ON ACTING: Simplicity and Courage
Acting in simple; conceptually.
What is difficult--and complex--in acting or any other endeavor, is excellence. So in my teaching I have always emphasized the logical simplicity of acting, freeing my students to focus their energies on the more complex task of achieving excellence.
It does not take the IQ of a rocket scientist or a neurosurgeon to understand acting; or for that matter, to act well. Some of the finest and most successful actors I have kown have had very ordinary IQs. Which is not to denigrate the benefit of intelligence in accomplishing any task; its presence is extremely beneficial. What is primary in acting, however, what the best actors and actresses have in abundance, is the extraordinary couage and insight to live honestly, fully and intensely in public: to face and accept the deepest truths about themselves, and by extension, humankind in general, and then be willing to really live out those truths in a real manner before an audience.
That is the genius of an actor.
That is the goal of all acting theory, training, and practice.
What is difficult--and complex--in acting or any other endeavor, is excellence. So in my teaching I have always emphasized the logical simplicity of acting, freeing my students to focus their energies on the more complex task of achieving excellence.
It does not take the IQ of a rocket scientist or a neurosurgeon to understand acting; or for that matter, to act well. Some of the finest and most successful actors I have kown have had very ordinary IQs. Which is not to denigrate the benefit of intelligence in accomplishing any task; its presence is extremely beneficial. What is primary in acting, however, what the best actors and actresses have in abundance, is the extraordinary couage and insight to live honestly, fully and intensely in public: to face and accept the deepest truths about themselves, and by extension, humankind in general, and then be willing to really live out those truths in a real manner before an audience.
That is the genius of an actor.
That is the goal of all acting theory, training, and practice.
posted by Cliff Osmond at 3:57 PM
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