Why are most actors one dimensional? I know that sounds harsh and “artistic expression is subjective so everyone is entitled to their own opinion...”
Let’s be real though, some actors are just much better than others at building dynamic, complex characters with many layers.
Since those are the actors that tend to be the most successful, when they combine their talent with something else we’ll talk about it in a bit, that’s where you should look to for guidance on building your own acting career.
Acting classes can be great, if you find one with an instructor that has the ability to help you layer your characters, but again if we’re being completely honest most of them fall short on that.
It’s not for a lack of trying because the truth is most actors try really hard to create complex, layered characters but they just make it way too complicated.
Professional actors do this instead...
They keep things simple by addressing the most impactful parts of their character first.
That’s where most actors get it wrong and that means they are working backwards, right from the start.
If you think over any of the acting classes you’ve taken, you will remember that nearly all of the guidance you received when acting out a scene was related to how you were delivering the lines.
According to a study conducted at UCLA, one of many studies on the topic, verbal communication accounts for as little as 7% of the receiver’s perception of your message.
In other words, focusing on how you deliver the lines in a scene, means you are focusing on the 7% of how your character will be received by the audience, while making the 93% at best a secondary focus.
Professional actors do it the other the way around. They focus almost entirely on the part that makes the biggest impact.
When you build a character that way, the way you deliver the lines is something you almost don’t even have to think about.
The 93% is your body language and when you get it right, the way your character speaks just kind of takes care of itself.
Don’t take my word for it. Here’s a simple way to test it right now...
You might want to get your phone out and record yourself so you can see the difference.
First, forget everything I just said and act this out right now.
“Hey Meghan, it’s so great to see you...”
Now, make yourself small as you say the line. Pull your elbows into your ribcage and lean back a bit while your eyes dart around the room.
Deliver the same line.
Next, open your eyes widely, roll your shoulders back and shift your body’s center of gravity lower as you deliver the same line.
Can you see how different your verbal delivery was those 3 times, even though you put zero effort into how to deliver the line itself?
The first time is where every actor starts, then they think about what their character is feeling when they see Meghan.
If they are nervous about seeing her, then they would try to act nervous. Usually, they would add some hesitation in their voice and then look to the director to help with blocking the scene appropriately.
When you do it backwards, you make yourself nervous first and then the way you deliver the lines matches up automatically.
Your body simply won’t let you do it any other way.
By pulling your elbows into your ribcage, leaning a way subtly from the other person while looking for an escape route, your tonality will match the nervousness your character is feeling.
If you were to try and deliver the line excitedly, your body language would change.
Rolling your shoulders back, with eyes wide and a lower center of gravity is going to make you project your voice, while you are visually trying to take in every detail of the moment and while you are literally trying to “ground” yourself to make sure this is real.
That’s excitement!
You may not have raised your volume much and that’s ok. That’s where the complexity of a character is.
When you build a character this way, you don’t have to try to sound excited because your character will be excited and you will deliver the lines in the most appropriate way.
I know that’s a very simple example but remember that’s what professional actors do. They keep it simple and the details take care of themselves.
Of course, everything we went over today is of little use to you if you don’t have enough opportunities to showcase your talent.
Something else professional actors do, very early on in their career, is focus on raising their level of visibility.
This is also an area that most actors overcomplicate.
They dabble with a dozen things when just one or two of them could have a bigger impact than everything else combined.
If you think of it this way, it makes a lot of sense.
Of course, what we went over today is just a starting point to give you the overall idea of how this process works.
Over the coming weeks we’ll dive deeper into the details. We’ll also go over how you can build a complex character that blows away casting directors, and how to do it quickly in an audition situation.
If you have an audition coming up, what we went over today is a great start and it will help you stand out.
That way, when CDs are going through submissions yours could catch their attention.
I know we went over a lot of stuff, really quickly so if you have any questions at all. Shoot me an email or leave it in a comment below.
I’ll always respond and help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott