Since I went to RADA back in April 2017, I’ve dramatically changed my technique. Thank you Brigid Panet.
Let it go
I’ve realized that my biggest challenge as an actor is to let the preparation go. The opposite of this is when I’m thinking about how to say things while I’m saying them, and conscious of whether or not I’m getting things across.
Just say the lines
I no longer ‘try to feel.’ I don’t think audiences come to the movies to watch actors feel things. They’re more likely to come to the movies to feel something themselves, or to escape feeling. Also, when you try to feel, it looks fake.
Here’s an example from before and after my trip to RADA in 2017. Which one is more compelling? More believable?
Before
This first clip comes after 18 months of Meisner training. I probably did at least 5 or 6 takes. You can watch it by clicking this link:
After
This second clip comes after a week at RADA, and a 3 day camera technique seminar by an Aussie fellow. It’s the first take. “Just say the lines… You can’t force emotion.”
Yes, I know that Tom, in this scene, is flipping his lid, but that’s not the point of these examples.