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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

Robby Benson speaks at IU Cinema

Originally, director Jeremy Kagen said he did not choose actor Robby Benson for the 1981 film “The Chosen,” because he didn’t think Benson would be able to play a short-tempered character.

When asked during the Q&A at the IU Cinema’s Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lecture Series about how they met, Benson said he took drastic measures to get the part.

“It infuriated me to think somebody thought I couldn’t be infuriated,” 
Benson said.

As a result, Benson went to Kagan’s home, grabbed him by his chest, pushed him against a wall and asked if he was angry enough to play the role then.

Kagan said he immediately offered Benson the role.

Benson, a professor of practice in the IU Media School, was featured as part of the 
Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Lecture Series on Friday.

The event was monitored by Kagan, a fellow filmmaker who had a guest lecture of his own Thursday.

While introducing the one-on-one interview 
between Benson and Kagan, IU Provost Lauren Robel described the event as an 
opportunity to watch two outstanding artists engaged in conversation.

Kagan said he had been looking forward to 
interviewing Benson, with whom he has only communicated with
electronically through the years.

“This was really special, because I haven’t gotten to speak with Robby since ‘The Chosen,’” he said. “That was about 35 years ago.”

Throughout his multifaceted career, Benson has worked as an actor on both screen and stage, directed and produced television series and films, composed film soundtracks and received multiple RIAA Gold Records.

Robel said Benson has accomplished more than most artists are able to in a lifetime.

One of Benson’s more recent works is his personal memoir, “I’m Not Dead Yet,” which reveals his struggle in going through four open-heart surgeries over the course of his life.

Kagan asked Benson several questions ranging from who mentored him to how his mortality has changed his outlook on life.

Throughout Benson’s artistic career, he has also worked in academia. He has taught at multiple colleges, including New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, since the 1980s.

In 2013, he accepted a position with IU’s telecommunications department.

During the Q&A portion of the lecture, Benson was asked what made him want to move to Bloomington.

Following his fourth 
open-heart surgery, Benson said, he wasn’t able to handle the stress of New York City anymore, and he said the embracing atmosphere IU’s faculty offered won him over.

“If I could get on a mountaintop and scream, ‘IU,’ I’d do it,” he said.

Jesse Pasternack, a sophomore, IU Cinema volunteer and writer for IDS Weekend, said the crowd for Benson’s lecture was larger than their normal audiences.

“He’s been a part of the community for a long time, and he helps and works with a lot of people on campus,” Pasternack said.

Benson offered several pieces of advice throughout the event, including how to direct different actors, the importance of rhythm in comedy, and the differences between acting on Broadway and acting on film.

Because of his musical background, Benson said he always looks at things from a musical perspective, both in his acting and in his 
directing.

“All art aspires to music,” he said. “It’s all music to me.”

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