All about Duvall

I love the smell of napalm in the morninghellip smells like victorymdash Robert Duvall as Major Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse NowRobert Duvall had the knack of ldquosmellingrdquo out great parts mdash he proudly embellished a sixdecadelong career because of this nose for smelling out parts that had great flavour as well as the potential for great fable Whether he was playing the orphaned consigliere Tom Hagen in Francis Ford Coppolarsquos The Godfather his coiled menace never reaching a proportion of open threat making calm seem dangerous a whispered warning often bearing the same significance as a deafening shout or his internal patriotism yet brutal battalion leader in Apocalypse Now the small but significant role of Major Bill Kilgore a few words of critical dialogue securing him a place in the lexicon of greatnessDuvall never chased celebrityhood he chased truth he made roles seem lived in not performed mdash he didnrsquot dominate roles he inhabited themWhether he played soldiers cowboys lawyers or men coming apart at the seams Duvall brought empathy to the roles not sentimentalityRobert Duvall passed away last week aged 95 He was essentially a stage man who grew into a screen icon though the acting was always subtle his performances were always authentic understated and unapologetic Duvall was uncompromising in his preparation for a role the gaits the accents he worked on tirelessly and rigorously He scoffed at the idea that someone should sing for him in ldquoTender Merciesrdquo as the washedup country singer Mac Sledge He learnt to sing and play guitar for the role that won him an Oscar in 1984Robert Duvall was famously called Hollywoodrsquos No 1 No 2 lead actor mdash he was the best supporting actor in the industry who often overshadowed the main starsDuvall excelled in his silences believing that his strength in delivering intense layered performances was derived from the early theatre training under Sanford Meisner something he did with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman when they were broke nobodies sharing a New York apartment in 1955 The trio became friends and in many ways they began to represent the tribe of Great American ActorsTaking on parts that represented the very nation that nurtured themRobert Duvall was unhurried in his acting style his self awareness never merged into selfindulgence he strongly believed that ldquoin a scene you can start with zero and end with zero You let the process take you to the result rather than going for the result mdash you come in with nothing and see where it goes like life then if something good happens because you didnrsquot push it then you will be rewarded around the cornerrdquoAccording to actorfriend Billy Bob Thornton ldquoBobby didnrsquot like to talk about acting he enjoyed talking character he was passionate about steaks the more rare the better he danced the Tango he was a cowboy at heart loved Westerns believing he was the epitome of the Texan cowboyrdquoDuvall believed theatre training gave you a method to rely on he said famously mdash ldquoMeisner taught us about lsquoformrsquo that the form you have created for your character cannot vary but you can improvise within it which I did all through my career lsquoimprovise within the formrsquo it helped me get through night after night show after show in the theatre and take after take in filmrdquoRobert Duvall could always be anyone but was always himself He was the master storyteller in his acting giving audiences a sense of the era the ethos the experience He always felt that you need to keep the emotions within your own temperament Your anger your vulnerability required for the role needs to be within your temperament without stepping out of it or it becomes ldquoactingrdquo He spoke of trusting audiences to lean in and listen not be spoon fed He believed in being in the present The psychological backstory was not as important as ldquobeing in the presentrdquo emotionallyRobert Duvall always played parts that were memorable without being showy He had without a doubt one of the most quietly formidable careers in American Film Rest in peace sirRahul daCunha is an adman theatre directorplaywright filmmaker and traveller Reach him at rahuldacunhamiddaycom