generations down-the-line. Now I worry about my son, who is in his early 50’s.
• As things race out-of-control and we do nothing as we destroy our environment, run out of water, witness species extinction and climate change and so forth, we should know that similar catastrophes have happened to the planet many times before.
• This era, called the Anthropocene since 2000 is also dubbed the Misanthopocene or Anthromosaic. An era of loneliness and isolation as species go extinct and desertification increases, as the oceans rise and the ground waters sink. The sense of urgency is so overwhelming it can stop us in our tracks and make us hide our heads in the sand – which by the way is another endangered material.
• Sea level around Manhattan is projected to rise 6ft with this century. Huge cities can’t build a wall the way the wealthy do to protect their seaside Summer homes! As we know from East and West Germany, Israel, Palestine and the US/Mexico border – WALLS ARE NOT THE ANSWER.
• It’s coming down to a race between HUMANS and CLIMATE CHANGE to see who can get rid of us first. George Orwell said in his dystopian book, ‘1984′: WHO CONTROLS THE PAST CONTROLS THE FUTURE. WHO CONTROLS THE PRESENT CONTROLS THE PAST.
• Artists can create history and challenge it by telling stories of resilience that give us hope and courage. Some of us advocate destruction of offensive monuments to evil-doers others recommend their removal to museums as artefacts of an unlamented past.
• I retain my admiration for that ultimate in eye-opening Feminist truisms: THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL AND (FOR ITS SIGNIFICANT OTHER) THE POLITICAL IS PERSONAL. These remain living and dynamic propositions. A brilliant way to translate lived-experience, positive and negative, into political consciousness. They ‘open’ ways to understand ‘others’ experiences. When we know our family histories, and those of our neighbours, and of our lands, ’who’ and ‘where’ we are in a political and historical sense, we are far better equipped to be compassionate and collaborative within a time-and-place we all share.
• Ultimately words and images offer ways to integrate our own imaginings of life into those of a polity.
• The relationship of imagination to reality and action is crucial, especially for Artists and Writers who specialise in acting in the gap between ‘two’, or between art and life. If we lean too far on the imagination side we risk falling off the edge into wishful-thinking, like ‘Visualise World Peace’ then we fall back onto the couch! Lean too far onto the reality side and we risk getting so discouraged that we get stuck in the status-quo.
• We Art Workers have always had to be satisfied with small victories, with raising consciousness rather than raising politics or changing policies. Sometimes we fool ourselves about how successful our projects can be. Yet every one of us has some faith in Art as a way of inspiring, or even jolting, or even just pin-pricking people out of their self-imposed or received stupors. Of adding visual layers to the global debates. I always say that Art Workers can’t change the World but with the right allies little miracles can happen. Well maybe not miracles, but a lot of hard work, catalysing a generation, hanging-in there.
• We need to discuss the failures as often as the successes. These times call for some tough-love and honesty with ourselves and our colleagues because being effective seems more crucial today than at any time I can remember, and i’ve been messing with this for some 60 years. Once again…
////////////////////////////////////////
Q: What do we want to say and how do we want to say it? Where do we go from here? A: I hope you haven’t been holding your breathe for answers to all these questions cos-I-ain’t-got’em! But these questions are directed as much at me as they are at you. Personally the temptation to be cynical, nasty and bridge-burning can be overwhelming. But that puts us in the same bag as the opposition. There’s a line between skepticism and cynicism. Somebody said pessimism is a waste of time and optimists are ‘dissed’ as utopian woo-woo, and politically reactionary. It’s true that we need to be down-to-earth but we also need to have something to hope for, something to reach for.
////////////////////////////////////////
I hardly ever give a talk without citing Antonio Gramsci:
The person who tweeted this account has since taken that account private, but there is a full text transcription available from threader. It’s advice from a Registered Nurse on what to do if you start experiencing COVID19 symptoms.
Key quotes:
You should not be leaving your house except to go to the doctor, and if you do, wear a mask (regular is fine, you don’t need an N95). You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE ER unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high and unmanaged with meds.
90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds. We don’t want to clog the ERs unless you’re actually in distress. The hospital beds will be used for people who actively need oxygen/breathing treatments/IV fluids.
