We’ve all been to the theater before and seen a movie we felt was not believable because of the actors’ performances. Sometimes it’s because the line delivery is off, and other times the acting doesn’t feel genuine or appropriate for the scene.
Sometimes I like to joke that I could have done a better job had I been in said movie. The truth is, however, that I probably couldn’t have, and not many people can.
Acting is hard.
It isn’t a fun, laid-back job where you put on a wig and fresh change of clothes and spit out a few lines. It’s a serious line of work that requires people to put aside their own stories and step into the mind and mannerisms of a character, whether good or bad, fictional or nonfictional.
Many people, some of whom are actors, believe that in order to be a good actor, you have to be a good liar. From my short year of studying acting, however, I’ve learned it is the opposite.
The renowned American acting teacher Sanford Meisner describes acting as “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”
This idea has been stressed over and over again in my acting classes. It basically means to really submerge yourself into the character and really react in ways you believe the character would. You aren’t you when you’re on stage or in front of a camera. You are your version of someone else.
Performance junior Alyssa Regira has been acting for about five years and saidshe finds it both sad and confusing when she hears people talk about acting as easy.
“It’s definitely harder than people think,” Regira said. “We, as actors, have to not only memorize pages and pages of lines and say them on stage, but we also have to dive deeper into emotions than other professions in order for those words we memorized to seem real and authentic.”
Another part of acting that is often overlooked by people outside the field is the impact it has on the performer’s mind and body. From changing your appearance to better adapt to a character to facing countless rejections in casting calls, the job is no easy feat. Not to mention, there is even more time that goes into preparing for warmups, rehearsals and long days on set.
Kevin Bacon, the actor well-known for his role in the movie “Footloose”, once said, “If you’re an actor, even a successful one, you’re still waiting for the phone to ring.”
For many well-known actors and actresses, there is also very little privacy for them when they go into public spaces. This can make for a very lonely, tiresome lifestyle.
Personally, I’ve had a lot of fun in my classes and experiences, and I believe it is a great way for me to channel my creativity. I also know, however, that it is an intricate process that demands a great deal from a person, both physically and mentally.
Harriet Adams is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Bonita, Louisiana.