Practice in class.
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Practice in class is different from performing or auditioning.
Practice is where you train your mind to do your acting. Learn to train it properly. It will give rise to good habits.
Always put ...
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Don’t try to out act a tree.
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At the Moscow Art Theatre the actors had to pretend to hear the cherry trees being cut down.
In film you have real cherry trees to watch being cut down, so ...
Read MoreJumping on hotel beds.
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You’re excited on landing a job, and upon arrival in your hotel room, you jump on the bed.
And why shouldn’t you be excited when new work arrives?
But, you have a right to work and it should be par for the course. You aren’t ‘blessed’ to have ...
Read More'Do you like your agent?'
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One actor asks the other.
You want to have a good business relationship with your agent.
‘Do you like…?’ is a question we pose when it comes to friends, family or acquaintances.
The working relationship with an agent important and difficult ...
Read More'Lost track'.
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In the meditation hall when the Master asked the Head Monk why he rang the wrong bell the monk answered, ‘Lost track.’
That’s all he said.
The Head Monk is a master teacher himself, so he knows what bells to ring and when and …
Read MoreThey're the best writers.
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Producers hire the best writers to write their shows.
Try not to confuse your personal viewpoint and taste with the particular writing that makes that show exactly what it is.
He who …
Read MoreWork is precious.
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It’s difficult to build something up but easy to knock it down.
Just as human beings are the most precious thing, so too is the work you do as an actor.
Cherish, guard, and defend the …
Read MoreClearing your mind.
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Actors, high steel workers and surgeons all need to clear their minds to do their work.
When they begin work they go into made up time and space. They become the brain, the steel ...
Read MoreA yellow Rolls.
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The young Canadian actor goes to Hollywood to read for a lead in a movie.
It goes well.
Later that morning in the producer’s office, the young actor is about to leave when the producer ...
Read MoreUnderstanding.
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Understanding requires participation.
Practice first and then your brain will catch up with the idea. The idea serves the practice.
When a scene goes well try not to remember what you did, just keep …
Read More'Who got the part?'
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You didn’t get the part, but you’d like to know who did.
Why?
It might seem as if knowing is part of your education of the acting business. You might want to know who the competition is so you can be …
Read MoreYou’ll be one of the first to know.
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You’ve done an audition and are dying to know if you got the part. Fair enough. It’s understandable - roles are damned hard to land.
So, you call your agent and ask if you got the part.
Good idea?
My agent once told me …
Read More'Yahoo! Whoopee!’ – ‘Whoa the horses!'
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Riding a horse at full gallop you’re wont to cry out, ‘Yahoo! Whoopee!’.
As in: 'I landed a big role in a big movie. It’s amazing. I'm amazing.’.
That’s euphoria. Where you can believe, 'This is my life forever' and it can only lead one …
Read MoreWorking-class actors.
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Are there less working-class actors today then when I was in drama school in 1972?
Reading the Guardian article by Carole Cadwalladr Why Working-Class Actors are a Disappearing Breed prompted my writing on the question.
We could also ask, ‘Are there less movies today showing the life of …
Read MoreWhy go to the audition?
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Going to an audition without doubt or hesitation is good.
However, before you go, it’s not bad to ask yourself: ‘Do I want to go to this audition?’. You should consider both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ as possible answers.
Looking at the facts might help you …
Read MoreWhy argue?
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Arguing and discussing are two different things.
If you’re rehearsing a play, practicing in class, or blocking a scene, why are you arguing?
You have a right to give your view, as long as it moves the discussion forward, or develops …
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What to wear.
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What you wear to an audition is important.
The acting is more important.
Try not to second guess yourself or compare what you wore to what …
Read MoreWaiting for God to appear.
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Once you’ve done your preparation, and the scene is about to begin, you just start.
Actors prepare differently. There’s no one way to prepare to begin a scene. That’s true.
But, you might find yourself waiting for inspiration and it might be a divine kind and it …
Read MoreTo the close up.
/They say the close-up is the money shot.
In television it certainly is the size we see most. Talking heads, they call it.
Learn to use the time of rehearsal, blocking, master and medium shots to choose what you’ll do in …
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