Common Mistakes That Actors Make

As a director and acting coach, I am used to seeing a lot of the same mistakes made over and over. In fact, sometimes whilst watching a production, I see the very same things and why is this? Because no one has ever taken the time to tell the actor that they are making repetitive, habitual mannerisms and mistakes that are restricting their spontaneity. I’m not saying that actors should NEVER do these things, but they should watch out for them, as they are commonly mistakes or mistaken choices and not decided or spontaneous invention.

Theatre of the Gods

The actor constantly looks upwards as if playing to some Deity above. This may well be part of their memory process displaying itself but it should be avoided.

Theatre of the Ants

The same as the above, but the actors deliver their performance downwards to the ground.

Penguin Arms

The actor habitually flaps their arms at their sides like a penguin for emphasis.

Forklift Arms

The actor habitually uses movements of two parallel arms, and end up looking like a forklift. Usually comes out when ‘reasoning’ or ‘imploring’ someone.

Huggy Trees

Usually done by women in scenes, but I recently saw it in a production at The Citz in Glasgow with a man and woman doing it. Clutching at each other for support during an intense scene. They often do this by holding each other’s forearms. If you feel yourself doing this in rehearsals stop yourself immediately.

Trailing Off At The End

A common mistake with actors, instead of maintaining the power and energy of their action through to the end, instead they find themselves trailing off at the end of their last sentences, losing the dramatic power of the final sentence and potentially killing the power of the end of a scene. Common mistake during monologues, after a climax, the last lines become empty, rather than strong.

The Leaning Tower of Actor

This is so common that it was the first common habitual mistake that I became aware of as a director. I’ve seen this on things like Hollyoaks and in professional productions.  As an actor, you must be well aligned and centre, your body must be tall and straight and your breathing regulated. But during scenes of intensity, actors tend to keep their feet planted where they are and instead lean their bodies towards the other actor, the target if you like. Unfortunately, the leaning actor tends to look rather silly doing this, and loses all power and status. If you have the urge to move forward, you must move towards your target and not plant your feet and simply lean in and end up looking like you’re about to topple over.

Shouty Shouty Shout Shout

Of course some scenes require raised voices, but many inexperienced actors (or those on Hollyoaks) find themselves shouting for dramatic effect. One of my university lecturers Alan Beck used to say he wouldn’t go to student productions because the actors just shouted at each other. I see this in productions at all levels and standards and Beck is right. The Shouty Shouty Shout Shout actor is not dramatically effective, they reduce their capacity with each shout.

There are obviously lots of mistakes and habitual errors that actors can make, but the important thing is not to get too self-conscious about it. Yes, you do need to re-train your habits if they are causing a problem, but spending your time worrying about them will cause you to shut down and lose your spontaneity. It’s a balance between the freedom to express yourself without hindrance and being enslaved by habits that weaken your stagecraft.