Despite the fact that Shia LaBeouf once stated that he was a "lonely dude", it is doubtful that this feeling is shared by many other actors. He implies that being lonely is a price that an actor pays for his craft. Being "brokenhearted", he stated to The Washington Post, is an essential part of being a true actor. It is likely that there were several actors who took offense to LaBeouf's statement. Of course, there are those actors who would agree with his assertion as the concept of the "suffering artist" has become so popular.
As any good commercial acting class with teach you, a successful actor must consider human emotion and nature in any and every performance. However, an actor does not need to suffer in order to successfully perform in auditions and land meaningful roles. How can an actor embrace a role and explore a stereotype without becoming lost in the role?
When talking about character identities and stereotypes, distortion immediately comes to mind. Meisner training, along with other acting methods, consider distortion to be a necessary skill. All actors distort the truth, from those who are involved in dramatic films to those that perform on reality shows. A properly executed distortion can actually allow us to see ourselves more clearly. This is the crux of an actor's job.
The Meisner technique teaches that stereotypes are personalities that have been distorted. They are, in fact, essential to creating characters. They cannot, however, be allowed to take over the entire personality. Even a seemingly "cartoon-like" character who appears to be the definition of a stereotype must have layers of personality that add complexity. For example, a good actor will be able to create a character who has a tragic aspect but also maintains a comical exterior.
A partial use of stereotypes can help the audience to better understand your character, at least on a superficial level that can be fleshed out later on in the performance. Later on, the character must be given complexity or the audience will become disenchanted and bored. If the writer has written a particular character as a stereotype for a reason, this must be followed carefully in order to create a genuine performance.
Many actors are known for their sensitivity to the human condition. Actors are just like everyone else in that they can suffer from financial troubles, heartbreak, and other human occurrences. Suffering, however, does not need to occur for an actor to succeed in his craft. Success can only come from dedication and from continued study.
As any good commercial acting class with teach you, a successful actor must consider human emotion and nature in any and every performance. However, an actor does not need to suffer in order to successfully perform in auditions and land meaningful roles. How can an actor embrace a role and explore a stereotype without becoming lost in the role?
When talking about character identities and stereotypes, distortion immediately comes to mind. Meisner training, along with other acting methods, consider distortion to be a necessary skill. All actors distort the truth, from those who are involved in dramatic films to those that perform on reality shows. A properly executed distortion can actually allow us to see ourselves more clearly. This is the crux of an actor's job.
The Meisner technique teaches that stereotypes are personalities that have been distorted. They are, in fact, essential to creating characters. They cannot, however, be allowed to take over the entire personality. Even a seemingly "cartoon-like" character who appears to be the definition of a stereotype must have layers of personality that add complexity. For example, a good actor will be able to create a character who has a tragic aspect but also maintains a comical exterior.
A partial use of stereotypes can help the audience to better understand your character, at least on a superficial level that can be fleshed out later on in the performance. Later on, the character must be given complexity or the audience will become disenchanted and bored. If the writer has written a particular character as a stereotype for a reason, this must be followed carefully in order to create a genuine performance.
Many actors are known for their sensitivity to the human condition. Actors are just like everyone else in that they can suffer from financial troubles, heartbreak, and other human occurrences. Suffering, however, does not need to occur for an actor to succeed in his craft. Success can only come from dedication and from continued study.
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The Maggie Flanigan Studio provides quality acting classes in nyc. Find out more about commercial acting class by visiting the studio website.
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