The Secret of Acting

Stop! Before you spend a fortune on an expensive acting workshop that will teach you little but compliance and how to feel mugged, I will give away the secret of acting RIGHT NOW:

The secret to acting, is placing your attention on the other fellow, having something concrete to do in the scene, something engaging, and respond truthfully to what the other actor is really doing right now, with real actions of your own. Understand the scene in terms of the actable elements and stay in line with the author’s intention.

There. The secret of acting in 4 lines. Please make a cheque out to Ima Charlatan.

But seriously, there really are no big secrets, no big doors you go through and come out the other side brilliant. Learn to do these things and do them well, and you can save your money. Sure, I think I can probably teach you to do it pretty well, but if you can find someone else to do it, go eith them, or even better, if you can teach yourself to do it, do that, there are too many bloody acting teachers getting rich off your dreams anyway.