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. The implication in this statement is that loneliness is a price that is paid by actors. In 2006, he told The Washington Post that a true actor must be "brokenhearted". More likely than not, there were many actors who took offense to his assertion. There are, however, probably many individuals who took hold of his statement and adopted it as their own due to the common "suffering artist" stereotype.
As any good commercial acting class with teach you, a successful actor must consider human emotion and nature in any and every performance. There is, however, no evidence that the suffering of an actor is required for him to be able to play an emotional and meaningful role. Therefore, how does an actor explore and develop characters withing becoming too emotionally invested?
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. If a distortion of the truth is done particularly well, it can actually make the actor see himself more clearly. Essentially, this is the whole purpose of acting.
The Meisner technique teaches that stereotypes are personalities that have been distorted. They do play a large role when it comes to creating a character. Despite this, actors have to ensure that they do not allow the stereotype to dominate the character. 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.
Some stereotypical aspects of a character may be helpful in a performance as it will allow your audience to quickly gain at least a partial understanding of your character. 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.
A part of the actor's gift is his sensitivity to his surroundings. Actors are not immune to suffering and can sustain illnesses and endure problems just like all the rest. Suffering, however, does not need to occur for an actor to succeed in his craft. Success comes, instead, from continued study, passion, and dedication.
As any good commercial acting class with teach you, a successful actor must consider human emotion and nature in any and every performance. There is, however, no evidence that the suffering of an actor is required for him to be able to play an emotional and meaningful role. Therefore, how does an actor explore and develop characters withing becoming too emotionally invested?
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. If a distortion of the truth is done particularly well, it can actually make the actor see himself more clearly. Essentially, this is the whole purpose of acting.
The Meisner technique teaches that stereotypes are personalities that have been distorted. They do play a large role when it comes to creating a character. Despite this, actors have to ensure that they do not allow the stereotype to dominate the character. 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.
Some stereotypical aspects of a character may be helpful in a performance as it will allow your audience to quickly gain at least a partial understanding of your character. 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.
A part of the actor's gift is his sensitivity to his surroundings. Actors are not immune to suffering and can sustain illnesses and endure problems just like all the rest. Suffering, however, does not need to occur for an actor to succeed in his craft. Success comes, instead, from continued study, passion, and dedication.
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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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