Soshina, popular Japanese comedian of the comedy duo show “Shimofuri Myojo” announces he has read the “Umineko” comic adaptation, and is moving onto the 10th/5th anniversary interview from Ryukishi! He is also a huge fan of “Higurashi”!
so i sit down to have a lovely lunch (tuna, garlic bread and roasted vegetables for anyone wondering) and my ipod starts notifying me that my friends are discussing a video alex day has uploaded on transcripts. /sigh/
guys, if you read the transcript, just look at the amount of bollocks in it and think about whether i could be bothered to make that up? i gain LITERALLY NOTHING from writing a fake transcript - neither does anyone else btw like youtubespeaks. it’s like reading the script or watching the play live. if you know the charatcers (like people reading im assuming know alex) you can fill in the blanks. youve been watching 7 YEARS WORTH OF HIS VIDEOS probably, you know how he talks.
this is NOT about monetary support - although that is part of it. Adblocker has problems in itself and it’s not about supporting him financially, it’s about not supporting him AT ALL FULL STOP. Alex Day Should Not Be Making Youtube Videos. Do not give him views. Do not comment. Even disliking the video increases it’s popularity because Youtube is weird. Just don’t do it.
Please - from me - DO be proud of getting your information via a transcript!! Thank you for supporting the work of people in the community - who often have very little support anyway especially in terms of numbers compared to big youtubers who aren’t talking about it (but that’s an issue for another post) - and thank you for supporting people who are trying to make the community a safe space.
Lastly, directly to Alex, I don’t think you understand the point of the transcript. It’s not about spreading your message for good so that ~you reach more and more people~. it’s so people can stay informed. it’s so people can analyse what you say (which you may see as unfair but is actually really important). it’s about this community giving you and your videos the middle finger because we don’t want you here.
now, if you’ll excuse me, my garlic bread is getting cold.
Yes!
And also, he keeps going on about weather or not the transcripts are true. But he’s got no idea, he hasn’t read them. Well, why not take a look at one and see that it is exactly what he said in the video! And if it’s “only going from 100 to 99” then why make a whole video about it?! It’s ridiculous.
don’t give him the time of day, it’s not worth it. also it’s monetized so it will benefit his pocket. i know he says he will give the money to charitable causes or whatever but please do not support him. for people who want to see the video i have spent the past 3.5 hours transcribing it for you. here it is. disclaimer: i stopped using punctuation at one point because i just couldn’t type quickly enough and i wanted it out tonight so sorry about that. also it is a wall of text.
“Of course I know, from within, that I want to take part in recording over various things, work from a script, but recently there’s been various experiences that made me think, ‘ah, the way people recognize the seiyuu industry has changed, hasn’t it?’ Just like how we’re doing a TV show like this, or if one day you’d have to sing songs - not as a character, but as yourself, or if someday you’ll do MC - be an MC for radio, or take part in events, and stuff. And aren’t those fun in their own way?”
Happy birthday, Kousaka Atsushi! This is an English-translated transcript of the extra video of his cross interview for the March 13, 2017 episode of Animemashite!
A movie/book/manga you recommend|Nakayama Atsushi’s “Nejimaki Kagyu”
K: Nejimaki Kagyu. Well, I know this one too. I’d read it.
A:Really?
K: Mm. Kagyu-chan.
A: I liked it a lot.
K: What about it did you like?
A: The way it somehow crashes into you with impact? Like - I had never seen [drawings] being used so boldly in such a manner, was what was in my head when I was reading it. Such a cute character was there, when you look at her she’s really cute, but sometimes when her expressions would change, it seems like the [way the faces were drawn] would change eras, too, and just when it seems like that’s become their face for the second half [of the story], uh, the eyes would get reaaaaally large, ah, somehow, within me I really felt as if the pictures were flowing - as I reread it, rereading it as an adult, I thought that it may be the first time I’ve been excited over something this much.
K:Ehhhh.
A: That’s how I feel.
K: Certainly, though… Well – the facial expressions change very rapidly, that’s good, I thought when I saw it, but, somehow, recently, that author has a new work, don’t they –
A: Ah. Urataro, right?
K: Yes yes yes. I’ve read through that one quite a bit too.
A: It’s interesting.
K: Right? Really good. Mm.
