What Stops An Actor From Getting Into Character? by Mark W. Travis

"The intent to become the character gets in the way of becoming the character." Mind = Blown

"Stop directing the actor, direct the character." I honestly love that so much. It's something I'm going to hold closely for the future. Thank you for this!

My best acting always comes when I forget myself as an actor and live in the moment as the character. (Acting is a misnomer.) I've always asked myself what is going through the character's mind at this or that moment, writing notes on how to say a line or move to expand those moments into an entire performance, but always from the actor's/my inquisitive perspective, not from the character's raw emotion. This sounds like an easier and faster way of bringing a character to life. Thanks!

This is so well put. When acting, my biggest problem is the fact I overthink as myself trying to be the character and I try too hard to put myself in it when all I need to do is forget I’m acting and just be in the moment as that character and let the character conduct how I act and how I say what I need to say.

Literally every single time I’m in a show I have an at least five minute long conversation with my dressing room mirror telling myself that I AM my character. I’ve found that it’s the only way that I can truly get into character.

This is how people form themselves. Based on how we are treated, our character responds and develops in accordance to that.

I’m new to the acting career. From all my studies and mind thought's I learned that you have to love the character ,and know all relationships between characters. To make it feel real you have to think the story happening to you and it’s not just an imagination.

I think this technique works because you're getting into the person's psych by asking /talking / thinking as the character. It takes their focus off of self and puts back into perspective their characters ...

I finished reading An Actor Prepares by Stanislavski and like Mark says here, I think there´s no reason for the methods to compete, but rather to complement each other. This is an amazingly good video and advice. Really thank you!

When working on a character I free form. I start talking in character about situation. It's always helped me go deeper and understand character in the moment.

This is beyond some of the most useful advice I've heard in ages

From a Actors perspective. This Director has some good ideas. I once heard that Jim Carry lived as his Character for a month so as to see life from that Character's perspective. It drove people near him crazy!

Damn.. three levels deep.. "speaking to the committee of the character within the character.."

I feel like when we improv our actions in a play we are better “actors”

I’ve never used his technique officially but I’ve done pretty much the same thing... when I’m working on a character especially if it’s a character that is far different than me..I’ll have a friend or family start asking me questions or have a conversation with me in character so I can explore the characters life, thoughts, psychological, past etc... it really helps synthesize all the script analysis and emotional prep I do... and it helps the character to emerge... it’s then easy to go in and out of it because the character exists independently now in my mind.

I knew since I was little that I wanted to act, but I didn't know what acting was until recently. Several months ago I made some new friends who unfortunately ended up being toxic, and we don't hang out anymore. But before that fell apart, we began a DND style campaign; it was super fun to act in, stressful for my characters though. At any rate, we started roleplaying pretty much whenever we could, and I got to know my characters so well, it was like they would take over my body and possess me in a way. That sounds creepy, but it's not, it's amazing. Basically the key is, get to know your character, then channel their energy. See how they respond in situations: dress as them, take them shopping, spend a day in town, let them respond to people, maybe keep a journal for their thoughts. Once you know your character, you can take a backseat in your mind and let them take over.

I tried this on myself, and I was so shocked by how effective it was! Definitely keeping this in mind, might just help some fellow actors or directors

As a writer, I have to get into character too. But if I use his method, I can be the director asking the character and then feel the character and write it that way. Really like it when he says the character doesn’t know they’re in a movie. Same for a book! They have no clue they’re in a book. So, this has been really helpful!

Almost every acting class in the world trains actors to "play an objective", in other words, to choose an action based on the information you get from reading the script, or, why the character is doing what he is doing. Believe me, that's the easy part of dealing with actions. The piece of the puzzle that few actors learn to deal with is the deeper, personal layer of "why" they are playing those actions. Without a personal need to accomplish the "action", you have not yet earned your right to stand on that stage and speak the words of the script. I am talking about having the true need to do the things you are doing in the play. The "true need". Not the pretended need or the indicated need, but the authentic need. Having the true need to do what you are doing, is the seed of all life on stage. In life, your actions are purposeful, you have the true need to do the things you do in each moment or you would not bother doing them. It is the same on the stage - we call this "purpose", your "Acting must be truly purposeful. Remember, theatre is not an imitation of our lives, it demands a greater truth. "True purpose" is an essential part of that greater truth."

This was a large help in understanding techniques of developing character. I would love to know that book tho