Interpretation
It was Susan Sontag who said that Interpretation was the revenge of the intellectual on art. I’ll be honest, whenever an actor talks about their interpretation or their take on the role I cringe, because I fear meddling.
Actually I strongly advise actors against ‘making an interpretation’ of their role. Because making an interpretation brings such pressure to bear on the actor. It’s as if in order to act the scene, you have to come up with something special or different or unique. And as the actor struggles to create their ‘take’ on the scene, they miss the wood for the trees.
An interpretation is not something the actor needs to make consciously. It emerges from their understanding of the character and their situation as they analyse and rehearse their scenes. You ARE making a unique performance because you are a unique person. As long as you don’t consciously attempt to copy someone else’s performance, then everything you do is your interpretation, but it is not a conscious decision. Whenever an actor makes an interpretation, they take themselves in a realm of trying to do something special with what they’ve been given. Let me give you a tip. Don’t.
We can’t help it though, our minds are constantly trying to make meaning, trying to string things together, trying to put 2+2 together. But that’s only natural. Just make sure that when you work on an acting project, your choices and decisions are based on the script. I’m not against the natural interpretive process, but that’s not what I’m talking about, I’m talking about the kind of ‘take’ on a scene or a character that starts and ends with the actor, is imposed, no – forced upon the scene/character to benefit only the actor and which actually damages the fragile relationship between performer and scene. Many people work this way. I believe they find themselves more important than the whole.
Interpretation is a natural part of your process, but your interpretation must be based on your understand of the material you are working with. Otherwise, well, frankly, you’re just making it up. That’s the easy road. Get yourself the tools of analysis and REALLY understand the text before you start to put your stamp on the production.