A thing you’re hooked on lately (your hobbies, etc.)|Marvel Heroes
A: You know…what I think makes them fresh to me is that their heroes have things Japanese heroes don’t have. …First off, there’s the protagonist – they’ve got a lot of protagonists who aren’t young boys.
K: Ah, right. Adults…
A: Yes, adults. …And also, even if the protagonist is a woman, because she’s a hero, when she transforms, she becomes a gorilla!
Both:*laugh*
A: Isn’t THAT exciting?!? This, WHAT development is this gonna lead to?!?!?!? kind of feeling. Isn’t it exciting??
K: …that’s…right… They have that green giant too,
A: Yes yes yes yes. Those times when they’re really supposed to hurt, but they have [healing powers] are also interesting - or so I think. The stories have been going on for SO LONG, so they’ve come up with loads and loads of plotlines, even some that would make you think “is it REALLY okay to be using THIS topic???” There’s also stories that make you go “WHAT’S HAPPENING – AHH, SO THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON,” too. And that’s interesting.
K: *points to camera, in Kansaiben* They’re never gonna call you up, yanno. lol
A: WHAT THE HELL???? I WANT to be a Marvel hero!!!!!
Describe yourself in one phrase.|lazy
K: Somehow, it’s understandable, isn’t it.
A: My hips feel so heavy.
K:*laughs*
A: My hips feel just about as heavy as my ass.
K: So this isn’t ‘cuz of your age?
A: ‘Cuz of my age – it’s been like this since waay back.
K: Way back!
A: Way back. I’ve only ever had [personal] growth when it comes to work. …So I guess, because I give my all in that aspect, I’ve become like this? Is what I think.
K: What are you lazy at? Stuff you’d go “I don’t wanna do this” at –
A:Everything.
K: *laughing* E-everything??
A: On off days all I wanna do is sleep at home.
K: Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!
A: Whenever I have time off I just want to sleep.
A:*beat*
A:…yup.
K:*laughing*
A: OI EXPOUND ON THAT!!!! Get to know me better!!!!
K: …I dunno how I’m supposed to expound on THAT, though…
A:*laughs*
A seiyuu who shocked you|Nozawa Nachi-san and Yajima Akiko-san
A: Nozawa Nachi-san was, I used to hear him originally as a dubber, but he also dabbles in anime stuff, uhh…like that thing that had been rerun, Cobra.
K: Ah, Cobra, huh?
A: I got to watch him in that, and also, in Star Wars as C3PO. He didn’t change his voice all that much, but he’d managed to change how he portrays the characters by that much. He gets characters who are a bit mad, calm characters too, that was such an impact to me as a little kid. Also, Yajima Akiko-san – when I was a kid, I ended up unintentionally watching Crayon Shin-chan, and then, when I watched Gundam Wing, I saw the cast list – I wonder if I was in fourth or fifth grade of elementary at this time or something, because by that time I paid attention to the cast lists of anime. Because I was curious as to who was playing who. And then, when I saw the cast list, the heroine Lily was portrayed by Yajima Akiko-san. And I was thinking “where did I see this before? I’m pretty sure I saw this name before…” Days passed, and then suddenly I came across Crayon Shin-chan, and on the cast list, Crayon Shin-chan was: Nohara Shinnosuke – Yajima Akiko-san. And I was like – EH? EHH????? …I didn’t notice ANYTHING at all! “Eh, people can change their voices THAT much??” and that was another shock I remember.
K: It really is…
A: Child actors are AMAZING!
K: They ARE!!!!! SO good.
A: They’re PERFECT. And what’s more, they have to continue acting in that child’s role for so long, too.
K: Yes yes yes. That kind of thing – it’d be nice to try out, huh.
A: Right…I think I can’t pull that off though?? Hahaha! Well, let’s go at things one by one, shall we?
Something that makes you glad you’re a seiyuu?|I think that my work is fun.
A: Of course. You’re chasing after your dream. I think that it’s no good if you’re not having fun doing it?
K: Maa, ne…
A: There’s a lot of things that make me feel frustrated, and, and there’s also a lot of things that make you think “should I just quit?”
K: There really are.
A: There are, but…when you’re actually recording, or when you’re somewhere like this *vaguely gestures around the Animemashite set*, and when it makes you feel, “ahh, this is really fun,” I think that’s really a joyful thing to have.
K: Because you really do like this job, don’t you.
