I just watched Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War and was reminded again of why he's one of my favorite actors. He is one the rare performers who seems as if he can disappear completely into a role and erase himself. Of course the person behind the role still exists but like a magic trick achieved through intense focus we are fooled into believing a new person has been created in front of our eyes. Once when I was taking an acting class in New York the teacher told an anecdote about having him as a student. She was auditioning a role for an old man and greeted the person auditioning like an older stranger. Bemused, the young man said to her, "It's me, Phil." He had so transformed himself only through movement and gestures she hadn't recognized him. It reminded me of that great Kurt Vonnegut short story "Who am I This time?" about a timid young man who becomes unrecognizable the moment he steps on stage embodying the characters he plays fully before returning to himself.