The Most Famous Actor You Don’t Know

Gallerano: Austin is very similar to Bill Cunningham [the New York Times’ society photographer] in that everyone in fashion knows who he is, he’s of the utmost importance, and yet if you see him walking down a street you just see a crazy eccentric in a blue jacket taking pictures of someone.

Paste: Why do you think there is such a dichotomy between Pendleton the character actor who works consistently but who is not a huge star, and Pendleton the theater figure who is held in such high esteem?
Holmes: Well, that’s a big question but it deals with the nature of art. His roles in movies—the goofy professorial types that he gets typecast in, play much easier because of the way he looks and his stutter and his general unkempt appearance, which makes sense to a whole large group of people. But the kind of stuff that he does in theater is much more alive. It’s why guys like Philip Seymour Hoffman took on the mantle of what Austin was doing so well. He kept a film career that allowed him to support a very earnest theater career.

Gallerano: Even when Philip Seymour Hoffman had his big break, arguably with Capote, I would say, he was doing theater that had changed everyone’s opinion on how to look at that art form for an entire decade prior to that, and it was the exact same trajectory artistically as Austin until they were put on a different path. When Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away, the lights on Broadway were dimmed, and I thought that they would never do that for Austin, and yet everyone in the theater scene in New York has a profound story that moved them while working with Austin, and he instilled that in Hoffman as well.

Paste: Given the standards that Hollywood places on looks and appearances, it’s easier to carve a niche in theater and then, within that niche, act on a higher plane?
Holmes: It’s interesting because Wallace Shawn [The Princess Bride] says something interesting in the documentary, he says that it’s more likely that he would be elected president of the United States than be cast as president. It’s a very true statement but it’s very funny when you look at someone like Bernie Sanders—no one would cast that guy as president either!

Paste: One idea touched on repeatedly in the documentary is that Pendleton just wants to work, and that the work is almost more important than any esteem attached to it. Is that correct in thinking?
Gallerano: That’s a huge aspect, the importance of just doing the work. Because you have no control over the rest, and if you think you do then you’re wrong because that’s not how this business operates. The only thing you can control is how you approach the work and how you handle your journey while doing the work. The rest is just crazy. Everyone wants to be successful but sooner or later you have to break down the definition of what success might be.

Holmes: That attitude has certainly helped Austin’s career. As an actor myself and following Austin’s lead and getting to know this business, you realize that a lot of actors become bitter with age, but Austin has none of that. Whether he’s doing a play where he’s acting or directing with huge stars or he’s doing something with students, the priority is always good work where you can be proud of it. There is a monk-like restless obsession with just working, and I think for actors and other professions that can be a great guidepost. Just look at Philip Seymour Hoffman, he brought the same energy to collaborate and work with as many people as possible, or Ethan Hawke, who is the same way. These are all students of Austin and you can feel that influence in so many actors throughout New York, Chicago and throughout the world.