Acting Thoughts.

Yesterday, I was showing my audition tape to my coworkers who are not actors but are professional ballroom dancers. After they watched it, one of them repeated a line from my audition "I needed to talk to you". And it killed me. It killed me because he did it better than I did on my audition tape. Moreover, he came from Italy three years ago and his English is to put it mildly "not too good". But it did not matter because I knew that the way he said it was simple and honest while the way I acted it on camera was projected. That was my best acting lesson. We all know that often actors when put in front of the camera get a little bit too much energy. Well, at least I do. And I feel in the moment like it's never enough just to realize later on that it was a little bit too much. I noticed that during my recent casting experience as well. As soon as I ask an actor to simply say exactly what the words mean without trying to put emotional take on it, the whole world changes and camera WORSHIPS that moment. That's why, I keep telling to all my acting friends and myself that the best thing an actor can do is to bring him/herself into the acting space and share the truth that they see in the character. The rest is going to happen.

I also hear a lot of debates on acting techniques and methods. I've read a lot of books on acting. I've read Stanislavsky in Russian and English. And the only thing I can say is that he himself said that his observations and techniques were just that- observations and techniques. He actually clearly stated that it's just another way to help an actor to create an interesting and truthful behavior. He begged his pupils to play and be vulnerable. That's why, I believe that the best thing an actor can do is to keep discovering his/her own potential and passions as a human being. And when the time comes to audition for a character all you have to do is to spend a few days adjusting some of your traits and behaviors in a way that fits the description of your character. So when you have to say "I needed to talk to you", you simply say it without projecting it.

Since acting is an art form, I believe that all the people out there who give you "the science of booking your audition" or "15 steps to nail your next audition" might not be familiar with what actually actors are going through sometimes. For instance, for the last audition tape that I just described, I did not have time to have a good breakfast because my director and I had to film it, edit it, and send it all in one day, and we all had to go to work right after. And knowing my body, I knew that I would be extremely hyper during filming. And it shows. I am hyper on camera. Luckily, my character is a fighter who also has energy that is not a regular person type of energy. So for me, step number one is to always have a good meal before I film to avoid being too hyper if my character is not hyper in that specific scene. How am I supposed to know what your steps need to be in order to bring your best for the take? All I know is that a good sleep; a quiet mind; and excited spirit along with hydrated skin can never hurt. I also noticed that when I truly listen to the words of my acting partner, I engage myself into the conversation which automatically engages my viewer into my space. That is ONE UNIVERSAL RULE THAT WE ALL HEARD AT SOME POINT OF OUR LIVES: LISTEN. Do I need to be an actor or acting coach to know the value of this most sacred active verb ever pronounced?

That will be it for now. Enjoy your day today.