Acting: A New Perspective

In any production site, there could be anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of people. Today in class, I realized that actors are forced to be in their “zone” in front of strangers, in front of whole crews of people focused on different aspects of the show. Actors must spend time getting to know their character and embodying who they will be for the next several months, but during that character’s lowest points, dozens of people are working on the specifics of lighting, sound, and filming. Directors move in and out of shots, scripts and stylists fix details, and production assistants zip in and out of rooms, but the actors must stay unbothered, and more importantly, in character. Many lead actors and actresses working together for the first time must be intimate on camera soon after filming commences or burst out into tears on command. This high level of control actors have over their emotions is something I never even stopped to consider. 

Vulnerability takes a lot of time to build, especially for people who are more private or who have experienced traumatic experiences. However, people who have lived through trauma have the widest set of experiences to pull their emotions from. Initially, indirectly showing people the darkest parts of your life must be jarring to the actors. Some actors have experienced pain that will never be publicly revealed, but that is the pain they must pull from in order to cry on command or launch into long tirades. As someone who was raised in a traditional household, I was taught to have a tight rein on my emotions in front of others. I never wanted anyone to see me cry, I never wanted anyone to see me at my weakest, my lowest. But, actors and actresses must grow comfortable with their cast and crew as quickly as they possibly can to reach the highest level of authenticity in their performance. The genuine, raw emotions are what must convince the audience to keep coming back for more.

The fine line between an actor and a character is what often characterizes actors as snappy or “hard to work with.” Actors are the face of a new telenovela, and some roles go on to define their careers. This exposure to the public puts pressure for perfection on many actors to do their best or face the public’s judgment. Many actors employ methods like method acting to fully immerse themselves in a character. They must become someone else, and the quickest way to do so is to shed the person that they once were. Some villains act truly villainous on set to immerse themselves in the role, while others simply have enough popularity to support a big ego. Regardless, if the character an actor portrays doesn’t touch the audience’s heart or if the audience cannot see their sincerity, they might never be given the opportunity to play another meaningful role ever again.

Today, I was given another opportunity to see that actors are human too. They must feel embarrassed when they cry in front of strangers or be intimate with other actors they met just days or weeks before, but it is their bravery and courage to step into another life for a brief period in time that makes their work historical.