Breaking Bad Acting Habits - Be Careful What You "Think" About Acting
If you have been around theatre as long as I have you may have witnessed some strange performances. Now, I'm not speaking of a particular actor's take on a role, (how he or she performed as a character in a play), but more specifically, the strange idiosyncrasies or habits a particular actor gave to a character that had nothing really to do with the play or role itself.
For example, I had a minor role in a community theatre production of a play called "Night Watch". One of the other actors had the most unusual way of carrying himself around the stage - the best way I can describe it is... that he looked like a marionette, you know, a creepy puppet whose movements were guided by strings. When we were in rehearsals, or in common daily interaction, the guy was quite normal. He walked around with no unusual flair. But when the house lights went down and the stage lights went up - some mystical transformation occurred when he made his entrance.
When he walked from stage left to stage right, it was as if invisible strings were pulling at legs, enabling his movement. It gave him this faux like marching action as if he were carefully prancing through a mind field. Why didn't the director say something? Did the role call for this weird gait? Was it a brave performance choice to give his character depth. I have no idea.
I said something to the other actors, such as: "Is it me or does Rick look like crazed marionette performing 'March of the Wooden Soldiers'?" They all agreed and someone responded, "He just thinks he's acting."
Over the years that phrase,"He just thinks he's acting" has explained a lot of oddball performances. I had another story I told in my book Basic On Stage-Survival Guide For Amateur Actors that had to do with an actor I crossed paths with at local auditions. No matter what part this actor was auditioning for he would read with a British accent. An audition for Oscar in "The Odd Couple" would sound as if he were Richard Burton reading for "Henry V." A few directors would actually stop his audition and ask him to read it straight. One director actually stopped him and inquired quite bluntly, "Why are you doing that?". I wanted to respond out loud, "He just thinks he's acting."
Over the years I encountered many other types who had strange acting habits. Here are a few:
I had a bad habit of swallowing the end of my lines. My overall volume would drop off near the last few words of a line and honestly, I was unaware that I was doing it. A director stopped me in rehearsal and pointed it out my volume anomaly. From that moment on, I was aware of it and corrected it.
Sometimes it only takes someone, a director or fellow actor to point out a bad habit to correct it. All those years ago if someone would have approached the "marionette" guy and say "Hey, not sure if you were aware, but you're walking very oddly on stage." If may have helped or it may not have. The actor who used a British accent in every role never changed it. A few of us mentioned that a British accent didn't work with Tennessee Williams but he never changed it. He could not break the habit. He thought he was acting.
The lesson here is simple - take all the preconceived notions you have about acting and keep them open to change. Most of them may be bad habits or misguided instructions you received early in your career. The mental scripts you have in your mind may not always work for the play scripts you have in your hand. If you stand up straight and deliver a line as opposed to squatting or leaning, won't alter your overall performance. Keep what you "think" is "acting" open to change.
For example, I had a minor role in a community theatre production of a play called "Night Watch". One of the other actors had the most unusual way of carrying himself around the stage - the best way I can describe it is... that he looked like a marionette, you know, a creepy puppet whose movements were guided by strings. When we were in rehearsals, or in common daily interaction, the guy was quite normal. He walked around with no unusual flair. But when the house lights went down and the stage lights went up - some mystical transformation occurred when he made his entrance.
I said something to the other actors, such as: "Is it me or does Rick look like crazed marionette performing 'March of the Wooden Soldiers'?" They all agreed and someone responded, "He just thinks he's acting."
Over the years that phrase,"He just thinks he's acting" has explained a lot of oddball performances. I had another story I told in my book Basic On Stage-Survival Guide For Amateur Actors that had to do with an actor I crossed paths with at local auditions. No matter what part this actor was auditioning for he would read with a British accent. An audition for Oscar in "The Odd Couple" would sound as if he were Richard Burton reading for "Henry V." A few directors would actually stop his audition and ask him to read it straight. One director actually stopped him and inquired quite bluntly, "Why are you doing that?". I wanted to respond out loud, "He just thinks he's acting."
Over the years I encountered many other types who had strange acting habits. Here are a few:
- Squatters - Several actors I knew who would slightly squat down when speaking a line.
- Leaners - They lean slightly forward when delivering a line as if they are about to bow.
- Blinkers or Blind acting - those who blink rapidly or completely close their eyes when delivering a line - my theory is- they are mentally picturing the script and reading their lines.
- Look Away - a variation of eye blinking/closers who stare at something off to the left or right or a few feet above your head.
- Big Actors (Over The Top style) - Actors who make every word and action very big and overly dramatic. This trait is usually instilled in some actors at an early age, whether beauty pageants refugees or high school theatre directors who keep telling the actors "Make it Bigger! Bigger!" as if every play is actually a Melodrama and you must command the stage like Ethyl Merman belting out a showstopper.
- Iambic Actors - actors who deliver every line with a poetic cadence as if they are reciting a sonnet.
I had a bad habit of swallowing the end of my lines. My overall volume would drop off near the last few words of a line and honestly, I was unaware that I was doing it. A director stopped me in rehearsal and pointed it out my volume anomaly. From that moment on, I was aware of it and corrected it.
Sometimes it only takes someone, a director or fellow actor to point out a bad habit to correct it. All those years ago if someone would have approached the "marionette" guy and say "Hey, not sure if you were aware, but you're walking very oddly on stage." If may have helped or it may not have. The actor who used a British accent in every role never changed it. A few of us mentioned that a British accent didn't work with Tennessee Williams but he never changed it. He could not break the habit. He thought he was acting.
The lesson here is simple - take all the preconceived notions you have about acting and keep them open to change. Most of them may be bad habits or misguided instructions you received early in your career. The mental scripts you have in your mind may not always work for the play scripts you have in your hand. If you stand up straight and deliver a line as opposed to squatting or leaning, won't alter your overall performance. Keep what you "think" is "acting" open to change.