A: I have my worries, but, the extent of wanting to do - mm, I think the feeling of wanting to do more overtakes all those.
K: I understand.
Anime character you fell in love with?|Kamigishi Akari from “To Heart”
A: *deadpan* I love her.
K:*laughter*
A: The hell are you laughing at.
K: No no no. No no. It’s just – I know To Heart. I know it, but –
A: Did you play it?
K: Did I? I wonder? I think I just saw the anime, though…
A:Ahh…
A: *in a very quiet, serious tone* Please play the game.
K: AHAHAHA – who is that supposed to be?? *Kansaiben* Who are ya supposed to be???
K: Anou, I might be remembering this wrong, but Kamigishi Akari-chan is, the one with the pink hair?
A: I think it’s red hair?
K: Red, huh? That red hair has, uh, what was it, a hairband?
A: Yes yes yes yes.
K: YES YES YES.
A: During an event though, she changes her hairstyle halfway through. Uses a hairband. Changes those pigtails.
K: I remember now.
A: Somehow, there was a lot – I wonder if I was a sixth grader, when I started playing Tokimeki Memorial? Well, I dabbled a bit in bishoujo games and stuff, and the childhood friend heroine, when she would change her hairstyle, somehow it felt new. And the way you’d look at her would change, too. And I felt that was very realistic of them. And gradually, you’d get along better and better with that childhood friend – well you’ve always been close to her, but as time went on the love you had for her in your heart would change. It’s a novel game, so eventually you’d get to read what her real feelings were, and that made me go all mushy inside. Hehehe! “Ahh, so this is what love is,” I ended up thinking.
K:AHAHAHAHAHA!!!
A: *averting his eyes* Yeah…it’s embarrassing for me to say, but, that was love. Yes.
Both:*laugh*
What kind of seiyuu do you want to be in the future?|An entertainer who is an actor at heart
A: Well…when I decided to be a seiyuu twelve…thirteen years ago, the industry didn’t have the elements it has now - where you show your face, sing songs, and even go dancing, right?
K: Yeah…I guess…we’re almost reaching the point where we’re asking “are we idols?” right now, aren’t we.
A: I know, right? Especially male seiyuu, they didn’t do this kind of work before.
K: They didn’t.
A: That’s why what I aimed for myself is - as an actor, a seiyuu, um, of course I know, from within, that I want to take part in recording over various things, work from a script, but recently there’s been various experiences that made me think, “ah, the way people recognize the seiyuu industry has changed, hasn’t it?” Just like how we’re doing a TV show like this, or if one day you’d have to sing songs - not as a character, but as yourself, or if someday you’ll do MC - be an MC for radio, or take part in events, and stuff. And aren’t those fun in their own way? Of course doing normal seiyuu work is already nice, I think. But inside you, on your part - mm, realistically? At the root of it? “I’m doing this as an ACTOR,” you should never forget this. Like…you portray an idol character, you dance and sing on stage, fans scream over you - but that doesn’t mean you’ve become an idol, and I think that shouldn’t be forgotten. In that vein, even if you’ve become an MC, and had come up with a lot of good conversations, “ah, I’m not an MC, and I’m not a comedian either”. Because at the root of it is being an actor. And so I think that as an actor, you’ve taken part in all these other things. So going on forward, what I’ve decided on is - I wonder if I should call it an entertainer rather than an actor?
K: I understand…yes yes yes.
A: Or rather, someone who is an entertainer through [their capacity as] an actor. That’s what I’m aiming for.
K: I see…you said a lot of good stuff…
A: Well it’s - isn’t it THAT kinda corner??
K:*laughs*
Question from Kawanishi Kengo: How could you describe how it’s been since you graduated up to now? |I can’t describe it in one phrase.
A: Way back, I’d had feelings that went “if it comes to scenes, if it comes to the emotions behind the scenes, I’ll never lose to anyone.” But of course you could never win against the ones before you, you’d wonder why, how you could make it okay, and get all depressed, I guess? I got depressed.
K: I see. So now, after those failures - if we call them failures?
