When it comes to acting, there are a couple of basic ways to get into character. One is to approach the art methodically, even scientifically. The other is to rely on your own experiences and trust your gut instinct. While it’s good to prepare for roles in an academic sense, your acting may come across as calculated or unnatural if you only engage your mind. On the other hand, acting without a plan and heavily relying upon your emotions can do the opposite, resulting in a performance that could come across as sloppy or inconsistent. Creativity needs boundaries, after all!
All this said, is there a happy medium? Should actors be governed by their heads or their hearts? Or is it fair to say they’d benefit from a little bit of both? Here are just four fruits that come from bridging your heart and mind as an actor.
1. Comfort. Do you know what it feels like when every fiber of your being is in accord with what you’ve set out to do? When your heart and head are on the same page, you’re happier. Becoming comfortable in a role is that much easier. Likewise, for a performance to come across well, actors needs to be secure in what they are doing. This assurance stems from a belief that the role is right for you. How can you know this? Before auditioning, put a role through your own filters to see if the opportunity is of interest to you on a personal level, and second, if you’re a good fit technically and artistically. Last but not least, consider whether you stand behind the story being told and if the role or production lines up with your values and brand. Connecting the dots between interest and fit establishes comfort and opens the door for confidence.
2. Confidence. You already know that you’re a good fit and that the role is one you’d love to list among your credits. Now, it’s time to own it! I’ve heard casting directors and producers say that actors who are comfortable (and by extension confident) are by far the easiest and most enjoyable people to work with. Actors who believe they belong in the room are hard to ignore and more fun to watch. Be one of these actors. Your ability to take direction will be better because you trust the process. You’ll trust the process because it is based upon the knowledge that the film, voiceover, or theatrical project is something you’re 100 percent comfortable working on. That confidence comes across in how you carry yourself, the way you interact with others, and in the choices you make. Authenticity comes from a head-to-heart connection resulting in a more honest and compelling read, free of hesitation or reservation. Being at peace with your work yields confidence, and confidence leads to conviction.
3. Conviction. Having conviction comes from being confident in what you know is right. How else can you do anything with purpose or fervor? For some people, this is where your passion and personality as an actor shines most brightly. You choose roles that reflect who you are and what you hold dear. The character you play is real to you and taking on the role provides you with the opportunity to become part of the larger story and dialogue going on. Your very involvement furthers the story and makes ripples of influence that will extend well beyond your lifetime. The stories you tell invite others into worlds they would never enter on their own, but do by means of the production you’re in. Actors who deliver their lines, move, and relate with conviction are unstoppable in terms of their ability to connect with and move an audience. These are actors who can change the world and how people see it, which leads to correlation.
4. Correlation. Think of some actors who, through their storytelling, have changed your life—what they said and how they said it left an impact on you. They connected with you through story, entwining part of their heart with yours. The heart and the head, when united in an actor, do more than just create believable performances, they create fusion, bringing families, cities and countries together. Imagine an entire cast together achieving this. Those are the productions we remember. Artistic and technical merit aside, it’s the connection that matters; it’s the seeing how everything comes together and why story, and most importantly, the great story unfolding all around us, matters.
When you’re comfortable, you become confident. When you’re confident, you have conviction. When you’ve got conviction, your audience is able to see the correlation between your world and theirs. Good storytelling is the coming together of many parts to make a whole. Just as the hand cannot say to the foot, “I have no need of you,” an actor’s heart and brain need to work together to create authentic, moving, and memorable performances. The goal of every actor is to tell a story with meaning. Tell your stories well.
Like this advice? Check out more from our Backstage Experts!
The views expressed in this article are solely that of the individual(s) providing them,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
