Playing it safe doesn’t get you far, and Patrick Stewart learned that the hard way. As we mourn his passing, it's worth reflecting on an actor who embraced challenges, took risks in his work, and gave us iconic film and theatre performances, from Marvel movies to Star Trek and Shakespeare. It's a devotion to the arts and trying new ideas that we can all be inspired by.
You will never achieve success by insuring against failure
George Lucase
One moment early in his career led to one of Patrick Stewart's most inspirational quotes. Near the end of his time at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, his director Duncan Ross hauled him in for a dressing-down: Stewart was holding back, and it showed on stage. Ross’s advice stuck with him for years, when he was told: "You will never achieve success by insuring against failure".
As reported by Broadway World, Patrick Stewart repeated that advice over the years, and it’s easy to see yourself in it. We all have a go-to subject, a favourite brush, a style we know will land. And when a sketch starts heading somewhere odd, it’s tempting to bin it and start again. Play it safe long enough, though, and you end up making the same piece on repeat.
So next time you’re facing a blank canvas, try the thing you’re not sure about. It might flop. It might also give you something you’d never have found by sticking to what works.
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