Is Acting Thinking, Feeling, Believing, or Doing?

Is acting thinking? Is it feeling? Is it believing or is it doing? I suppose it could be all of these things, although each acting style or method seems to place a unique perspective on their emphasis and importance.

To my own mind acting cannot be any of these things in isolation. However, how much of these things do we actually have any control over?

We cannot bend our real feelings and emotions to our will. Our thoughts occur as a bio-physiological response to things that happen to us. Belief has boundaries, we cannot choose what we believe, we can attempt to suspend our disbelief but whenever we try to force our belief, it responds like a petulant teenager.

That leaves Doing. I don’t say behaviour because I think that’s too complex. I prefer Action. When acting is about action, when we focus on the undeniably interlinked psychophysical action, then no belief is required. Thoughts and feelings follow on from committed action.

But what does this actually mean?

Replace focus on person to person doing, emotion is a red herring. Thoughts are suspect, they lead away from action. No believing in the imaginary.

Action is physical, mental, emotional, imaginative and spiritual – if you get out of your own way, stop trying so hard and let it.

A character is a sum of their characteristics, what they do is who they are. As you perform the characters actions, your thought and feelings stand in for those of the character.

Many will disagree, but my position as an acting coach is to offer my students acting training and solutions that are within their control and power.
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Lastly, on a completely different note. the sublime Cecile Monteyne has a small speaking role in the latest Final Destination movie. It’s probably the best acting in the entire movie, go Cecile.