Where To Watch
Sir Cedric Hardwicke was proud that cinema provided an escape for audiences
"The word ‘escapist’ should not be used as a term of derision."
As the star of such iconic films as Rope (1948) and The Ten Commandments (1956), Sir Cedric Hardwicke enjoyed a lengthy career in Hollywood with more than his fair share of entertaining performances.
An actor of both stage and screen, Hardwicke had a distinct and intimate perspective on what drove a person to begin performing in the first place.
“Actors become actors for one of two reasons,” said Hardwicke during an interview with The Roanoke Times. “One of them is that the actor likes himself so well that he wants everyone to see him; the other is that the actor does not like himself and wants to be somebody else. I became an actor for the latter reason - I hope.”
But as a consumer of entertainment himself, Hardwicke believed that what drove an audience wasn’t necessarily the desire to see their favorite actor on screen or anything like that; rather, Hardwicke understood that cinema gave an outlet to the public. Even in films like The Invisible Man Returns (1940), which terrified the audience as much as it entertained them, viewers appreciated any opportunity to break away from the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
“On the contrary, the world needs some escape today,” said Hardwicke. “The word ‘escapist’ should not be used as a term of derision.”
Related
