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Article 4196 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: The perfect actor
Message-ID: <68171@netnews.upenn.edu>
Date: 2 Mar 92 17:02:55 GMT
References: <1992Feb28.233855.7383@oracorp.com>
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Reply-To: weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener)
Organization: The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology
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In-reply-to: daryl@oracorp.com

In article <1992Feb28.233855.7383@oracorp.com>, daryl@oracorp writes:
>markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder) writes:
>> It's not unlike talking to an actor who's portraying Richard III:
>> you're not really talking to Richard III, and in a sense you're not
>> talking (simply) to the actor; but you are talking to a human being.

>This is an interesting area to me. Does a *perfect* actor create a
>new mind, and a new person?

I would say that in some cases, yes.  Two that come to mind are Robert
De Niro and Mel Blanc.  De Niro's Parkinsonian portrayal of Leonard L
in AWAKENINGS impressed Dr Oliver Sacks to the point where the doctor
was not sure if De Niro had or had not achieved an actual Parkinsonian
state.  And Mel Blanc, after his 1961 auto accident, was in a coma for
three weeks.  He did not respond to the usual family entreaties.  But
then one day (Saturday morning, I bet) his doctor had the obvious idea:
he addressed him as Bugs Bunny.  And Bugs Bunny responded!  ("Eh, just
fine, Doc.  How're you?")  The doctor then addressed him as Porky Pig,
and Porky Pig responded!  That was the turning point in Blanc's recovery.
He went on to do the first season of the Flintstones (Barney Rubble) flat
on his back in a body cast.
-- 
-Matthew P Wiener (weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu)


