5 Important Tools for the Passionate Actor

I began studying acting in 2012 but you could say I've been a student of the craft my entire life. I was always a quiet kid. While the rest of the second graders were forming , I was watching and observing from wherever I decided to camp that day. It actually wasn't until maybe fifth grade that I spoke my first word in school. Since then, my fascination with WHY people do the things they do has only grown. So when I discovered acting it was a no-brainer. When my first acting coach suggested I get into the habit of watching other people I almost laughed. For me this was something I subconsciously did but for some people it's almost like learning a new language. The minute subtleties in acting (as well as any art) are practically endless. Here are five key things that have helped me better understand acting as a craft.

1. OBSERVE- Watch people. Constantly. You don't have to make it creepy; just pay attention to the way people behave under various circumstances. Always ask 'Why'. Perhaps the woman yelling at the young blonde waitress over the temperature of her soup isn't really mad about the soup at all. Maybe the soup reminded her of the ugly divorce she's going through and the cute waitress looks a little too much like her husband's mistress. Or maybe the gentleman at the grocery store isn't particularly angry about the slow-moving checkout line. Perhaps he was recently fired from his job and the fact that he's spending money that he doesn't have is really eating away at him and the crowded grocery store is only making it worse. There's always underlying issues contributing to people's actions.

2. EMPATHY- "There are no villains". This is not saying that there aren't people that do bad things, but that everyone has deep personal reasons for doing the things they do. A lot of times it has to with a loss of power or love. When people carry out terrible acts, they're not simply doing it for no reason, they're desperately trying to take back the power that was taken from them in the past. Comprehending a character begins with understanding their emotional backstory.

3. SUBTEXT- Use personal experiences to relate to your character. If you've never had your car stolen, but your character is angry with someone for stealing their car, it's not enough always enough to just pretend you're mad. Try recalling a situation where something was stolen from you. Think about how you felt in that moment and hold on to those emotions as you read the scenes about the stolen car.

4. EXPERIMENT- The words we're saying do not always coincide with what we're thinking or how we feel. "Oh hey, it's nice to see you!" seems simple enough, but if it's someone you're not particularly fond of, your tone might sound dramatically different than if it was an old friend you haven't seen in years. We hide our true internal thoughts behind our words more than we'd like to admit and it's important to consider when adding depth to your character.

5. LETTING GO- Do your work and make sure you're comfortable with your decisions and then let go. You want your performance to be organic. You don't want to be doing mental gymnastics during a scene, so get comfortable with the work you've done, make sure you know your lines and simply do. It might be scary at first, but learn to trust that you've created a believable, organic character, let it all go and just flow with the scene. You might surprise yourself.