Emotion
When I ask actors of any level to describe or offer a definition of acting, they inevitable use the word Emotion.
This is so widespread that I almost guarantee that in a group of ten, half will use that word. It has become an omnipresent belief, an article of faith that pervaded all levels of public consciousness.
This mistaken, misfocused, misguided belief has wrongly become the norm. And it has remained fairly unchallenged.
Acting isn’t and never needs to be about the portrayal of emotion as an objective. The Method got it wrong and the tools they teach their students are voodoo bullshit, a waste of time and a blight on our profession.
How do I know this? Because over the years, I’ve explored the many techniques of acting, looking for the root of acting, the part that is common in all techniques and that helps to produce truthful acting, authentic behaviour on stage or screen.
But the thing that I’ve discovered is that action is the root of acting. Seems rather obvious, but it’s true. To paraphrase my friend Paul, when he talking about performing last weekend, ‘emotion is the result and not the objective.’
The Method practitioners would agree with this, but their means still require them to chase the elusive emotions as an objective, whether they know it or not.
Action is how you get to authentic behaviour. Doing is incredibly convincing. An authentic doing is the most convincing. But what of emotion? Well, the thing is, if you ask yourself, what is my character feeling? You’re commencing from the wrong start point. Instead, the questions need to lead to action. If you go after the same actions as the character, connected to them, you will produce emotion, without trying, effortlessly, it will be the result of your actions, but you will not attempt to control or direct it, you will simply let it be.
And for one last time, the ability to cry on cue, has nothing to do with being a good actor. I know people that can cry with ease, they are not good actors. Buy some tear stick, leave the emotion alone and work from moment to moment with action at the core of your activities.