It's an Actor Thing

hairyeggg. Creative Commons license 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

I've just watched an interview with David Suchet, who portrayed Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, for twenty-five years!

Mr. Suchet was asked whether he had difficulty coming down from roles, from the characters he portrayed. His answer was virtually identical to what Jack said on the same subject. Mr. Suchet said he put so much of himself into his roles that it took time and effort to unwind and let go of his characters. In fact, he went so far as to say a psychologist gave him a method for doing so.

Mr. Suchet went on to explain that, even though Poirot ran for twenty-five years, they were not consecutive years. He had time off between contracts in which he could appear on stage in entirely different works. He said those gaps helped him to let go of Poirot and move forward in his life. Perhaps, if Jack had had time to return to Broadway for off-season productions, he might have found it easier to unwind after portraying McGarrett with such intensity for twelve years. Just a thought.

You may remember that someone told Jack early on that it would take him twenty years to become an established actor (Was it Sanford Meisner?). Interestingly, David Suchet said almost twenty years passed from the time he first appeared in a production (1968) until he was offered the role of Poirot (1987).

Source: "David Suchet on the Darker Side of Hercule Poirot". One Plus One, Australian Broadcasting Company. David Suchet on the darker side of Hercule Poirot, and finding faith | One Plus One - YouTube

CBS Television via Wikimedia Commons in the public domain