A: Just like you said earlier, we should take it easy. What I was taught kinda fits, but it’s - instead of just wanting to be “enough”, aim for being “good enough”. Don’t just be “enough”, be “good enough” instead. So it’s fine if you feel like you have to take down notes, because you should go at your own pace; I’ve read a lot of books and watched stuff on TV and, thinking “ahh so such things exist,” absorbed them as part of me. And…going in that manner, I realized, mm, I guess, mm, I am me, and they are them, that’s why I’ll never be the same as other people. So why did I even think of comparing myself to other people, in the past? That’s why, hmm, I wonder if I got rid of that habit now…
K: Mm…I see.
A: I think people can’t help but compare themselves to others though? No matter what.
K: I guess?
A: In auditions and stuff, no matter what you do, winning and losing…it sounds odd to think about it as “winning and losing”; just because you passed [an audition stage] doesn’t mean you can relax. And even though there are things you can compare, fundamentally speaking…that kind of…feeling where you’re always wondering how you would stack up against someone, I [think] I’ve lost that.
K: Mm. Then…I guess it’s something you understand now after becoming an adult, huh.
A: I wonder if it is…Mm. As long as you focus your strengths on it –
K: That’s important, isn’t it? Mm.
A:Mm.
K: Of course that kind of…right? How you were during your first recording? That kind of voracious performance? You can’t go back on that.
A: Well, I guess I could think that I’m thankful things actually happened that way. The kind of voracious energy hiding under the nervousness of my past self – do I still have it now? Haha. Don’t you ever think about that?
K: Ahh…I guess I have those [kinds of thoughts], right? That kind of – somehow – freshness?
A: The thing that kinda. Shows on your face.
K: - there are times when something like that breaks through, mm.
A: Ahh, that…during the times I would see the script, there would be a part of me that made way to say “ah, I can’t do that~” but. If only I could meet the me back then, I’d like to tell him. “Have more confidence, and just give this a try.”
K: I see.
A: I didn’t have confidence [in myself]. There was a part of me that thought “I won’t lose!”, but there’s also a part of me that has no confidence. It’s been like that for a long time. Mm. Something like that?
Episode #141: Kawanishi Kengo’s impression of Kousaka Atsushi
…yes. Ehhh…we’ve finished two episodes now, ehh…what should I say? Twel…ve years ago, I guess? Somehow, just this –
(In the background, Kousaka throws his cardigan open. Staff-san laughs. Kawanishi bursts into laughter.)
Just that…that I was able to talk like this. With Kousaka-kun. It’s. During that time, umm, I didn’t know about him. We were in different classes. There were rumors spreading – ah there’s this guy over there and that guy is good, and stuff, so, yeah?
(Points to his temple. Probably referring to Kousaka’s glasses?)
I’ve heard about him, but…somehow…
(In the background, Kousaka has long since thrown his cardigan to the floor. He is dancing some weird kind of dance. Staff-san is still laughing.)
Right now, where we got to meet up, and talk. Getting to hear from him – anou…
(Kousaka continues dancing. Staff-san is still laughing. Kawanishi bursts down laughing as well.) I’m curious…
Right. I know now those, the kind of things that say what kind of person he is. Mm. That he knows [how to deal with] the people around him and stuff, mm. And of course, our similarities, right. That we’re both from the Kansai area. We graduated the same year from the same school, too. From here on out, if we could ever work together again, in lots of kinds of work –
(Kousaka is striking pinup poses and had just pretended to take his shirt off. Multiple staff members are laughing. He at least pretends to be embarrassed.)
- It’d be good, I think…I wonder, what the hell is happening over there, I will never understand what the hell that kid is doing, mm,
(Kawanishi sucks in a deep breath. Behind him, Kousaka is miming yelling at him.)
Maa, I guess that’s good enough. Un. Well, but if you’d cheer on Kousaka Atsushi and Kawanishi Kengo, it’d make us glad. We’ll be in your care. Thank you very much.
jesus christ the man. talks a mile a minute. i know i always say i never promise 100% accuracy but ESPECIALLY here - transcribing this DRAINED me. transcribing this AND attempting instant translation in my head???? god. why did i do this.
just like with kawasan’s extra interviews, this was supposed to be a vidsub, but that means i have to watch the video again to time it and a third time to sub it and oh my god. i am so, so tired. why are you both february babies WHY RIGHT AFTER EACH OTHER.
that being said though, i still stupidly might use this for a vidsub someday, so please do not redistribute this translation anywhere!!
