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Pip (Lee Osorio) in Book-It's Great Expectations
Photo: Alan Alabastro
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Lee Osorio made his Seattle debut this year playing Pip in Book-It’s current production of Great Expectations.
Pip’s pursuit of becoming a gentleman and winning the heart of the
aloof Estella forms the core of Charles Dicken’s perennially dramatized
novel and his adventures range from gothic encounters with the shut-in
Miss Haversham to the high life in London of a young man with
“expectations.” Osorio discussed the enduring appeal of Pip in a recent interview. Great Expectations continues at Center House Theatre through March 13.
Pip has played by so many actors -- John Mills to Ethan Hawke -- did you watch any of these performances to prepare or do you steer clear of others' interpretations?
As an actor, I love seeing as many interpretations as possible. I am a strong believer that all great artists steal. The Ethan Hawke version was one of my favorite movies in high school, and in preparation for this I watched parts of the latest BBC miniseries. Ultimately, I have to make this script and this character my own.
What do you think is Pip's most endearing trait?
Pip's innocence, and I think that it is his greatest weakness as well. With his parents dead and an abusive sister, he looks for love where he can find it. I think it is his desire to be "good" that makes him want to be a gentleman. Unfortunately, he blinds himself to the harm that he does to those that care about him most in pursuing that dream. Even at his ugliest moments, Pip’s behavior is purely human. I think we've all stood in his shoes.
Who is more frightening in Pip's first encounter with them in this production -- Magwitch the convict in the graveyard or Miss Haversham in her strange room?
I think the encounter with Magwitch is much more frightening.Graveyards are unsettling enough on their own, but to be attacked by a stranger while mourning your parents, and especially at such a young age, is terrifying.Miss Havisham is intriguing to Pip. She is so different from anyone else he has ever met, or ever will meet, that she fascinates him. I think that there is a bond between them, a recognition of spirit that unites them. She sees in him another human that wears his heart entirely on his sleeve, and her bitterness leads her to completely use that against him.
Dickens very famously wrote two endings for Great Expectations, one where Pip and Estella were reunited and one where they were not. Which do you prefer for your Pip?
I'm a romantic, so I prefer to see Pip and Estella together at the end. I think that we all know that their relationship will not be an easy one, they both have a lot of baggage to sort out, but I think that they are meant for each other. No one else could understand why they are the way that they are. They represent for each other at the end of the story the only possibility for true companionship.
Pip has played by so many actors -- John Mills to Ethan Hawke -- did you watch any of these performances to prepare or do you steer clear of others' interpretations?
As an actor, I love seeing as many interpretations as possible. I am a strong believer that all great artists steal. The Ethan Hawke version was one of my favorite movies in high school, and in preparation for this I watched parts of the latest BBC miniseries. Ultimately, I have to make this script and this character my own.
What do you think is Pip's most endearing trait?
Pip's innocence, and I think that it is his greatest weakness as well. With his parents dead and an abusive sister, he looks for love where he can find it. I think it is his desire to be "good" that makes him want to be a gentleman. Unfortunately, he blinds himself to the harm that he does to those that care about him most in pursuing that dream. Even at his ugliest moments, Pip’s behavior is purely human. I think we've all stood in his shoes.
Who is more frightening in Pip's first encounter with them in this production -- Magwitch the convict in the graveyard or Miss Haversham in her strange room?
I think the encounter with Magwitch is much more frightening.Graveyards are unsettling enough on their own, but to be attacked by a stranger while mourning your parents, and especially at such a young age, is terrifying.Miss Havisham is intriguing to Pip. She is so different from anyone else he has ever met, or ever will meet, that she fascinates him. I think that there is a bond between them, a recognition of spirit that unites them. She sees in him another human that wears his heart entirely on his sleeve, and her bitterness leads her to completely use that against him.
Dickens very famously wrote two endings for Great Expectations, one where Pip and Estella were reunited and one where they were not. Which do you prefer for your Pip?
I'm a romantic, so I prefer to see Pip and Estella together at the end. I think that we all know that their relationship will not be an easy one, they both have a lot of baggage to sort out, but I think that they are meant for each other. No one else could understand why they are the way that they are. They represent for each other at the end of the story the only possibility for true companionship.