Clarity with thought.

On hearing truisms and maxims early on in your career you learn the phrase. 

Often, you go round repeating it at opportune moments without giving it a thought. The assumption is that you heard it, it was explained to you, you get it and now it’s yours. 

Done.

Over years of experience it may end up that one day while experiencing something practical you reflect on it.

At that moment a light goes on and you think, ‘Oh, that’s what that phrase means.’ The first learning of something, because it’s new, is shallow. The depth of a time-tested idea comes through practice of that idea.

It’s the natural development of things.

A learned narrative must be reconsidered. Simple phrases like, ‘Less is more.’ must be looked at over and over again in the heat of acting. The idea will reveal itself.

Without getting overwhelmed one must re-think and re-visit the guidelines, laws, adages to see more fully what they mean and how they came about. It’s on-going and never-ending. The words of wisdom can stand that seeking and scratching. 

It’s not just a question of age. 

As a young actor you can develop this trait of thinking things through. Considering things in an objective manner, so you find out what the thing is and not what you think it is.

Often, on first hearing a jewel of a phrase you instantly feel, ‘Ah, I get that!’. Fine. 

But, make it your professional practice to be thinking about questions and not just repeating what everyone else is saying.