Whether you're preparing for a physically or emotionally demanding role, acting is all about being in a comfortable place that lets us express ourselves and be vulnerable. This means before we even begin preparing, we need to create a safe and supportive environment where we are comfortable, being uncomfortable! There are a myriad of acting techniques that one can implement to help prepare oneself. We need to learn how to get out of our own heads and into our body and our heart, to allow ourselves to access who we really are and how we really feel about things so that we may bring that to our work. I've found digging deep into my personal feelings and life experiences and using them as fuel for my acting, has been the most successful preparation technique for demanding roles. Acting isn't about pretending. Instead it's about using our imagination to tap in to our deepest feelings and learning how to bring that to our work. My coaching at The Talent Spot focuses on helping actors develop a point of view that helps unlock their true self. The you that your friends or family see, that vulnerable side of yourself that isn't always available to the world. We do this by finding the emotional language of our material. Then, we search for an applicable situation in one's life that draws that feeling out, to with the material as if it was our own words, and scene partner as if it was someone really from their life. Once you begin taking time prior to a scene or a monologue, to day dream about the who, what, and why of your life and how it relates to the scene, you will understand how to prepare for any role. And how to just, be yourself!
Artistic Director | Acting Coach at Matthew Corozine Acting Studio & Theatre
Answered a year ago
Go to the gym for your outer body and go to an acting coach for your inner life. Seriously, by staying prepared and in class consistantly. Acting is Physical. It demands your concentration and so much energy, not to mention our instincts and impulses are physical sensations in the body when we are in the moment. Get the words memorized so you don't have to think about them and let yourself play. find the emotional preparation, where you are starting from emotionally, characters back story why they are the way they are, relate it to you. set your intention, what's in your way, how do you get what you want? tactics? substitute the meaning the character has about imaginary circumstances, use "as if...." and what other characters mean to you.....do all your homework so you can let it go and let the scene "do you".
• For an actor to really indulge themselves in a role that is physically and emotionally demanding, the main thing is to connect with both the physical life and the emotional life of the character. As a director and producer, my first tactic is to do an in-depth character analysis and explaining it to the actor so he can get form a visual image of the character in their mind. For physical charisma, I often use special tailorized training for the actor which includes personalized plans, workshops and guidance from the movement coaches. And for the actor to emotionally connect with the character, I use method acting technique and give the actor the time and space to feel what the character needs to feel and bring it out aggressively as needed. One more strategy that I use is the recall factor i.e. ask the actor to focus on sensory details that they are exposed to in the scene, and then their acting reflect the emotions that are needed.