JN: Hello all! This is Jane Nalbandian with a special guest: actor John Wilkes Booth. So glad that you could join me, John!
JWB: I am glad that I could be here. I'm sure my many fans will enjoy to see this interview.
JN: Let's jump right in, then! Tell me about the era in which you lived.
JWB: Well there was obviously quite a bit of tension in America when I was born in 1838 and mostly it did nothing but build. Slavery was a pungent issue in my country at the time. I remember being told about horrible rebellions, such as that of Nat Turner in 1831 who gathered up some other slaves and killed some white folk. Northerners and Southerners were constantly bickering about where slavery should be legal and where it should be illegal.
Many tried to help solve these problems, like Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas with the compromise of 1850, banning the spread of slavery even more but more powerfully enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act (Oates, 1997). A lot of factories and industry were booming in the North. They gave immigrants a lot of job opportunities. Women began taking care of households and doing more things. Overall, the United States was just going through a lot of changes (Halls, 2015)
The most important thing to remember is no matter what anyone tried to do there was still constant fighting between the North and the South, even when we weren't actually at war.
JN: I see. So what made you interested in being an actor? Were there any specific events you can think of in your early life?
JWB: My father, Junius Booth, was an actor as well. We (my brothers and sisters and I) were introduced to the theatre at a very young age. We had a very extensive library at Tudor Hall, our estate in Maryland. Some of our collection included Shakespeare plays, poetry, and classic literature. Hearing stories about my father's career as an actor when I was young and being exposed to all of the great works we had in our home inspired me to be an actor myself (Giblin, 2005).
I also was very serious about Shakespeare when I was younger. I would read passages and just memorize them. I refused to get one syllable wrong! I repeated Julius Caesar so much that I think Asia, one of my sisters, was concerned for my well being. When I had trouble remembering something, I would pour over it for days. We (the children) were all very studious, you see. Even after my father died. (Clarke 1996)
JN:Were there any mentors that helped spark your interest in the arts or help you develop your talent?
JWB: My father was most certainly who prodded at my growing interest in the arts. He enjoyed spending a lot of time with us when we were children. He was such an amazing role model in my life, even though he died when I was thirteen. As I mentioned before, he was an actor as well. He was an extremely powerful actor onstage and a very intelligent man. I wanted to be like my father and it was not surprising to me when two of my other brothers followed in his footsteps as well (Kauffman, 2004).
My sister, Asia, always encouraged my talent. One day I was complaining that I was too awkward to take the stage and I would never get my turn. She was always reassuring and kind. I adored Asia as she adored me. I was by far the closest to her. She encouraged the development of my voice and sometimes let me dress up in her clothes when I was playing. Asia continued to encourage me after my father's death. (Clarke, 1996)
JN: What was the theatre like when you first entered it?
JWB: Well when it comes to content it was changing by the time I got there. It used to be that theatre was about great beings and larger than life scenarios and mythology. However by the 1750s there was a change. Soon, drama started to reflect the life of those who are not as successful, lower class. The growing war probably fed these flames.
The proscenium stage was also a new idea. The proscenium arch made it possible for us to have wonderful backdrops that were more realistic. However, a few problems came with the proscenium stage. There was such a set place where the stage started and the audience began that many didn't know whether they should embrace that barrier, emphasize it, or pretend like it wasn't there. Actors began referring to this imaginary barrier as "the fourth wall." (Baruch College, 1990)
JN: Very interesting! So tell me. You worked during a period of time with a lot of political and social problems. Did that affect your art in any way?
JWB: Yes it did. One day I stepped out of rehearsal and saw a militia lined up, waiting to board a train to see John Brown's execution. That John Brown disgusted me! He tried to start a slave uprising. I asked if I could join the militia. The man in charge was hesitant at first, but I was very convincing. I ended up leaving the theater that day, which was a huge pause in my career. However, I think it was worth it. (Giblin, 2005)
Also, my strong political decision to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln led to an unfortunate halt in my career. He came to see one of my performances of Our American Cousin (Townsend, 2004), and being a strong believer in the Confederacy, I shot him. Abraham Lincoln died the next day across the street in a hospital (Hakim, 2005).
JN: I am sure that can add some complications in an actor's career. What were some of your major accomplishments as an artist? Do you have any tips or methods for actors just starting out?
JWB: Many will say that I am one of the finest thespians to ever step foot on the stage, having inherited the rare gift from my father. After a very successful run of Hamlet in Richmond, Virginia, I joined a traveling troop. That was a huge jumpstart for my career. I performed in many different venues with full houses and a lot of raving women. I became very popular. One of my biggest accomplishments was when I performed in Washington D.C. for the first time in Grover's Theater in a production of Richard III. My brother Edwin even said I could be one of the best actors in the world (Jameson, 1999).
As for my methods, well, I can't say that it isn't a lot of natural born talent. I have a remarkable memory, which is always helpful in an acting career (Kauffman, 2004). When I was younger I would just memorize and repeat Shakespeare (Clarke, 1996). I was also very ferocious in all of my decisions (Nottingham, 1997). I would say it is just important to make strong decisions. And don't let anyone tell you what to do! Once when I was rehearsing a man was taking entirely too long to give direction so I threw a piece of wood at him. Serves him right, eh? (Jameson, 1999).
