Internet 《建党伟业》剧照

To play a famous political leader or war hero is a daunting task for any actor.

对于任何一位演员来说，扮演一位著名政治领袖或战斗英雄都是个令人头疼的活儿。在西方，这些角色通常由性格演员扮演，而非那些外貌相似的明星脸们。演员们先要练习怎样模仿名人说话，学会呈现他们的面部表情和举止。而后才是借助化妆以及道具的帮助，以达到某种相似的效果。

British actress Helen Mirren played the lead role in The Queen, a movie about the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death.

英国女演员海伦•米伦曾在影片《女王》中扮演主角伊丽莎白女王二世，这是一部记录戴安娜王妃身亡后续事件的影片。

Mirren said she felt comfortable in the role as soon as a gray wig was put on her head. It so altered her appearance that she felt as if she was Queen Elizabeth II.

海伦•米伦回忆到，扮演伊丽莎白女王二世的时候很放松，当她带上了那头灰白色假发时，整个形象被彻底改变了。那一刻起，她仿佛感觉自己就是真正的伊利莎白女王二世。

It’s difficult for an actor to play a famous historic figure without slipping into caricature. In other words, exaggerating the way the character speaks or moves to the point where it becomes comical.

对于演员而言，能够成功扮演一位历史名人而不陷入拙劣模仿，这是项艰巨的任务。换而言之，过度夸张地表现人物的谈吐与举止只会演变为一场滑稽表演。

British actor Timothy Spall played Winston Churchill in the Oscar-winning film, The King’s Speech.

英国男演员蒂莫西•斯波曾在奥斯卡获奖影片《国王的演讲》中扮演了温斯顿•丘吉尔一角。

Spall admitted: “I’m very nervous about playing an icon. This is a part where you can’t hide behind a bad impersonation.”

他承认：“扮演一位偶像人物这令我感到十分紧张，就连拙劣的表演也无法掩饰这份紧张。

Some critics complained about Spall’s performance as Churchill. One critic described him as “pouting, scowling and waddling around like The Penguin” (in the Batman movies).

一些评论家对于蒂莫西•斯波对于丘吉尔一角的诠释颇有微词，一些人形容他在剧中的表演就是“撅嘴、皱眉，以及同《蝙蝠侠》中企鹅人一样蹒跚走路”。

In other words, Spall was accused of delivering a caricature of Churchill.

换句话说，人们指责蒂莫西•斯波只是带来了一个丘吉尔的夸张模仿秀。

I watched the movie and I thought Spall’s performance was spot on. He didn’t look like the great man, but he’d captured Churchill’s essence.

我看过这部影片，但我认为蒂莫西•斯波的表演很到位。虽然他看起来与伟人相差甚远，但他着实抓住了丘吉尔的精髓。

Celebrity look-alikes in the West generally are not considered actors. They are ordinary folk who, by an accident of birth, resemble someone famous.

在西方，长着一副“名人脸”的人并不能称之为演员。他们只是因为出生的造化，模仿一些名人的普通人罢了。

Personally, I wonder what’s the point? Marilyn Monroe was justifiably famous for her beauty and acting. David Beckham is renowned for his soccer skills. Elvis Presley had a wonderful voice.

我自己很想知道问题究竟出在哪里，玛丽莲•梦露因为其美貌和表演而无可争议地声名大噪。贝克汉姆因球技而闻名于世，猫王埃尔维斯•普雷斯利则拥有一副天籁嗓音。

Celebrity look-alikes may appear to be the double of someone famous, but they don’t have the talent.

尽管那些“名人脸”们和名人们拥有相似外表，但是他们并不具有同样的天赋。

Yet there are lots of agencies with lists of look-alikes. For a fee, they will appear in your TV commercial, at your corporate entertainment event, marketing promotion, wedding or private party.

如今，很多代理机构的手里都掌握着一众“名人脸”。只要付费，他们就可以出现在你的电视广告中，你公司的娱乐活动上，市场促销上，甚至是婚庆或私人派对上。

It strikes me as kind of spooky, but then I’m not starstruck.

尽管我觉得“名人脸”有些怪异，但我正是那种不被名人效应震慑的人。