The best actors don’t want to be seen as actors at all.

Here’s what I mean by that...

If you are watching something and you think to yourself “that’s a pretty good actor” they have missed the mark.

Maybe they haven’t missed it by much but they have missed something that didn’t allow you to be fully present.

As an actor you want the audience to laugh with you. You want them to cry with you.

You want them to be fully present and you want them to feel your character's pain, frustration, and whatever else your character is experiencing.

That's what makes watching you worthwhile to the audience.

World class actors don’t seem to be actors at all. They have an incredible ability to bring characters to life.

If you want to have a long career as a successful actor, this is something you have to master The good news is that it’s not as difficult as you might think...

I know that’s an insane thing to say but I fully stand by it.

It all comes down to the intensity at which you deliver your performance and how committed you are to every moment.

That starts with your proper character research and development.

Most actors barely touch on this because, honestly, hardly anyone knows the proper way to do it.

In fact, if you take 5 different acting classes, you will probably end up with 15 different answers on how to research and develop your characters.

You will get one way from each of the instructors, another from a class mate that thinks the instructor is wrong and a 3rd way from someone else who thinks both of them are completely wrong.

When you are building your character you have to figure out what drives them to do the things they are doing, on a deep level.

That goes beyond just what is given to you in the script and character descriptions.

World class actors take that and develop complex back stories and scenarios for the characters they play.

Some instructors will start with this idea and take it in the wrong direction or simply take it too far.

If you ever find yourself working out what your character had for breakfast and you can’t identify where that information ties into any of your scenes, you're on the wrong track.

Focus only on information that helps you define the character and their motives.

For example, if your character gets disproportionately triggered when someone doesn’t say “excuse me” it probably doesn’t have anything to do with their diet.

It’s more likely that it comes from being bullied in school or some other adolescent trauma. Develop that scenario and see where it leads you.

If something doesn’t deepen your understanding of the character, get rid of it and refocus on the things that do.

When you build a character like this, it can have a tremendous impact on your performances, whether they’re on set or during an audition.

Because you will be building characters through your unique understanding of them, you won’t make the same character choices that everyone else makes.

This makes it easier to stand out to casting directors during auditions because you are doing something different than what everyone else is doing.

You can get the details here on something else that will help you stand out to casting directors.

Most actors I’ve met and talked to over the years are, in some way, convinced that they need to blend in.

It may not seem like it when you think about it, but then you show up to a traditional audition and see everyone wearing a variation of the same outfit.

If you then watch audition tapes, you will see that everyone also does a variation of the same scene.

Their inflection points are the same, their facial expressions are the same and even their reactions are similar to everyone else’s.

What this proves is that everyone knows you need to stand out to catch a CDs attention, but they’re afraid to step outside of the norm.

It is easier to do that when you have a track record that supports your character choices.

Think about it, who would question Meryll Streep’s character choices?

I can’t give you a track record like hers, obviously.

What I can help you with is making sure that your industry reputation is always in top shape.

That can go a long way towards showing Casting Directors and industry decision makers that you are a true professional.

When you have that going for you and you combine it with what we talked about today to deliver a world class performance, the effect on your career can be unlike anything else.

Don’t take my word for it.

Try it for yourself. Get started with us and prepare for your next audition or your next project using what we talked about today.

Whether it’s your first time or your hundredth time building a character this way, chances are that you will want to get some feedback on whether or not you’re on the right track.

Shoot me an email or leave a comment below, if you do. I’m always happy to bounce ideas and help however I can because I truly want to...

See you at the top,
Scott