“I think, in fact, that in the theatre what matters is not so much to be sincere as to act true. As in music, always in music. Each play leans on a tonality which is right for it. It may be major or minor, but everything must be made to pass through that imperative.
… Tempo is also extremely important. I got in the habit of going, after the first act, and asking the stage manager for the timing. If we had slowed down by three seconds, I had the word passed around to everyone that we must ‘pull ourselves together.’
I have retained this practice.
‘Le Personnage combattant’, which I am acting at the time of writing, lasts for an hour and fifty-four minutes without a break. Every evening we time it. The time taken varies by about 30 seconds, hardly more. But I amuse myself by guessing whether I have been slower or faster. I am rarely wrong.
‘Yes, Monsieur, today you did an hour, fifty-three minutes, thirty-five seconds.’
or again:
‘Today, Monsieur, one hour, fifty-four minutes, four seconds.’
And yet, in detail, the acting changes. One is forced to believe that one’s sensations silently obey some secret rhythm which has to do with breathing.”
