Sometimes we can get addicted to ‘big moments’ in our acting, and in our training as an actor. Those moments when we feel our anger or our sadness, full on. It’s important to recognize when you are focused on, and just waiting for those big moments.
If your focus is on big moments, you are going to miss out on the majority of the training. Think about it. Big moments only would be like learning how to get the ball in the basket but you don’t know how to dribble, you don’t know how to pass, you don’t know how to get by an opponent – basically you are pretty much useless unless you are holding the ball and there’s a clear path between you and the basket.
The truth is, in and of themselves, big moments are not that interesting. What is interesting is YOU in that moment. Develop THAT.
In Foundations, we are training to stay fully present and in the moment. We are training to allow our reactions to happen naturally and fluidly. We are training to keep our attention fully on the other person in the room, and still know how we feel moment to moment. We are training to satisfy truth, and not an audience. Can you do that?
It may even be that those big moments are your comfort zone. If you think that may be true, then train to widen that comfort zone. Practice embracing plain old awkwardness for a change, or, whatever is subtly but truly going on in that moment. Train to live fully in those moments as well as the big ones.