The Technique This ‘Never Have I Ever’ Star Uses to Squash His ‘Neuroses’

The following Career Dispatch was written by Dino Petrera, who stars on Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever”; the second season is now streaming. 

Can I be honest? The whole “fake it ’til you make it” strategy has somehow served me well. My career literally involves pretending to be someone I’m not and (more often than I should admit) that has meant committing to something I was not fully convinced I could do—until I did. The thing is, a 4K camera placed inches from your face will only magnify the slightest flicker of inauthenticity in your eyes, before you even utter your first line. If you don’t find a way to believe the words you’re saying, your audience most certainly won’t either.

First things first: preparation is key. I mean this in every sense of the word. If you don’t know the lines, you can’t deliver them. Sure, kind of obvious. But like, know them. Don’t just memorize words verbatim like a robot. If it helps you to better assign a more personal intention to every beat, translate each line into your own words on the margins of the script. But beyond all that, take time to consider the “moment before” your scene starts (shoutout to the Josie DiVincenzo Acting Studio for drilling this one into me). 

Whether you’re prepping a scene for an audition or the set, build yourself multiple runways for takeoff. Paint very specific pictures of where you could be and what you’re doing before the scene starts. Taking the time to do this will give you an almost tangible place to drop into as your mind starts racing right before “ACTION!” A good test for this can be checking in with each of the five senses and/or your current breathing rhythm. I love doing this before an audition because it forces me to check back into the present moment and out of my neuroses.

Of course, what goes up must come down. Unless you’re planning to commit indefinitely to some alternate fantasy, the scene is gonna need a final destination for landing. Off Book Acting with Will Doughty in Los Angeles taught me to “bridge the gap between the ‘work’ of preparation and ‘play’ in a performance” by marrying a cold read of the text with an improvised continuation of what was on the page. This exercise can help fortify the arc of the scene as intended by the writer, while also accessing one’s own instincts under the given circumstances.

In case I haven’t completely run the airplane analogy into the ground, I’ll wrap up with the value of enlisting a co-pilot. Personally, I find a human connection to be the most gratifying motivation for acting. I can memorize “An Actor Prepares” cover to cover, but I’ll only get so far without someone to apply Stanislavsky’s principles with. One way to secure this for yourself is by enrolling in acting classes/workshops. At the very least, you’ll find other like-minded, self-invested peers to train with and radio in when that last-minute audition pops up on your radar. Do remember to also help secure their oxygen mask, when the time comes.