Drunk.

The actor asks, ‘How do you play drunk?’

Good question.

‘The old rule is not to act drunk, but to try and do what you’re doing,’ I said. ‘How about you first really go overboard and do a drunk guy walking.’

He did and looked like an orangutan trying to dance.

‘Take it down by half.’ He did.

‘OK. Did you like that?’ I asked. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Me neither. You’re indicating, aren’t you?’.

‘How can I make it believable?’ he asked.

I conjured an exercise.

‘Do you have a book? Good. Put it on your head and walk from one side to the other keeping it on your head.’

He did. I asked him what he thought of it. ‘I thought it was just terrific.’

‘So did I.’

‘OK. Now take the book off your head and try to repeat exactly what you just did.’ He repeated it.

He looked drunk.

Grinning ear to ear, he was pleased and a bit amazed.

‘Now walk normally.’ He did.

‘The difference is so subtle and yet clearly there. I think it’s the quality,’ I said.

The over-the-top drunk was quantity. Now we have quality.

I asked him what the two essential things are happening when you walk with the book on your head.

He said, ‘I’m trying to get from A to B.’ ‘Yes. Your objective.’

‘And the second?’

‘I’ve got a book on my head.’ ‘Yes. Your obstacle.’.

So, you want to walk from here to there – or do any activity - and you do your best to do it, but the alcohol has your brain addled and that makes it difficult. Those are the two parts of actually being drunk and key parts to have when acting drunk.

Try the old ‘book on the head’ trick next time you have to act drunk. It might help.