Happy Monday dear actors. These are the 3 biggest mistakes I see actors making on a daily basis. I want you to ask yourself if you do any of these. If you do, your approach may need some tweaking.
1. Thinking talent is enough
Ok, so great, you're talented. Own that, enjoy it, put it on your Plenty of Fish profile. It is not enough to succeed in this industry. The road is quite long, some say it is never ending. It takes hard work, discipline and very specific skills to be a great actor. Do not assume that when you're on set you will be able to just turn it on. Set is filled with distractions, judgment, technical issues and shooting things out of sequence. You need a technique that will strengthen your focus and listening while keeping your ego in check. Nobody cares that you killed in your grade 12 production of Hamlet. There are a million other people contributing to this film. They need to see you deliver your lines, hit your mark and accept an imaginary circumstance- no matter what is happening around you. That takes constant practice, doing it every single day. It is a skill that anyone can learn with extreme dedication. But you need to get to class. You must find a studio where you can work out your issues and build chops so that you are ready when opportunity knocks. You need to be in a supportive environment where you can learn to be vulnerable when you need to, and thick skinned for all other times. If you think your talented enough and you do not need class, you are only fooling yourself.
Ok, so great, you're talented. Own that, enjoy it, put it on your Plenty of Fish profile. It is not enough to succeed in this industry. The road is quite long, some say it is never ending. It takes hard work, discipline and very specific skills to be a great actor. Do not assume that when you're on set you will be able to just turn it on. Set is filled with distractions, judgment, technical issues and shooting things out of sequence. You need a technique that will strengthen your focus and listening while keeping your ego in check. Nobody cares that you killed in your grade 12 production of Hamlet. There are a million other people contributing to this film. They need to see you deliver your lines, hit your mark and accept an imaginary circumstance- no matter what is happening around you. That takes constant practice, doing it every single day. It is a skill that anyone can learn with extreme dedication. But you need to get to class. You must find a studio where you can work out your issues and build chops so that you are ready when opportunity knocks. You need to be in a supportive environment where you can learn to be vulnerable when you need to, and thick skinned for all other times. If you think your talented enough and you do not need class, you are only fooling yourself.
2. Trying to be someone else
You don't get paid for trying. Acting is living and behaving, truthfully and fully under an imaginary circumstance. It is not simply pretending to be someone else. To be compelling to watch, you must be willing to be completely seen for who you really are, while living the circumstance of your character. That means you must know your truth. You need an intimate knowledge of your own instrument and accept your actual point of view on things- not socially- instinctively. Many actors spend to much time people pleasing and trying to give casting directors and directors what they want rather than the truth. Not every role is right for you. Do what's true and the right roles will be written FOR you.
You don't get paid for trying. Acting is living and behaving, truthfully and fully under an imaginary circumstance. It is not simply pretending to be someone else. To be compelling to watch, you must be willing to be completely seen for who you really are, while living the circumstance of your character. That means you must know your truth. You need an intimate knowledge of your own instrument and accept your actual point of view on things- not socially- instinctively. Many actors spend to much time people pleasing and trying to give casting directors and directors what they want rather than the truth. Not every role is right for you. Do what's true and the right roles will be written FOR you.
3. Worrying about how you're going to look
To become compelling to watch, you must risk looking bad. Then and only then, do you come off looking great. Most actors walk around trying to look good by avoiding their own feelings of inadequacy or loneliness, of shame or fear. Avoid coming off as a jerk because you don't want to be mean. That is a huge mistake. We don't go to the movies to watch the guy who always wins win again with ease. We want to see him struggle and fight to win. we go to the movies to watch stories of the human condition because it allows the general public to go through something and feel something. You must never judge your own true feelings, your job as an actor is to allow, and never judge or second guess what is truly in you to give. Never rob your audience of your pain, your struggle and fears, for while they rejoice in your victories, your humanity is what they love.
To become compelling to watch, you must risk looking bad. Then and only then, do you come off looking great. Most actors walk around trying to look good by avoiding their own feelings of inadequacy or loneliness, of shame or fear. Avoid coming off as a jerk because you don't want to be mean. That is a huge mistake. We don't go to the movies to watch the guy who always wins win again with ease. We want to see him struggle and fight to win. we go to the movies to watch stories of the human condition because it allows the general public to go through something and feel something. You must never judge your own true feelings, your job as an actor is to allow, and never judge or second guess what is truly in you to give. Never rob your audience of your pain, your struggle and fears, for while they rejoice in your victories, your humanity is what they love.
Robyn Kay is an acting coach and founder of the Robyn Kay studio in Toronto, acting classes rooted in the Meisner Technique. If you're ready to transform you acting and career, click a link below or contact Robyn at 416-312-9188 info@robynkaystudio.com
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