The Great Acting Blog: “In Which Direction Are You Heading?”
Bad actors are basically socialites, not workers. They meticulously compose a persona for themselves, going to great lengths to be charming and establish themselves in a room. Yet their work is ordinary at best because they never put in the time or effort necessary to develop their craft and lift themselves above mediocre. In fact, they believe this kind of effort is a waste of time. They give nothing of themselves to the work, they have come to acting in order to take rather than to give – a fundamental error because we all know that acting, at heart, is about generosity.
Don’t be a bad actor.
Dig deep. Give something of yourself to your work. Be dedicated. Be devoted. Continually improve. Show our ancient craft the respect it deserves. Put your energy and creativity into the scene rather than into socialising. Enjoy the confidence and self-respect which comes from knowing what you are doing, and doing it well. To bad actors, your exertions will seem incomprehensible, they will say that you are making a fool of yourself – let them – they inhabit a very different world, a world of falsity and superficiality, of fragile self-worth and a lack of fulfilment.
You’re free to choose the direction in which to take your work. I know where I’d prefer to go.
