No, nothing’s wrong, but I do need to cry – on page 5 of the script. I’ve been working very hard on this (take a deep breath, let the words come when you feel them) and so far it seems to be working, at least when I’m alone and trying to get the lines off the page. But how I’ll feel with a camera in my face is something else again. My character is a person who is very into self-control, so when she cries she’s also doing her damnedest not to cry. Letting it out and holding it in. Has anyone ever had to deal with that in a script? I would be interested to know how you handled it.
Hi Kay,
ReplyDeleteI amvisiting your blog as I was interested in what you had to say about Harold Guskin's book. I agree it's quite wonderful, especially after having been overdosing on so much theory this past year while I study for an MA in Acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Reading the book was the perfect antidote to having been stuck in my head and over-analysing for the last year!
As for the crying thing, yeah I share your nervousness about this right now too as I open in a play next week in Glasgow where i am required to suddenly break down My character is very macho, very stoic, and doesn't own his vulnerability if he can possibly avoid doing so. I play the moment as if he is attempting to laugh his tears off- laughter through tears sort of thing, as he virtually apologises for being so ridiculous. It's a very similar acting challenge to appearing drunk on stage- a person who is really under the influence will more often than not resist displaying how inebriated he is. Trying to walk straight, talk clearly for instance... Similarly crying. Mostly i would say people in life are trying not to weep, and this is the key. RELAX and be open-hearted, fully available to yourself but try NOT to be emotional. Then simply breathe into the moment, and i'm willing to bet you will just cry despite yourself... Dare to do nothing and as Guskin says you'll most likely find yourself flooded with emotion in the very next moment. There are ways of cheating it of course, which you may sometimes have to resort to, but it's better not to resort to them on film close-ups. Personally I have always baulked at the idea of using a Strasberg emotional memory approach as i find it unreliable. If the writing is good and you have done your homework those tears will come anyway without having to think abou your gerbil dying when you were 4. Hope this is of some help. Good luck!
Mark,
ReplyDeleteIt worked! And I agree with you about Strasberg and emotional memory. I find that approach not only unreliable but a distraction that's as likely to dry me up as make me cry. It's better to get inside the character and take the time to feel what that person is feeling. And breathe!
I think the two characters we are playing have similar personalities. Mine is talking to a stranger and revealing something from her past that fills her with deep shame and regret. My scene partner's response is a wide-eyed "That wasn't very nice" and at that moment I did just what you did. I laughed and cried at the same time - in this case, laughing at this incredible understatement to what I had just said.
Up until that moment I had been trying not to cry, which created a lot of tension. The laughter breaks the tension so that I can get past that difficult moment.
Most important, I managed to feel the emotion of that moment every time we came to that scene during rehearsals. That's the other thing I was worried about - whether I could get the tears out again and again with the writer, director and others standing around. Whew! The next hurdle is the camera, and I'm taking Guskin's advice not to over-rehearse on this one.
Best of luck with the play opening this week! The British Isles produce absolutely amazing actors. Let me know how it goes.