Take Away English-UK Actors 英国演员

British film star Clive Owen at the BAFTA awards ceremony

Clive Owen is one of the new generation of British actors who are making it big in Hollywood.

He has shared the screen with stars like Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman and Bruce Willis, and has even been tipped as a future James Bond.

Despite becoming a major star, Clive Owen still finds time to communicate directly with his fans. In July 2005 he conducted a Q and A session at a screening of his latest film, Sin City. The following excerpts¹ were recorded at that session.

Asked about why he became an actor, Clive had this to say: “I did a school play when I was a kid and from then on always wanted to be an actor. I’ve done a lot of theatre. My first love is film. I think there’s a slight snobbery² about theatre – people say if you can’t do it on stage, you’re not a proper actor. I don’t really agree with that.”

He then went on to discuss his reasons for choosing the roles he has taken: “The reason I tend to play the sort of parts I do is because is there’s something to do. For me it’s all about playing conflict in some way. Acting³ is about subtext. It’s about playing a character who’s grappling with some sort of issue. If everything is obvious and clear and straightforward⁴ there’s not an awful lot to do apart from say the lines.”

He also talked about how he prepares for shooting: “I come prepared. I’m not great at winging it. I don’t like turning up and hoping some magic’s going to happen. I do put work in but I’m not quite sure what it is.”

Clive discussed the differences in the film-making process in the UK and the United States: “I suppose the fundamental differences are in the British films that I’ve done tend to be smaller budgets which tends to mean that the directors get left alone a bit more. There’s less studio intrusion. There’s not producers buzzing⁵ around putting their input⁶ in every day.”

However, when asked if he had any plans to live full time in Hollywood, Clive reassured⁷ his fans he would not be moving overseas: “My family’s here. My family lives in this area so I’ve got absolutely no intention- I mean, I just have to travel a lot. I have to do a lot of flying backwards⁸ and forwards. But I want to live in London so that’s what I’ll do.”

GLOSSARY 词汇表
making it big 使…轰 Q and A session 问答会 snobbery 势力（行为等） subtext （文学作品的）潜在涵义 issue 问题 winging it 即兴发挥 budgets 预算 buzzing around 唧唧喳喳到处转	tipped 猜想，估计 school play 学校的表演 playing conflict 表演冲突 grappling 试图处理或理解 shooting 射击 turning up 出场，出现 studio intrusion 演播室打岔 full time 全职

 

1 excerpts   

n.摘录，摘要( excerpt的名词复数 )；节选（音乐，电影）片段

参考例句：

• Some excerpts from a Renaissance mass are spatchcocked into Gluck's pallid Don Juan music. 一些文艺复光时期的弥撒的选节被不适当地加入到了格鲁克平淡无味的唐璜音乐中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is editing together excerpts of some of his films. 他正在将自己制作的一些电影的片断进行剪辑合成。 来自辞典例句

2 snobbery   

n. 充绅士气派, 俗不可耐的性格

参考例句：

• Jocelyn accused Dexter of snobbery. 乔斯琳指责德克斯特势力。
• Snobbery is not so common in English today as it was said fifty years ago. 如今＂Snobbery＂在英语中已不象50年前那么普遍使用。

3 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。

4 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

5 buzzing   

adj.嗡嗡响的v.发出嗡嗡声( buzz的现在分词 )；（发出）充满兴奋的谈话声[闲话，谣言]；忙乱，急行；用蜂鸣器（发信号）

参考例句：

• The computer made a buzzing noise that she found off-putting. 计算机发出的嗡嗡声让她心烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Bees are humming [buzzing] around from flower to flower. 蜜蜂在花丛中嗡嗡地飞来飞去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

7 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。