The Great Acting Blog: “Do Your Own Thing”
I’ve often written on this blog that actors should take full responsibility for their work and not wait around for directors to give them instructions. The lack of responsibility has grown up precisely because of the directorial dominance of the actor which has emerged in the last 50 or 60 years. This has resulted in actors collectively losing their initiative, believing themselves to be merely toy soldiers for the director to play with. Overall, it’s been a disaster for acting, trivialising it and leading to a diminution in the actor’s artistic ambition. A friend of mine was bitterly disappointed when recently she saw a play in the West End because; “the actors just wandered round the stage without any energy”. That’s what I’m talking about.
Why on earth wouldn’t an actor want to take responsibility for his work? If he isn’t bursting to unleash his creativity, if he isn’t hot for doing the actions in the script then something is wrong. Could it be that too many people who go into acting just don’t give a damn? That they come to take rather than to give and so they don’t care much about the results of their work? This kind of person is happy to merely await instructions because it lessens their workload, it reduces the effort they have to make.
The important thing here is to keep your own house in order. To not slide into the general apathy, to not be suckered into the easy life and to not have your thinking softened. It’s a question of awareness, of ourselves and of the situation. Stand your ground. Keep asking yourself difficult questions. And don’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks.
TJ Civis/ 09.08.2013
I had the rare opportunity to watch (up close) Viggo Mortenson and Charlise Theron working out their scenes together and John Hillcoat Directing them on the film “The Road”. I was Viggo’s Stand In while they were shooting in Oregon. I also came prepared. I knew all of Viggo’s lines and actions before he got back from HMU. John was often able to use me to work out the complicated scenes in advance saving the production thousands of $$$. Sound was able to get a base level and camera had a chance to rehearse moves without tying up the A team.
I’m a Filmmaker/DP who also acts so I was able to know just what John needed. But basically, it was all about being prepared. Pros prepare. Period!
The difference between an actor that takes control of their character and one who checks their brain at the door is the difference between an artist and a technician. Viggo and Charlise couldn’t have been more different in their approach to acting but watching them all work together was an absolute joy and an awesome learning experience.
James Devereaux actor/ 09.08.2013
Terrific comment TJ, many thanks.