As you may have heard, the acting world has lost one of its great character actors, Pete Postlethwaite. He was instantly recognisable by his wonderfully expressive face, which The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw reflects on in a lovely tribute.
Postlethwaite will be remembered for immortal roles in such films as The Usual Suspects, In the Name of the Father, Brassed Off and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet (especially his Hawaiian shirt!), but also for his passion for helping people understand and enjoy Shakespeare.
I wanted very much to go to the UK's National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) Annual Conference in 2010. Postlethwaite was scheduled to teach teachers about the art of adapting Shakespeare for the screen and to encourage students' engagement with Shakespearean texts. Whether he made it to the conference or not, I don't know.
The NATE quoted Postlethwaite as saying: "Shakespeare is an important part of our literary heritage, but I think it's fair to say the text can be quite intimidating if examined in isolation. That's why it's important that young people studying the work are given the opportunity to engage with the performance rather than just the text. It's only when the script is performed that you can have a true appreciation of the work and all its nuances."
Fortunately for us, Postlethwaite's turn as the Friar in Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet has been recorded for posterity, and so that many more young people can benefit from his passion and wisdom through his performance.
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