Have you ever played pretend-creating characters with your friends, having conversations as these characters, making up a story?
Now think about the people you see in your favorite movies.
So, just what do these two things have in common?
I’ll tell you: actors.
No matter if the characters are a superhero, a sidekick, a scientist, (and even you and your friends having fun) the people that play them are all actors! Now just what is an actor? Well, people in plays and musicals, tv shows and movies, and even other types of performers are all actors!
So, just what do actors do? Well, one of the amazing things about being an actor is that no two actors do the same thing and no two jobs for actors are exactly the same. See, actors are storytellers. And in the most basic terms, their job is to tell a story and tell it honestly.
Now, that sounds pretty easy, right? A lot of people think acting is just like playing pretend. And in a way it is, but it is also so much more than that! One on hand, acting is just like make believe, which is part of why it is so much fun. Getting a chance to be someone else and play in a world that is different from yours is one of the most incredible things about being an actor. But it’s also an art and requires specific skills. Anyone can do it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take hard work and dedication.
“Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” This was said by the famous acting teacher, Sanford Meisner. Although everyone has their own ideas about what makes a good actor and how that is achieved, this quote by Meisner has captured the essence of acting. Many times in a show your characters will be in situations you have never experienced. That could be living in Germany, when you’ve never visited. Having a brother, when you grew up with only sisters. Being fired from their job, when you’ve never even had a job! So, how do you convince the audience that not only are you experiencing this right before their eyes, but that you are that character? It is through finding the truth, the things you can relate to, or at least reacting in a way that you could imagine this character doing. Along the way you will discover and craft your own acting process of what works best for you, but until then-and even after that-remember that an actor is someone who finds the honesty and truth in each situation.
When you think of actors, who do you think of? Meryl Streep and Morgan Freeman in the movies? Or maybe Lin-Manuel Miranda and Bernadette Peters on stage? These are all actors, but acting goes beyond Hollywood and Broadway. Performers at theme parks and cruise ships, the voices behind your favorite cartoons, a zombie in a haunted house, and even the people who try and sell you insurance on commercials. These are just a handful of the jobs available for actors you may not have known about. Take a minute to brainstorm: Is there anything else that you didn’t realize was actually a job for an actor?
As we just discovered, all the jobs within the acting world can be pretty different. But even different gigs for the same actor might have totally different schedules and processes. If you are a regular on a sitcom, you probably have regular filming every week. If you get hired for an event, you may only have a few rehearsals and one performance. If you are in a traveling Broadway show, you have shows every night for a few weeks and then some days off to travel to the next city. No one acting job is better than another, they are just different. And different people find out what kinds of jobs they like more than others and what kinds of jobs they are better at.
So, just who is an actor? Well, you! If you want to be. Take a look at the suggestions and see how you can start being an actor, all on your own.
Suggestions:
- Read a script, but make up the character’s thoughts. Think about the lines they are saying and decide what you think is going on inside their head.
- Find a friend, create characters, and act out a story! Be as realistic or crazy as you want. And for even more experience, show what you create to an audience.
- Listen to the lyrics of your favorite song. Answer these questions: Who is the singer talking to? What does the singer want? How are they going to get what they want through the lyrics? Now try singing along with these answers in mind.