The other day I was practising. Working on facial expressions and tonality on my friends to work on my all around game. The believability was their but it brought up the harsh statement of "Actors/Actresses are just really good liars". I wanted to post this and get feedback on what your thoughts and opinions were on this statement. Thanks
Ernist Nelson: Producer of marketing & distribution in Hilo, Hawaii.
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@Deryn - Any time you say something that is not true, by definition, you are lying. Fiction writers tell lies - lies we like and even love - but they are still lies, because they are not true. The sam...
Expand comment@Deryn - Any time you say something that is not true, by definition, you are lying. Fiction writers tell lies - lies we like and even love - but they are still lies, because they are not true. The same is true for actors. There is nothing wrong with lying if it is done in the right context. Truth vs. Lies: http://uneed2listen2this.podbean.com/mobile/2008/12/27/voir-dire-20/
@Thomas - I have no doubt your method helps you deliver your best performance. But I don't think it is necessary for someone to believe they are lying to provide a good performance. Consider a shady c...
Expand comment@Thomas - I have no doubt your method helps you deliver your best performance. But I don't think it is necessary for someone to believe they are lying to provide a good performance. Consider a shady car salesperson. Does he or she really believe all the crap they tell you? Having heard many of them behind the scenes, I don't think so. All they have to believe is that they are fooling the customers/audience. And in the end, the audience is the final judge of the quality of the performance: Was it believable?
Nice post, Paula. To me it is making YOURSELF believable and putting yourself, not a character, in imaginary circumstances and reacting as you would. You are unique and we want to see that unique reac...
Expand commentNice post, Paula. To me it is making YOURSELF believable and putting yourself, not a character, in imaginary circumstances and reacting as you would. You are unique and we want to see that unique reaction. Of course we also want to see the full you with all your energy and vulnerability and charm and humor.To do that well you need a lot of training. One reason I called my book, How to Make Yur Audience Fall in Love With You is that you have a lot of choices in acting and you should strive to make the ones that make you appealing. If the part you are playing has a lot of fed up and weary lines don't do them that way, use game playing and "I can't BELIEVE you are so awful," in an amazed way, not a fed up way. Great actor make interesting appealing choices. Look at the charm of Hannibal Lector, for example. He loved his wins and superiority. He got great pleasure from them and so did his audience.