It’s okay to think anything at all, it’s just not okay to say it. That’s a pretty good rule to live by if you want your phone to keep ringing. It’s an old cliché, but if you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything. Then we run into both Method Acting and the training of Method Actors. In both circumstances, being courteous and polite is restrictive and leads to a closed actor’s instrument. It’s not that we are asking ourselves to be purposefully rude, but we are asking ourselves to be completely open and honest, even if we limit this to our “spoken out” subtext.
It has often struck me that in the best performances, actors are asked to remove their masks so that audiences can see themselves. They can see and hear real behavior and thought. In accomplishing this, audiences are given the chance to see themselves in the characters and situations rather than just observing larger than life behavior onstage. Given this opportunity, audiences can relate to what is going on. It is often a “work in progress” to acclimate actors to this openness. Most of us try not to offend the other actors with whom we are working even when our characters are offensive and behave terribly. After all, we tend to like our cast mates.
In the Method Acting rehearsal process known as “speaking out”, actors are asked to say whatever is actually on their minds and then extend that thought into the written line. This will color the line with the inner truth. We ask the same thing with behavior. First free the impulse and speak it out, then extend that into the action. As you can see, to play it safely or to be PC at this point will only serve to restrict rather than to free the expression.
In the classroom actors are not immediately given observations about scene work. Instead, Lee Strasberg taught us to begin by asking “what do you want to tell me?”. In this way actors can focus on specific elements of their craft and comments should be directed toward these. If an actor says that s/he was trying to connect to the love her character has for the other character, and nothing else, then comments relating to accomplishment should be limited to that alone. Even here it is often difficult to get beginners to speak their minds clearly. The concern about offending gets in the way. I don’t mean to guide anyone to be crude or blunt, but rather to be open and straightforward. We can’t afford to speak in euphemisms for if we do that is what we will extend into our characters.
Imagine a classroom exchange in which an actor is asked what his/her objective is. If the actor responds with anything other than the clearly spoken and laid out objective, the tendency will also be obscured. If the actor is asked what s/he really wants to say (not the writer’s line, but the actor’s thought) there can be no room for politeness or concern for the other actor’s feelings. This is based on what actually happens in everyday life. We often think something quite different from what we say. The difference is that in everyday life no one can hear our thoughts, but during rehearsal these thoughts are clearly stated. It often gets comical (and sometimes frustrating) to go around and around with someone who is overly polite.
This sometimes leads to actors extending this to their out-of-rehearsal existence. When I started on this journey, I remember classmates saying, “I am learning how to really speak my mind. I am learning how to get past the social conventions that have been imposed on me. Don’t stop me or get in my way. I am an actor and I can say and do what I want”. No you can’t. Save it for the rehearsal room and the performance. Offstage, be a wonderfully social person who can build friendships and trust. An actor who can build a career.
One last thought on the subject. Make sure that the rest of the cast is on the same page with you, or willing to accept your rehearsal process. For actors who aren’t trained in this approach it can be very off-putting to hear what you’re truly thinking and feeling. Respect this. It won’t be quite as effective, but speak and behave openly as you rehearse at home, alone.
Getting The Method Straight 