Henry Goodman: Researching Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (2000)

[Henry Goodman] I read everything I could get my hands on. John Gross did all the research, I know what Macklin did, what Kean did, what Irving did, what Olivier did and I’ve got other theses that have been sent to me during rehearsal and I had to decide from guys at Birmingham University and others, not even yet published, on what every actor did since 1930. There are others that John Gross did since 1615 and I thought alright, I’m going to cope with this, I’m going to read it. So I know which finger David Suchet lifted as he said which line. So what’s important about all that, and it’s not something I advise people to do, is that you then have to go back to, what is it all these people were trying to do?
What did Patrick Stewart do that for?
Why did he do that?
Nothing I do is totally original, nothing.

[Shylock] I will buy with you, sell with you, walk with you, talk with you and so following, but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.
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