"I find it difficult to remember lines": When Michael Gambon spoke about acting, his memory, and his method

British-Irish actor Michael Gambon, one of the most renowned and revered names in both theatre and cinema, passed away on Thursday, September 28, 2023. The 82-year-old is best known for portraying Albus Dumbledore in the wildly popular Harry Potter franchise. Gambon took over the role from the third film after the death of Richard Harris and was truly one of the industry's greatest.

Apart from his " acting skills, which saw him in multiple different roles over a career spanning decades, Michael Gambon was also known for his charm and wit. He was not the most conventional actor in Hollywood, having adopted various methods that are uncommon for actors. Michael Gambon always struggled to remember lines, unless he was deep into a play.

Going back to an interview the veteran actor did with The Guardian in 2014, Michael Gambon admitted to interviewer Michael Billington:

"I find it difficult to remember lines,...When I'm doing a long speech for television, I sometimes have an earpiece with someone feeding me the text. But I can get by in the theatre if I study hard for a couple of months."

He continued to expand on his acting method and performing in plays.

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Michael Gambon on his method of summoning images and being a doer than a thinker

Art can come in a variety of forms and the same art can come with different methodologies. For Gambon doing it was always more important to him than thinking about it, when it came to acting.

He explained the same when asked about crying on cue, something that Gambon had perfected over his glittering career, in the same interview. He said that he just did it as "that's what acting is."

He admitted to trying and summoning up a powerful image, one of which is that of a young girl in uniform taken during the Vietnam War. Gambon went on to describe the picture and stated that the girl's clothes and body were on fire due to an aerial bomb.

"I believe she recovered and is now a doctor, which makes me feel I'm not simply exploiting someone else's tragedy," Gambon said during the interview.

He also expressed his admiration for Alan Ayckbourn and said that he "fell in love with" Alan the day he met him. The two started with The Norman Conquests and did as many as eight other plays together. Michael added that Alan would tell people what they wanted to know and that he has a "brilliant way of solving problems."

"I suppose our most famous partnership was when he directed me as Eddie in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge at the National," Gambon recalled.

Of course, the world will miss Sir Michael Gambon's presence on the screen and stage as much as they will miss his humor and insight.

Over his six-decade-long career, Gambon accumulated three Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four BAFTA Awards. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

He will remain in the hearts of his fans forever.