Use Of Food In Character

Food is of course a prop many actors have utilised. Who can forget Charles Laughton chowing down on chicken after chicken in his seminal performance as Henry VIII. Ordinary people would just consider his gastronomic interpretation of the role disgusting. But ignoring the chewing sounds, grunting, it and the rest of the cast covered in bits of chicken sprayed out when the great man made his oratory remains one of the absolute pinnacles of performance.

Let’s take the performance apart.

1. Firstly, Henry sits down. Observing the feast in front of him, like a hawk selecting its’ prey.

2. His hand descending on the chicken with deft skill, the way only a monarch would. A King who could invade, execute and demand faced with the challenge of this dead chicken. Determination to pick up this drumstick, and full knowledge that his power and privilege will prevent those who seek to disrupt the course of events.

3. Picking up the drumstick, shouting loudly about how all should ‘feast as ne’er before’, the fingers firmly wrapped around the end of the chicken leg, as it rises to his mouth, the other hand working almost as a supporting artist, seizing another limb of the fowl. Oh, the drama!

4. The bite. Now the bite is dreadfully important. One cannot simply nibble, nor can one guzzle. To get the true measure of the actor, watch him eat in character to know the depth of the portrayal. With almost expert timing, Laughton takes a mouthful just a little too big and lowers the leg, chewing, mouth open, whilst also attempting to say his lines.

5. Chew and swallow are the piece de resistance of the entire performance. The food is chewed. And thence, when full masticated, sent to the epiglottis and then onward to his stomach.

6. The other hand is raised and the pattern continues, and the other performers are so moved you can see some of them wiping their eyes.

I remember watching this as a young actor and thinking ‘that man certainly knows how to eat chicken’. Such was the impact on my young mind. I would tell all and sundry about Laughton eating chicken; the sheer poetry of it. Sadly, most of my non-acting friends didn’t understand and started avoiding me. That’s the thing I find about people out of the business; they have no interest in the technique of acting. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy talking to ordinary people about the weather, football or milk, but for a conversation I always plump for a fellow actor. I remember that legend Michael Caine. I spoke to him at length about the cannolis scene in The Godfather. To me the food stole the scene. Mike nodded sagely, occasionally looking over my shoulder in case he was called back on set. The man is a veritable owl, his head moving around, checking he was not ignoring anyone else. Such is his generosity. When I had finished my dissection, he got up and mumbled something before locking himself in a portaloo. I wanted his opinion and waited patiently outside, but people started giving me ‘looks’, so I sloped off to the tea/coffee area.

Another great whose eating technique I admired was John Hurt. John was a smashing man who could handle anything from a sandwich to the most complex broth. I’ve not seen it myself, but apparently his last scene in Alien is a excellent portrait of a hungry man handling all manner of fayre, although I understand the scene ends with some indigestion.

Another excellent food handler is Brian Blessed. Never have I witnessed someone bring such depth and texture of character with the simple prop of a pork pie.

In short, eating is both an essential skill for an actor and a opportunity to explore the finer, imperceptible details of a character. Be it noodles, a roast dinner, a sandwich or a bucket of chicken.

Below is a list of actors and their expertise in food. If you get the chance watch these people devour the dishes listed. Learn from them. They are all heroes of food.

Richard E. Grant	Roast parsnips (and many root vegetables)
Ricky Tomlinson	Tuna Sandwich (with OR without salad)
Judi Dench	Fluffy Omlettes
John Nettles	Sausage, mash and beans
Joanna Lumley	Fresh salmon garnished with a selection of veg
Julie Walters	Vindaloo curry with naan and popadums
Dean Gaffney	Lamb shanks
John Travolta	Rocky mountain oysters
Leslie Joseph	Crisps.

One of the legendary eaters is of course the late Peter Falk. Darling Peter was underused in terms of his eating. Columbo rarely lingered on a shot of him eating, had it perhaps it would have run longer than the eight years it did. One would have to rely on annecdotes of his use of forks. Poetry. His mastery of a variety of spoons, encapsulating the entire gamut of performance. And don’t get me started on condiments. That Columbo’s producers concentrated on crimes and not on him eating, say, a warm panini, is a travesty.

On the other end of the scale is Bonnie Langford. I have a great deal of time for Ms Langford, but watching her eat anything, and I do mean anything, is akin to a clown receiving a pie.