When we get out there to perform or create, all of us -- all of us -- are attempting to do something special every time. But all of us are forced, at some point or in some situtation, to cut corners whether we like it or not -- and sometimes we don't even realize what we're doing. Now, the problem with cutting corners as an actor is this: sometimes whatever technique we employ becomes part of our style. Yikes. Forget about doing something special when we're just doing the same old same old.
I call these bad habits 'tells'. A tell, in my mind, is a repetitve behaviour that implies the actor is opting for the first solution or thought or technique that pops into her head. Now, is that such a bad thing? The first thing that pops into our head, the thing we do naturally, is by definition organic, is it not? Well, no. Tells are quick, shorthand solutions to acting problems. They might be good or bad but, by definition, they are not special. Over time, the impact of a performance can be undermined by choosing what's there as opposed to digging for what's difficult to find. Great performance, like any art, is hard. So, funnily enough, for such an organic director as I, I tend not to leave it as it was at first. I like to keep sifting for those tiny little specks of gold. And, I encourage actors to do the same.
So how do we clear ourselves of these tells, these bad habits?
Firstly, we need a third party observer. Usually an acting coach or teacher, director, or friend, our third party observer should, over time, be watching our performances for those moments/motions/actions that are the same. You can be your own third party observer if your performances have been videotaped. Catching your own tells are hard (remember you do them because you like them or are confortable with them); you'll have to be honest with yourself. But your first job in clearing up tells is identifying them.
Look, a cautionary word about this. Your third party observer is not there to make you feel crappy about what you're doing, or to create a voice in your head that makes you constantly question the authenticity of your work. Choose someone who makes you feel at ease with yourself as a performer, someone you can trust to leave their own ego at home and assess your acting in a neutral and kind way. This person can be your maiden aunt, for goodness sake. All they need to be able to do is see when you are moving the same, or employing that same vocal turn.
Once you identify your tell, life can be a lot easier. You want to use the tell not as a thing to fight -- fighting rarely achieves anything in art (or in life for that matter) -- but more as a sign, a marker that shows you where you have more opportunity to dig a little deeper. So, you know that thing you do when you put your hand on your hip and shift just a little to the right in that almost coquettish way? Or that way you drop your voice and avert your gaze? Those are your tells. When you find yourself doing them, take the opportunity to work a little harder. There might be an emotional issue with the character that you are avoiding facing head on or an aspect of the character that you are having trouble understanding. Happily, your tell could be showing you those places. Nice.
Now, some people might call a series of tells acting style. I dunno. I personally don't think so. But when you catch yourself using a tell, ask yourself one simple question: Is this really how this particular character would act? If the answer to that question is 'uh, well, no, not really' then, awesome, great. You've got a chance to drop the tell and tease out a performance that might be more authentic, more believable, more special.
Better than the same old same old. After all, you don't want them walking away even a tiny little spackle of bored.
Jacqui is a theatre director and writer. Current projects include The Pretender, an online, serialized detective story, and Wrong For Each Other, a Norm Foster play she is directing, opening the end of April.
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