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美国国家公共电台 NPR Wes Studi On His Cherokee Nation Childhood And How He Discovered Acting

时间:2018-01-22 02:15:58

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(单词翻译)

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Let's talk about a new movie. It's called "Hostiles," and it tells the story of a U.S. Army captain. It's the Old West, 1892. The captain has spent decades fighting Indians and seeing his friends killed and then is ordered to commit an act of humanitarian1 relief. His commander tells him to escort an old Cheyenne chief back to his home valley to die.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOSTILES")

CHRISTIAN2 BALE: (As Captain Joseph J. Blocker) I hate him. I've got a war bag of reasons to hate him.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Captain, I just don't give a damn how you personally feel about Yellow Hawk3. I don't.

GREENE: The bitter veteran played by Christian Bale starts a journey with the chief named Yellow Hawk. And our colleague Steve Inskeep has the story of the actor who took on the chief's role.

STEVE INSKEEP, BYLINE4: His name is Wes Studi. And in the movie, he speaks only a few words of English.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOSTILES")

WES STUDI: (As Chief Yellow Hawk) Hello (unintelligible).

INSKEEP: He mostly speaks the Cheyenne language, softly, when he speaks at all.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOSTILES")

STUDI: (As Chief Yellow Hawk, Native American language spoken).

INSKEEP: His character's most powerful moments come when he conveys meaning simply with a gesture or with his deeply expressive5 face. Wes Studi is Cherokee. He's 70 years old - 70 busy years. He was a Vietnam veteran and an Indian rights activist6 before he found roles - usually playing Indians - in many big films. Studi grew up in eastern Oklahoma in the Cherokee Nation, land where Cherokees have lived since their ancestors walked there on the Trail of Tears in 1838. Just over a century later, Wes Studi was born in a valley called Nofire Hollow.

STUDI: In the beginning, we were pretty much subsistence farmers and hunters. There was an extended family area that we lived in - grandmother's home and one of the son's homes over here and another one further away and then cousins up and down Nofire Hollow. As a child, I remember going into town by wagon7 one time - and it was an all-day journey...

INSKEEP: By wagon - horse and wagon.

STUDI: By mule8 and wagon, yes. And we didn't have electricity, but we did have relatives who lived above and beyond the hollow that we lived in. They were one of the first families in the area in Cherokee Nation to have electricity. And I think that was the first time I ever saw television was when I was maybe 4 years old or thereabouts. And what we did was we trekked9 up five, six miles up from our home to our cousins' home to watch Saturday night wrestling.

INSKEEP: Ah.

STUDI: Yeah, that was the first that we ever encountered electricity and television and what we consider, you know, part of the modern world these days.

INSKEEP: How'd you get into acting10?

STUDI: (Laughter) I couldn't do anything else.

INSKEEP: (Laughter) I don't believe that.

STUDI: Well, it was kind of a combination of the after effect of Vietnam in a way in that - I won't say I was addicted11 or a junkie of adrenaline, but, you know, I tried a number of fairly dangerous things just to kick that off in my brain again. You know, it's something that - I'm afraid I got too used to it perhaps but...

INSKEEP: What sort of dangerous things?

STUDI: You know, I tried bull riding and just physical things that were challenging.

INSKEEP: How were you at bull riding, by the way?

STUDI: I wasn't good at all. I don't think I ever got eight seconds anywhere (laughter). But then after that, I discovered acting through community theater. And what I saw in community theater was you could learn your lines and do rehearsals12 and all of that, but finally opening night shows up and you're in the wings and I rediscovered that huge wall of fear. And to me, that provided that amount of excitement and adrenaline rush, if you will. And if it's working right, everything is smooth. It's a beautiful thing.

INSKEEP: You got going in Hollywood relatively13 late as actors go, then.

STUDI: Late in life, yeah.

INSKEEP: Late in life - around 40 or something like that.

STUDI: Yeah.

INSKEEP: What is it like particularly to be a Native American and show up in Hollywood looking for work?

STUDI: Well, at times you can be - you're welcome, depending on what's being cast. "Dances With Wolves," they wanted authentic14-looking Indians in the film, and so they got it. The same was true with "Last Of The Mohicans" and "Geronimo." And I think audiences have begun to wonder more about these characters than just the antagonist15 part of most Indian films. We were the threat. We were the da da-da da-da da (ph) kind of thing that happened in many movies. But that time, filmmakers were beginning to think that, wow, well maybe we can find some real Indians to do this rather than, like, brown-facing actors. And so it formed a curiosity by the public to see - so they're really here still, yet, huh? So the genocide we tried on them didn't work. They're still around and trying to get into the movie business.

(LAUGHTER)

INSKEEP: I want to ask one other thing in "Hostiles." This is a movie that's been praised widely for its authentic depiction16 of Native Americans and just complex characterizations of different kinds of people. But when I think about the story that's told, it still is the experience of a white U.S. Army captain who is learning about the Indians he's fought against all these years in perhaps a different or deeper way. Does it bother you at all that it still is, in many ways, a story from a white perspective?

STUDI: No. No. It doesn't bother me because I understand that that's what it is. Now, it would be nice - yes - that - if I were the lead. Of course, I mean, every actor is going to say that if they're honest about it. It'd be better to - if I were playing the lead rather than Christian. But on the other hand, that's not what's in the script. The script is our Bible. As an actor, that's what you do. You tell this particular story. Now, as time goes on, I hope to find one where I can be in the lead. You know, I think that's every actor's dream actually - to play lead parts. But no, it doesn't bother me because I've realized from the get-go that this is not a story about my character. My character adds to the story and is an integral part of it all, but it is not about my character.

INSKEEP: Wes Studi, thanks very much. I've enjoyed this.

STUDI: Ah, me too.

INSKEEP: He plays Chief Yellow Hawk in the western movie "Hostiles" which is out in some cities and has a wider release this month.

(SOUNDBITE OF RYAN BINGHAM'S "HOW SHALL A SPARROW FLY")


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 humanitarian kcoxQ     
n.人道主义者,博爱者,基督凡人论者
参考例句:
  • She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业,并作了很大的贡献。
  • The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。
2 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
3 hawk NeKxY     
n.鹰,骗子;鹰派成员
参考例句:
  • The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
  • The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。
4 byline sSXyQ     
n.署名;v.署名
参考例句:
  • His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
  • We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
5 expressive shwz4     
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的
参考例句:
  • Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
  • He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的,富于表情的,生动活泼的脸。
6 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
7 wagon XhUwP     
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
参考例句:
  • We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
  • The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
8 mule G6RzI     
n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人
参考例句:
  • A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
  • He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。
9 trekked 519991528cf92a03563eb482b85eec9e     
v.艰苦跋涉,徒步旅行( trek的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指在山中)远足,徒步旅行,游山玩水
参考例句:
  • They trekked for three days along the banks of the Zambezi. 他们沿着赞比西河河岸跋涉了三天。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Six-man teams trekked through the woods, respectively for 72 to 96 hours. 6人一组的小分队,经过长途跋涉,穿过了森林,分别用72小时到96小时不等。 来自互联网
10 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
11 addicted dzizmY     
adj.沉溺于....的,对...上瘾的
参考例句:
  • He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
  • She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。
12 rehearsals 58abf70ed0ce2d3ac723eb2d13c1c6b5     
n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 );排练;复述;重复
参考例句:
  • The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
  • She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
14 authentic ZuZzs     
a.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的
参考例句:
  • This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
  • Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。
15 antagonist vwXzM     
n.敌人,对抗者,对手
参考例句:
  • His antagonist in the debate was quicker than he.在辩论中他的对手比他反应快。
  • The thing is to know the nature of your antagonist.要紧的是要了解你的对手的特性。
16 depiction f490e01c7396351ff1441f8162831f34     
n.描述
参考例句:
  • Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里,表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
  • A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。

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