‘Being Yourself’ is never enough
‘Being Yourself’ is never enough
How often do actors read a script and say, “I know what I’d do in this situation”, or “This part is exactly like me”. We have learned in classes to ‘pull from our personal experiences’ and to ‘act natural’, but I believe too many actors are misinterpreting or misunderstanding what is meant by these statements.
When actors begin the study of acting, there may be an emphasis on ‘getting them in touch with their feelings’. We hear things like ‘how do you feel’ or ‘what did it feel like when…’ But that is before they start to develop characters. Unfortunately, many actors stop studying before they develop the ability to become someone else who has a completely different view of life and, therefore, a completely different set of beliefs, values and feelings associated with any particular situation.
It’s true that we should ‘be ourselves’ at times (like when meeting an agent or entering an audition), but to assume that the character would behave like we do in a particular situation is a gross misunderstanding.
Here are some thoughts on the subject that may help.
Premise #1: Effective Storytelling relies on establishing Drama
Premise #2: Drama is a direct result of Characters in Conflict
Premise #3: It is our (the actor’s) nature in Everyday Life to try to avoid Conflict
THEREFORE: If Storytelling relies on Drama, Drama is a result of characters being in Conflict and real people (other than sociopaths) try to avoid conflict in their lives, BEING YOURSELF will NEVER create the conflict and drama necessary to tell stories!
Granted, characters are not ALWAYS at a fever-pitched emotional level in every scene, but they ARE always at a higher level than you or I would be if we were in the same situation. The key to playing a scene is NOT to ‘be yourself’, but rather to ‘do what you WISH you could do’ if you were in that situation with that character’s history and beliefs.
How often do we see the guy in a scene stand up to the bully or bad guy? And don’t we always say to ourselves, “Boy, I wish I could do that!”? Of course, our hero then gets the snot beaten out of him for having such a ‘smart mouth’, and we (the audience) learn that keeping a civil tongue and mild temper is much better for our survival.
In life, we may WANT to take a swing at the person flirting with our spouse, but we don’t dare do it because we consider the consequences before acting. Characters DON’T THINK about consequences. Or if they do, they do not have the self-control that we do in real life. Even when characters know they are doing something they will regret later, they do not have the control to keep from doing it. In real life, our self control and the ability to avoid conflict is the key to our survival… as much as they may try, CHARACTERS LACK our self control, and that keeps them in conflict… and keeps us interested in their fate throughout the story.
So, when you get that initial gut feeling that you know ‘exactly what the character would think, feel and do’, take another look. Imagine how someone who is not NEARLY as stable as you are would react in that situation… then think of another character that would be even LESS able to handle it. Now, THAT’S the character we want to see. THAT character will have conflict. THAT character will be INTERESTING!
And finding THAT character takes training, time and talent. See you on the set!
Ken Grant
A Sensible Approach to Acting
We welcome your comments.
‘Awesome’ only begins to describe last night’s meeting. It was unquestionably the best FAB ACTion meeting I have had the pleasure of attending. If you are looking for an instructor who will help you take your career to the next level, call Ken and enroll in his next class.