In training as an actor we break ourselves of all sorts of habits, or patterns of living, which don’t benefit us in acting.
A big part of the initial training in our classes is about opening up to a “bigger you”; using your full intelligence, experiencing what you really think, what you really feel, not a dumbed down version of yourself.
Truth is very important in acting.The more we open up to truth in each moment, the more alive we are. Acting is not about the end result. It is not an intellectual exercise. The focus is on your ability to live moment to moment. It is a resultless exercise. You are always working on the process.
To experience the truth of each moment means looking at things directly. You take away all those veils. You take away your veil of politeness, your veil of insecurity, your veil of self-protection, your veil of wanting to be important, your veil of strength, your veil of intellectual superiority, your veil of being shy … the list is different for everyone.
It’s hard to do this. It takes courage. But, if you don’t take away those veils, how can you take on the veil of a character? You won’t really able to do it.
This type of work is very important for an actor. An actor is demonstrating what it is to be alive in this world as a human being. So, don’t dumb yourself down. Train yourself to come alive.