Michael Billington on actors

Actors, I criticise you because I careAm I soft on actors? David Hare said so in our lively on-stage encounter during the recent Guardian Open Weekend. I've been asking myself ever since whether I do apply a double standard: am I more likely to be harsh on writers and directors than on performers?I'd say that, historically, British critics are less abusive than their US counterparts towards actors. No one I know has the obsession with physical appearances that led US critic John Simon to say, a ...

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