10 Greatest Film Characters Who Never Say A Word
Actions speak louder than words.
Harold Pinter once said that there are two types of silence: one where nothing is spoken, and one where a ceaseless torrent of conversation effectively takes meaning away from the words. Under normal circumstances, a huge part of an actor's performance is dependent on the dialogue they are given. That's how we determine the type of person that they are, and without those words, actors have to work even harder to develop characterization in a way that the audience can understand. So to play a character who, for one reason or another, does not speak, creates quite a challenge. When you don't have the luxury of words, you have to use your face and your body as the only way to communicate with not only the other characters in the film, but with the audience as well. Anyone who has seen particularly dated silent films knows how easy it is to fall into a pattern of overacting in an attempt to be understood. But in a way, it can be quite liberating to play a character who is free from meaningless chatter, and communicates in a more organic and genuine way. There are a number of actors who have risen to the challenge, and created really interesting characters that deserve to be recognized.