EARLY LIFE
SoCultures: Good one, sir! Let us know about your early
life. What led you to the life of a theatre artist?
Chaplin: My full name is Charles Spencer Chaplin. I
recall….my father was a versatile vocalist and my mother,
Hannah Chaplin under the stage name of Lily Harley was
an actress and singer known for light opera work. She used
to be a music hall singer which made me and my brothers
watch her backstage. One day, she suddenly lost her voice
in the middle of a show and the crowd went crazy.
On that day, to continue the show, the production manager
pushed me, a 5 year old kid, to sing. To everyone’s
surprise the wild card worked, everyone was awed by my
natural presence and comedic timing. I continued my
journey from there on to become a world famous artist.
SoCultures : Was it hard growing up supporting your
"I NEED TO GET
BETTER AT
INTERVIEWS."
family from the early age itself?
Chaplin: Yes, it was. I used to be a newspaper vendor, the
doctor’s boy and even made toys etc., to support my
family…of course, with my brother’s help. But, my
ultimate aim was to become an actor and it always
remained on my mind. I used to polish my shoes, put on
some neat clothes and approached theatrical agencies.
SoCultures : That was something which many people
don’t know about your life. What was that first incident
which introduced Chaplin’s comedic angle to the world?
Chaplin: My surprise entry onto the stage to calm down
the audience was that life-altering incident. I imitated my
mother’s cracking voice along with subtle body moments
which created a great impact and the audience couldn’t
stop laughing at it.
s
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD CHAPLIN9
ABOVE PIC0,
45 SOCULTURES JAN-FEB2019
Lita Grey, whose bitter divorce from Chaplin
caused a scandal
picture credits: wikimedia
S