JN: What were some key opportunities that led to turning points in your life and art?
JWB: Well I was given the opportunity to play Horatio in Hamlet which led to my career as a touring actor. That definitely helped my career (Jameson, 2013). The big one was when I played Marc Antony in a benefit show alongside my two brothers, Edwin and Junius, in Julius Caesar. It was absolutely revolutionary. The statue of Shakespeare that it helped pay for still stands in Central Park. People loved it and that was when I began to plot for my share of time on stage (Furgurson, 2004).
Also when I joined that militia a lot of big life things followed it. We rode down to John Brown's execution. Even as a firm believer of the South, I couldn't help but notice how courageously he faced his death. But when we rode back to Richmond, I was immediately fired for having left. Apparently, my becoming a militiaman increased my popularity. Fellow members of the militia wrote the the theater manager, telling him to take me back. My fans even showed their support of me. It was marvelous! (Giblin, 2005)
JN: I wish I could have been there, John! But I know life as an actor isn't always peaches and cream. What challenges did you have to overcome to be an actor?
JWB: I wasn't always the tall, handsome man that you see today! My first show, a production ofRichard III was disastrous! I was only seventeen and I suffered from horrible stage fright. I forgot all of my lines and the audience booed me! It was ridiculous and I swore that I would never go on stage again (Jameson, 1999).
I had many embarrassing moments like that. Whenever I was frightened, I would completely forget my lines. Once I was doing a performance of Lucretia Borgia when I was supposed to introduce myself with the line, "I am Petruchio Pandolfo." However, I forgot it and after a crippling embarrassing moment of stumbling over my own tongue I managed to say, "Dammit! What am I?" Everyone else had a very good laugh about it, but I was fuming.
I also faced rude audiences. After my horrible stumble in Lucretia Borgia, the audience laughed at me during a production of The Gamester which gave me stage fright. I could not remember my lines and I had to be excused from the production for that night.
I would definitely have to say that stage fright was a huge obstacle for me (Kauffman, 2004).
JN: So do you have any anecdotes about how you came to be successful as an actor?
JWB: I remember the sad days after my father died. We moved back to our country home as the sweet taste of nostalgia filled our mouths. It was hard not to sit and talk of the days when we used to play "Christopher Columbus" and leaping from stones and playing near brooks. Those days definitely encouraged me to pick up and move on with life. It was hard for me to keep up with other students, but when I was faced with a subject I troubled with, I applied myself completely and once I learned it, it was there.
I found one of my father's old books and began to read it with Asia, my sister. I dressed up in a petticoat and shawl and walked about like Lady Macbeth in the sleep-walking scene of Macbeth. I practiced with my voice everyday, experimenting with different sounds from powerful tones to mellowed sounds. Asia said my voice was beautiful. (Clarke, 1996).
Things like that during my childhood definitely put me on the road to success.
JN: One last question: how did your work impact the world of art?
JWB: I was a revolutionary actor in my time. People loved me and I had a good strong career, but because of my decision to kill President Lincoln, my legacy has been tainted. Now, whenever people think of me, they don't remember the famous actor, they remember an assassin. As an actor, I have been forgotten. Very few can see me as anything but the man notorious for killing the president.
Some have called me a villain or a savage and many think that I ruined the healing of the United States after the war. The truth is, I am a very complex figure that no one understands. I hope that maybe in the future my legacy as an actor could shine through and trump my legacy as a killer. (Jameson, 1999)
JN: Thanks so much for coming in, John. I hope you all enjoyed this interview. Have a good day!
Bibliography
Baruch College. Contexts and Comparisons: A Student Guide to the Great Works Courses. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Pub. Co., 1990. Print
Clarke, Asia Booth. John Wilkes Booth. United States of America: University Press of Mississippi, 1996. Print.
Furgurson, Ernest B. Freedom Rising Washington in the Civil War. New York, New York: Random House Publishing, Inc, 2004. Print.
Giblin, James Cross. Good Brother Bad Brother. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. Print.
Hakim, Joy. War, Terrible War. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2005. Print.
Halls, Kelly Milner. Life During the Civil War. North Mankato, Minnesota: Abdo Consulting Group, Inc, 2015. Print.
Jameson, W.C. Return of Assassin John Wilkes Booth. Plano, Texas: Wordware Publishing, Inc, 1999. Print.
---John Wilkes Booth Beyond the Grave. Lanham: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2013. Print.
Kauffman, Michael W. American Brutus. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2004. Print.
Oates, Stephen B. The Approaching Fury. New York, New York: Harpercollins Publisher Inc, 1997. Print.
Simon, Elena Pinto. "The Tragedian the Rebel and the Prince." A Search for an American Voice in Theater. New York: Films Media Group, 1999. Web.
Townsend, George Alfred. The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes Booth. New York: Dick and Fitzgerald, 1977. Project Gutenberg
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