ON ACTING: Job Requirements

To act well, you have to learn to like your fundamental real self. (Because the real fundamental you is your acting instrument. No fakery allowed in good acting; it is boring.)

Then, to act well, you have to learn to like your fundamental self in front of other people.

Then you have to learn--as your real, fundamental self--to say the dialogue (Which some writer has asked you to say and move in the manner as some director has asked you to move...don't get inhibited by having some limitations/restrictions on your real verbal and physical behavior--make the words and actions "yours," as they say in acting), 

Next, you have to learn how to be different aspects of yourself according to the script--that's what being a scripted "character" means: being your angry self, your sad self, your happy self--according to your and your director's interpretation of the dialogue in the offered script.)

And then, and penultimately, you have to learn to be deeply and complexly and varied and elegantly those different sides of yourself--within the limitations of the script and in front of the audience, so that you can be exciting and deeply interesting to watch...and legitimately be paid for your efforts lots of money (that is, of course, if you are more interesting to watch as that selected side of yourself than your acting competition is interesting to watch as that selected side of themselves).

Simple no? It is...if you, as a person, have courage, personal insight, developed self esteem and knowledge of human behavior and script analysis necessary for the job.

A professional actor is someone who is willing and able (and courageous enough) to live out certain selected emotional sides of themselves--fully and deeply and excitingly, on demand, within the limitations called for by the dialogue and actions in a script, in front of perhaps millions of people.

Ready...set...GO?