Bruce Lee said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times".
I am wondering, as it pertains to performing. Do you think it is necessary to know a lot of skills or maybe just a few or just one? I know there some instructors that will push for learning a lot of skills (singing, dancing, acting, stunt work etc.). Then there are some that are a little more intensive on just one skill. I think we have seen actors succeed either way, but what do you think? What has worked for you?
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One thing to note is that Bruce Lee, while is perfectly right, we must bear in mind, he wasn't suggesting knowing one thing or know fewer things. He was more saying, perfect one thing before you move to the next. If you have not mastered the basics then it doesn't matter how much advanced stuff you know, because you would be incompetent at most if not all of them. However, if you do one thing 10,000 times you will master it.
Many actors have gotten by in their career having a narrow range. People will say Keanu Reeves, Samuel L Jackson, Jim Carey, Robert Patinson and Sylvester Stallone only have one range. Not true. If you have watched the breadth of their career, you will see they have exhibited range, however, there is a style each of them has that they have clearly perfected and they clearly keep getting called because of that one perfection.
Keanu Reeves was not originally a martial artist, but after Point Break, Speed, Scanner Darkly and especially the Matrix, by the time he got to John Wick, he looked like a master. People say he acts like plastic, yet it has made him an iconic character across 3 major film franchises
Does it help to have a lot of skills? Certainly! But develop them one at a time.
This is the 10,000 hours philosophy. If you practice a skill for 10,000 hours you will master it.