“When I thought that I wanted to be a seiyuu, I was all over the place, but, if we were to put it in sentai terms I used to think ‘ahh, I’d wanna always just play the red ranger’, but – how do I say this? I have some experience there, but if I had to pick I think my [personality] is more suited for an antagonist or a rival –”
Happy birthday, Kawanishi Kengo! This is an English-translated transcript of the extra video of his cross interview for the March 6, 2017 episode of Animemashite!
A movie/book/manga you recommend | The book “空の境界(The Garden of Sinners)”, the movie “シン・ゴジラ (Godzilla: Resurgence)”
K: If we’re gonna go back to the start, [TYPE MOON’s] Kara no Kyoukai, I really…I don’t know how many times I read it.
A: What about it did you like?
K: I freakin’ like chuunibyou series. The settings are simple enough, and they can see when things die and stuff, and I used to think, can I do that?
A: *laughs* You were aiming to someday do that!?
K: There’s when someone uses glasses to block out the things they can “see”, only to see ‘em again when they take the glasses off – I tried doing that but it’s EM-BA-RASS-ING!!
Both:*laughs*
A: …and the movie “Shin Godzilla”.
K: Shin Godzilla. I saw it recently, uh, it was interesting. But you know, I don’t really watch Godzilla movies.
A:Oh?
K: Yeah yeah - I know stuff like “Mothra is like this” and “Mega Godzilla is like that”, but this time…the director on Shin Godzilla, was Director Anno…and I’ve always liked Eva from way way back, so I wondered “how would this go?” And I guess - music and other things played a part in it too, but I REALLY loved the story, and for the first time I ended up thinking “Godzilla’s SCARY!!” I guess? Back then - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Godzilla and thought it was scary-
A: That’s right,
K: But this time’s Shin Godzilla…when I saw it, somehow…
A: In terms of which age bracket they’re targeting, it feels like they’re focused on the older viewers, aren’t they.
K: It had a very scary image, and after that - how do I say this - there seemed to be a moral story kind of thing that I felt at the very end.
A thing you’re hooked on lately (your hobbies, etc.) | Monster Strike (aka MonSuto)
A: Isn’t this because you’re starring in it?
K: NO!! Nonono NOO!!
A: Haha, is this advertising?
K: NO no no it’s not advertising!!
A: Ehh, really?
K: No no no!
A:No?
K: No no no. It’s cuz - I’d been playing MonSuto since its app was released, and I’d allllllllllllways played it, and so when I was told I should go to the auditions for the anime version of it, I thought “ehh really??” and gave it a shot, and got to star in the anime…and from then on I guesssssss…uhh…my ingame spending started increasing.
A: Haha– because you have money now?
K: Stop, stop talking,
A: You have lots more money now?
K: Well I’d been spending on it before - but now that I’m part of it I feel closer to it – I just keep going.
A: Were you happy when you won the audition?
K: I was happy, first and foremost. Getting to be a part of something you like – I think that made me very happy.
Describe yourself in one phrase. | a lazy perfectionist
K: That’s right…I’m blood type A, you know.
A:Huh.
K: I think there’s quite a lot of blood type As who are perfectionists. Somehow, like clockwork…uhh, I clean my room everyday.
A: Ehh? Everyday!?
K:Everyday.
A: Whoa. You sweep?
K: No. Well, you see, when you sweep the dust just goes flying, so I just go at the flooring with a damp rag, go at the TV stand too, and when everything’s all spotless, I go take a bath.
A: We can’t live together…
K:HAHAHAHAHA!!!
K: Yup. Well. The places that get seen, I keep those clean.
A: Ah. You wrote down, “the inside of my closet is actually chaos”…
K: Yes. Somehow we get lots of those, those, the series – the DVDs of the series we star in. That’s the chaos.
A: Have you never thought about tidying those up?
K: Nope. Because no one gets to see it anyway.
A: But if you open the door wouldn’t you see it then?
K: *opens the door*
K: *nods* Mhm.
K: *closes the door*
A: You’re running from it??? –that’s the lazy part of you, then?
K: Yes yes yes. Exactly.
Something that makes you glad you’re a seiyuu? |I can get into productions related to my favorite games.
