Bigthink - Idea Comments Feed

Comment on: Actors, how do you get into character?

Bigthink — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:39:09 +0100

For an actor, trying to "find your character" is not the true pursuit. After all, what is your character -- in life or in a play? A character is not a monolithic structure; it is a writhing heap of pebbles. What Laurence Olivier believed Hamlet's essence to be is not what Mel Gibson believed -- and neither is what Shakespeare had in mind. (And critics always disagree: T.S. Eliot famously criticized Hamlet for its lack of objective correlative). Trying to "find" a character is, in fact, a way of distancing oneself from the real goal, which is simply and fully being the character.

If you have been cast in a given role, you must ask yourself "What would I do under these circumstances?" and be truthful to your essence. If you are, the audience will see a fully-realized character on stage: YOU!

As a craft, acting is the celebration of everyone's unique essence and ability. The greatest actors know what they are and know how to be themselves fully. They also know what they need to do to allow that to happen -- whether it be total relaxation, drug stimulants, vocal training, or even complete removal from society. And for some, it's just the right pair of shoes.

There are tons of rehearsal techniques and training programs which offer exactly this process -- how to break into the self and find what, at heart, the multiple facets of your character are.

Comment on: Actors, how do you get into character?

Bigthink — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:49:24 +0100

Dr Gonzo raises an excellent point in suggesting that a clearly defined goal is one of the most important ways in which actors wrap their heads around characters. While all sorts of other considerations affect an actors choices and performance on stage, knowing what a character wants is usually an excellent first step. I would suggest that the second step, in broad terms, is to consider what your character does in the play to achieve this goal. If you then do those things, and say the right words at the right time, well, that's acting.

Comment on: Actors, how do you get into character?

Bigthink — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:06:28 +0100

Before I go on I ask myself "What is this character's goal in this show". Most characters in any play have some innate driving goal during the course of the show and what that goal is effects how I portray them. For example, when I played Odysseus the goal was to get myself and my crew home as soon as possible and that definitely played a role in how I played the role as opposed to King Sextimus the silent, who only wanted women and to be free from his wife's clutches. Two Kings, entirely different people.