20101029 Daniel Craig From Stage to Screen (1)

Daniel Craig: From Stage to Screen

One of Britain's busiest actors brings "Bond" into the 21st century

Like many little boys in the 1970s, Daniel Craig dreamed of being James Bond, but as an adult actor, he never aspired to play the part. Yet it was this very role as the famous secret agent that turned Craig into a Hollywood superstar.

A young star in the making

Craig was born in 1968 in Chester, England, to parents Tim and Olivia Craig. His mother, who at one time had acting aspirations, exposed her son to theatrical productions at a very young age. It came as no surprise when Craig earned his very first role at age 6 in his primary school's production of the musical Oliver.

Soon after, Craig accompanied his father to see his first Bond movie, and the impact of the two experiences resulted in his catching the acting bug! He might not have been a great student, but according to his high school drama teacher Hilary Green, He was one of the school's best actors. She said that it was clear from his very first audition that "he was a natural on the stage ... and quite exceptional."

Others must have agreed because at age 16 Craig auditioned and was accepted into London's National Youth Theater (NYT).

aspire to 渴求

=> have a strong desire to achieve something

aspire to something 渴望得到某樣東西

eg: She aspired to receive recognition and praise from her husband.

=> 她很渴望得到她的丈夫認同和讚美。

aspire to do something 渴望做某件事

eg: Frank aspired to be a computer game designer.

=> Frank 渴望成為電腦遊戲的設計師。

theatrical adj. 戲劇的/為求戲劇效果的

=> something related to theater

eg: Most of the children's theatrical costumes were made by their parents.

=> 大部分小朋友的戲服都是他們父母做的。

eg: The actress' theatrical background helped her a great deal with her performances in movies.

=> 這位女演員戲劇性的背景大大幫助了她在電影中的表現。

bug n. 熱衷/著迷

=> 大多數都使用單數型

=> strong enthusiasm for something

catch ... bug 迷上某種事物

eg: Charlie recently caught the fitness bug, and now he goes to the gym almost every day.

=> Charlie最近迷上了健身，他現在幾乎每天都去健身房。

be bitten by ... bug 迷上某種事物

eg: Janet has been bitten by the knitting bug.

=> Janet迷上了打毛線。

secret agent 特務

in the making

=> in the procssing of being made

audition 面試

=> a short performance

//== Chat room ==//

break a leg 祝演員表演有好運

= good luck

break a leg 祝福，祝……成功

=> 在演藝圈祝福某個演員在表演的時候能夠有好運

=> 因為許多演員迷信覺得講good luck反而不吉祥，故講break a leg

=> 另一種說法是表演結束後當觀眾在鼓掌喝采時演員必須要出來謝幕

=> 謝幕的動作往往是要屈膝鞠躬，

=> 屈膝又稱做break a leg

=> 因此祝一個人break a leg是希望他得到熱烈的掌聲

=> 讓他能出來謝幕

=> 最後一種說法是在古時候如果觀眾很喜歡一場演出就會丟錢幣到舞台上

=> 演員必須要break a leg 彎曲他的腿才能夠撿到這些錢

=========================

break 幸運/好運

=> a piece of good luck

a big break

a lucky break

eg: He got his big break when he was in college.

=> 當他讀大學的時候，幸運女神眷顧了他

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

His mother, who at one time had acting aspirations, exposed her son to theatrical productions from a very young age.

=> His mother who had acting aspirations in the past exposed her son to theatrical productions from a very young age.

at one time

=> in the past

eg: At one time, people used pay phones if they needed to make phone calls when they weren't home, but now we have the convenience of cell phones.

eg: See all these fancy office buildings in frong of you? At one time, there was nothing here but cows and grass.