An interesting point was raised by Ron Van Lieu in class yesterday at The Actors Center. After offering some notes on a scene from “A Doll House,” the work started up again. After the second go around, Ron noted that the actress had taken his notes and veered straight into “character,” nearly forsaking the content of the “scene.” What she did was certainly entertaining, but it neglected something fundamental. Read more…
Actors are perennially in search of two things: affecting an audience, and feeling personally significant. We can debate the order another time. In either case, there’s something relational at play, a need for emotions to stimulate the brain, or heart, or groin. (Again, we can debate the particulars later.)
In the best of circumstances, you’re working, on something you like, and you’re well paid. In these times you walk the earth with a lighter step. Traffic snarls are merely chances to listen to more music, rain is refreshing, and the dim-witted cashier is a person worthy of compassion. Read more…
I’ll be filming a guest spot on USA’s “White Collar” this week here in New York. My friend Willie Garson is in it, which makes it doubly fun, though I don’t know that we’ll have any scenes together.
Anyway, I confess that I’ve yet to see a full episode of the show, but I’ll watch a few episodes today and get up to speed. There’s little more embarrassing, or inconsiderate, than arriving on set not knowing who anybody is, or what the tone of a show is. On the set of my first job, an episode of “Law & Order,” I barely knew anything, and I ended up asking some pretty dumb questions.
My only concern is that the lead actor’s eyes might actually be the color they’re claiming they are in the poster and that I’ll end up being blinded…