Question #2

It’s a rainy Saturday night and you’re all alone. You get in your most comfortable pajamas, and, what the hell, you decide to make yourself your favorite dessert, a warm brownie with creamy vanilla ice cream, oh and a little chocolate syrup, and, well, let’s go all the way with some whipped cream. You grab your cozy, super-soft fleece blanket, cuddle up on the couch, and reach for the remote. What are you going to watch? How do you decide? Especially now, with so many platforms fighting for your attention. You might think of the genre: do I want an intense thriller? Maybe a good laugh or an old romantic comedy? You scan through Netflix, Amazon Prime, all your streaming platforms, but how do you decide which movie or TV show is right for a rainy night and a yummy brownie? Most likely, as you flip through hundreds of choices, you’re going to be noticing all the different actors: Helen Mirren, Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Lawrence… I bet you’re experiencing thoughts and feelings as you think of each of these famous people—because their personality evokes something in you. These are in-demand actors. Why? What makes them stand out? What made them famous? Their personality. Yeah, these are undeniably great actors, but more than their acting, it’s the way they personalize and allow their experience to inform their character. That’s why they get paid millions of dollars. It is their name brand that gets us to watch the show. We like their personality and want to watch whatever they are in. “Bring yourself to the character.” You’ve probably either gotten the note or heard from a teacher or a casting director, “Bring your personality to the role.” “Be yourself.” How do you do that? As you can see, it’s one of the most important things an actor can do. I was watching Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , and I recognized one of the Spidermans’ voices, but I couldn’t put the name to the voice. It was the personality that came through the voice that I recognized, but I couldn’t match the voice to the actor’s name. The actor’s personality was so clear I even recognized it without his face. I looked up the cast on IMDB. It was Chris Pine. How did he bring his personality to the role? Ask him and please tell me what he says. I think he found ways to connect and relate to his character. Maybe he even asked himself Question #2: How do I relate to my character or what would it be like?