Act Baby! Pt. 2

Recap: In our acting segment of class I am giving a lecture series. This is a new technique we are attempting to try to give the student a base to work off of before putting principles into action. More importantly, through their written answers, we will know if they truly understand and internalize the concepts. Last week;s lesson: finding a purpose to perform.

Part two of the lecture series - Lose Yourself

This is a huge one. Those two words encompass so much of what we build
our acting skills upon.

    To give a definition of what I mean by "lose yourself" is very difficult. I'll try... in a sentence it means to lose who you are so as to fully allow a character to live through you. Bringing it to life
by removing the barriers you impose on it by the your own limits and personality.

There are levels to oneself, to lose them we must dissect who we are.

    We have the outward person, the things others can see. Our behavior, habits, posture, reactions, etc. Think about how you sit, what do you do when nervous, responses to happenings, facial expressions, and all of those actions particular to ourselves. These are key in assuming a character. He will probably sit, react, talk differently than us. These subconscious parts to us are difficult to
lose without seeming forced, but with much practice you can make it look effortless.

     Then we have the even more challenging task of wiping away our inward person. Basically what makes us individuals,what makes you....you. Dreams, ambitions, fears, past, opinions, and all that
good stuff. This inner person shapes the outer. As a beginner we have to consciously pick apart the depths of our personality and more importantly why it is. Why are you you? Only then can you wipe it away to start anew.

   Pick actors who you exemplify for their skills of assuming a complete persona. Think of those who are able to play contrasting roles. Learn from them. Will Smith, Amy Adams, Sandra Bullock, Josh
Peck (haha) these actors all played contrasting characters well.

    So why all of this? Why as young actors should we go through a confusing concept and long process of "losing yourself" to play a part? Because when we do we become UNLIMITED, freed of our own person and inhibitions! We are free to completely assume a character; to become something we are often incapable of. We can become a hero or even a saint. Imagine - we have 100℅ of ourselves, that means if we want to fill ourselves up with a complete 100% character we must empty out all of of that 100% because once we exceed that 100% we become an unreal cluttered ineffective mess of a character ( that was very difficult to put into writing sorry). Once we get to 0% we can add whatever we need in.

Sometimes our most powerful acting comes when we put some of 'us' into the character.

   Heath Ledger as the Joker in "DARK KNIGHT" was the best example of this in today's Hollywood. From his facial tick, to pronunciation, to posture. The performance was conclusive, deep, complete, consistent, and real. For a fantasy comic book villain with over the top acting
and so much added habits he was real and hit home.

Last reason to lose yourself....??IT Is FUNNN. We get to be someone else to explore imagine and create. See life through another's eyes. Some actors are confident secure and love the thrill of acting and what it brings to the world. That's not most of us. Many actors are insecure and uncomfortable in their own skin -- they can't wait to get out of it. They crave the attention, the praise, and the self gratification of acting. This is destructive. Loving the spotlight is one thing but needing it is whole other monster that eats you up. It is why we see seemingly dream come true celebrities consistently destroying their lives, leaving them in pieces. Their divorces, addictions, and failures are left in the wake. Don't fall into this. Last week you sought a higher purpose for performing than applause, remember that always. This being said, let acting be your outlet and release. It can be a crucial part to keeping you sane whether on Broadway or your local community stage.

    In closing, identify your ticks and habits and small idiosyncrasies and
when you lose yourself they will be gone and you will be ready to give the most believable performance of your life. (If we literally took ourselves away without any character to assume we would be a lifeless blob lol so we must know the character we are becoming). Next weeks topic- Identifying a Character!