K: Uh…well, for example, MonSuto, but also…I guess, it’s that games – in general, the things I like, I’ve made a job out of them. Stuff like that – well, not just with games, though, app games too, right? The things I love the most, they’ve become my work, and I think that’s a thing that makes me think I’m glad I became a seiyuu.
A: I see…
Anime character you fell in love with? | I don’t have any.
A: …you got one, right?
K: NO, NOPE!
A: YOU GOT ONE, RIGHT???
K: ‘CUZ!!! It’s 2D!!!
A: You CAN!
K: You can’t touch ‘em!
A: You ca—ISN’T THAT FINE??
K:EHH???
Both:*laughs*
A: *in Kansaiben* Isn’t that fine??
K: Ahaha…what’s wrong, what’s wrong, are you ok,
A:*laughs*
…
A: Okay if you can’t think of anyone you fell in love with. Was there anyone who made your heart skip a bit when you looked at ‘em.
K: Aaaaaaaah…but…that’s right…during the time, I was in…middle school I think? From middle school to high school, I think. The series called Cyber Team in Akihabara.
A: Ah! Nostalgic.
K: Yes yes yes. That one was, uh, when I first saw it, it made me think “huh, isn’t this just like school life?” and was what got me into liking anime. When I saw it, I was like - *faces the camera* - this is gonna be a gross story, okay – I was in my teens when I watched this. And it got a movie, Cyber Team in Akihabara.
A: Yes it did.
K: When that happened, the girls were in the middle school age range. And I am - *whispering to himself, softly* ah, in my thirties… *back to normal voice* Something like that.
A: *hangs his head and laughs*
What kind of seiyuu do you want to be in the future?
A: “I’ve always been doing lead roles, but I want to be a seiyuu who plays a rival character.”
K: That’s right. When I thought that I wanted to be a seiyuu, I was all over the place, but, if we were to put it in sentai terms I used to think “ahh, I’d wanna always just play the red ranger”, but – how do I say this? I have some experience there, but if I had to pick I think my [personality] is more suited for an antagonist or a rival –
A: I don’t think so though?
K: No no no no.
A: No no.
K: Somehow, that seems easier for me to do!
Both:*laugh*
A: …to act out, huh?
K: Yes! Easier! Well of course, there’s also cool protagonists?
A: They exist.
K: They exist, but…there are more stories with hot-blooded heroes, so the chances for me to be dispatched to [audition as] one of them would be higher, won’t it?
A: Right. As some high-tension character, right.
K: Yes yes yes. So rather than that, I guess I’d rather be the type of rival character who would match that kind of protagonist, and story-wise it seems like the best part to play. But would there be a chance like that? I wonder. That’s why if I ever got that kind [of character], I think it’ll be nice.
A: Such a quiet character would be closer to your own personality, and it’d be easier for you to do.
K: Yes. I think it’d be easier.
A: Is that so. Alright.
Episode #140: Kousaka Atsushi’s impression of Kawanishi Kengo
That’s right…well, huh, so far I’ve noticed he matches up with the image of him I have in my head. Ehh…so regarding how I think of Kawanishi-kun, I think…that nothing has changed at all, I guess.
(In the background, Kawanishi stands up and goes offscreen to take a phone call.)
Hmm…stuff to add to that…uhh, within his true feelings – no, not ‘true feelings’, inside his heart, I thought, wouldn’t there be lots of weird stuff deep down? But…just as his emotions play on his face, mm. Somehow. He says what he thinks, and that doesn’t change. And I think. It really felt like I was remembering my student days. I really had fun. Yes.
*a beat, addresses the cameraman*
Won’t you stop [recording] there?
(Staff-san laughs offscreen. Kawanishi returns, still on his phone.)
*laughs* So you won’t. Huh. Well…that’s right. Kawanishi-kun said he doesn’t have much friends, so I think I should go and invite him out to eat or something.
(Offscreen, Kawanishi uses his phone to take a picture of Kousaka from behind.)
Yes. Ehh…that’s it.
(Staff-san laughs. Kousaka chuckles. Kawanishi takes another picture.)
Mou, what about that was harsh!? *laughs* Well, I don’t have much friends either, so I think I’d wanna get along with him more. Ehh.
Everyone, did you have fun today? Thank you very much.
look ok, this was supposed to be a vidsub, but that means i have to watch the video again to time it and a third time to sub it and considering who this is do you think i can keep my cool for that long??? nope. didn’t think so
that being said though, i still stupidly might use this for a vidsub someday, so please do not redistribute this translation anywhere!!
