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Whether it’s performing, working on a script, or preparing a scene for class, too many actors don’t trust their own instincts and impulses.
Rather than believe in their own feelings, actors often look outside themselves, asking for suggestions and recommendations on how to play a character. And while feedback can be useful, there’s a strong likelihood that the advice these actors get will have no connection to their own feelings about the material...which means that taking the advice makes their work impersonal and therefore, ineffective.
Actors too often find comfort in choices that aren’t their own, but thinking someone else knows what's right for you means you don’t trust yourself, that you flinch from your own thoughts.
So how can you overcome these feelings of self-doubt? This reliance on opinions that aren't your own? You need to risk going with your real, true feelings, thoughts and instincts.
Of course this is easier said than done, so it’s crucial to be aware of ways to recognize a gut feeling and find a way to trust it.
Here’s an example: You’re working on a character scene in class. The character, as written, reacts angrily to a letter he’s reading. You have a strong feeling that a powerful choice would be to have the character stop reading, drop the letter, and stare motionless. So you play the scene that way.
This stillness conveys strong, unspoken emotions which translate an intensity to the audience. You have followed your gut, and in turn, you’ve affected the audience.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it in “Self Reliance,” you have abided by your “spontaneous impression,” and it shows in your work.
I once read an article by a well-known director that talked about how proud he was of a scene in his movie where the actress gets very angry. While they were shooting, the actress began to cry despite no note to do so in the script.
After the take, she apologized for not following the script, but said the scene reminded her of an event in her own life and her impulse was to cry, not get angry. He told her that he loved it—far more than the anger—and kept it in the movie.
Trusting your thoughts and impulses takes courage and practice. But the extra effort gives rise to strong characters and powerful acting.
“To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-Reliance”
Bill Howey has been an acting teacher and coach for over 30 years in Los Angeles and Denver, Colorado and now Phoenix Arizona. Many of his clients have gone onto successful careers in the business. He conducts scene study workshops and offers private acting coaching at his studio in Mesa, Arizona. He began his professional acting career at the Cleveland Play House. He also appeared on television and in film. Bill produced live TV in Australia and has produced and directed independent films. His book, The Actor’s Menu is available here. For more information, visit to www.billhowey.com.
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