Comments on: Characters reaching out from their stories

By: djelloul

djelloul — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:14:36 +0000

Thank you, Craig.I first noticed Gary Stretch in Dead Connection. Right away my mind turned to Burt Lancaster in The Killers. Same kind of spring-coiled quietude.I think that without him Oliver Stone’s Alexander would have been just another Alexander film, because it was up to Cleitus to show viewers what had made the Macedonians so special, that sense of their freedom to speak truth to power, to tell their own aristos what was on their minds. It was absolutely crucial to the success of the film, and the interesting thing is that you somehow knew this the moment you laid eyes on Cleitus at the beginning of the film. You knew he was going to give you its inner sense, he was going to impart to you why there has never been another army like those Macedonians. You can’t say this for many actors.
It’s good to hear from you.
DM

Dear David,
The thing about being in a league of your own is that you change the world in ways you will never know about, because people will go on associating events and decisions with the character you played. That’s one of the most significant aspects of films. We go to the Greco-Roman Gallery of The Metropolitan Museum and we see a certain expression on Hadrian’s face or Voltaire’s, but it’s one frozen moment, whereas an actor like Gary Stretch has given us a paradigm, and it enters our own world view.
Thanks for writing.
DM

By: david winters

david winters — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:20:56 +0000

I agree with you. Gary Stretch is in a league all his own. No boxer in history ever became a real true actor, except for Gary.

By: david winters

david winters — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:19:30 +0000

I totally agree with you. Gary Stretch is in a league all his own!!

By: Craig Singer

Craig Singer — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:31:14 +0000

Nice article. I have directed Gray in three films and agree. Gary is the real thing. He has a wonderful genuine quality & spirit. If you get the chance try to find a copy of a film we did called “Dead Dogs Lie” Gary’s work in this film is tremendous. I look forward to working with him again soon but in the end I’m happy to call him a friend. - Cheers, CAS