Yes, it was strange to be in Downton Abbey and then very shortly afterwards in Game of Thrones. And they were both very strong, intense relationships with a strong female figure. And it was one of the reasons I really enjoyed playing both roles because in both of them, in some ways you were subservient to the woman. The woman was the guiding role that you were reacting to as a man. And this is too unusual in film. And it’s a balance that needs to be addressed. But at the end of the day, as an actor, all you do is respond to writing. And if writing is good, then you find those qualities in yourself that are needed for either role. We’re at the mercy of good writing. I’m ever so grateful to writers and directors for giving actors the chance to do what we do, because we are nothing without that communal experience that a film or theater gives you.
It was a very, very happy experience. It’s unusual and, you know, the English language is strong globally, and it gives British actors the opportunity to work in many different parts of the world. You know, if I could be born again, an actor, I would definitely choose to be born again, a British actor. Because we get opportunities that other European actors don’t get. And I think if I was an Italian actor or if I was a German actor, I’d feel a bit put out by the opportunities that British actors get, just because of the English language. So one of those experiences was coming to Italy and there’s a very, very good filmmaker, Roberto Faenza. And the Italian sense of style is brilliant. They’re very, very good with period. They’re great art directors, great directors, great director of photography, costume wardrobe, hair… These are the actor things, that are close to an actor, are always really exquisitely done in Italy. And this was an unusual story and it could have been shot in Italian and it could’ve been shot in German, but it was shot in English. I felt very lucky to play the role. So it was a happy, happy time. I’ve got very fond memories, and I’m not saying it just because I’m here, but I do love the Italian people. I find you very warm, very open, very expressive. The British are very held and a bit colder and a bit drier. I like the emotionality of the Italians. I think you have the most beautiful country in Europe. I truly do: architecturally and in landscape. And you’ve always been very kind and welcoming to me as an actor. So yeah, I have very good memories.
Can I just? Sorry. Thank you. I just wanted to say one little thing I was thinking. Um, that the British have always been quite well-regarded as actors and [people] think the British are quite good at acting. And the Americans have always been very kind. We always do well at the Oscars and the… And I think what is it about the British temperament, or the psyche. And I think for film, it’s good because the British find it very difficult to say what they feel. There’s always something hidden and held. And this is perfect for film. Film, when in a closeup, you want to see an actor and there wants to be a different conversation underneath what you see. Subtext is all what is happening underneath. And the British are full of what’s happening underneath, because we’re so constipated. So it’s good for film.
It’s always the script. The script is the first thing as an actor you read. And then afterwards, who is directing and then it’s where is it happening, and who’s the DP, but script first. I think when I started as an actor, we have a great theater tradition in the UK, and I went to the Royal Academy of dramatic art. And when I began, I just thought I would do theater. And then I started to do more and more film. In my first part, I think I always was more comfortable on theater because theater is really, really demanding of actors. And sometimes I think I would encourage actors, young actors who do primarily film to try theater, because it makes a different demand on you. It’s very, very hard the way you need to learn lines, the way you need to use yourself, your body on stage is more complete. It’s more demanding. The language is different. You have to use language in different sizes space. It’s a harder skill, I think, than film in many ways. Now, I have become a little lazy, I think. I have children and I think I prefer film because it’s less demanding in some ways. And, um, it pays you better and it gives you more home life and I can be with my family, my children, more easily. And so now for, for the wrong reasons, I’m more comfortable on film because of my life, my lifestyle, I think.
I enjoy the difference. They’re different things. As an actor, it’s nice to play different roles and I enjoyed the different things. But if I’m honest with you, the last time I was on stage, I got very scared. I got very scared. And I didn’t enjoy the experience. So I need to get back on that horse. I need to get back on stage because I fell off. I fell off my horse.
I’d like to very much thank the festival for inviting me and also taking the time to put the film together and research the questions. There were good questions. But I feel very honored and grateful for you inviting me here. So thank you.
Thank you very, very much, indeed. I feel very proud.
Thank you for the transcript @terisrog I loved what he said about the strong female characters he played opposite and what he needed to do to serve his character and theirs well in GoT and Downton.
