Once you’ve got a grasp on the full story, turn to your parts and read them an extra 1-2 times. Now, focus on your character’s role and lines.
Who am I? Where am I from? Why am I here?[1] X Research source
A character’s desires can change, and you need to note when this happens. It is almost always a major scene or moment to portray. As an exercise, try and pick out the desires of your favorite characters/actors. In There Will Be Blood, for example, the main character is completely driven by the need to find more oil. Every action, look, and emotion springs from this unending, passionate greed, and you can see it on Daniel Day-Lewis’s face each scene. [2] X Research source
Experiment with the lines as you read. Try them multiple ways, with different inflections or emphasis, and see how it affects your character. Recording yourself and watching it later can help you see small mistakes, or hear new ways to deliver the lines. Focus on getting the lines down first before worrying about perfecting the lines. You want to be able to recite the words now, then make them perfect later.
If you don’t have the role yet, and are going to an audition, pick a direction for the character and stick with it. Don’t try and give people what they want to hear. Instead, read the notes and prepare the lines in the way that feels natural to you. [3] X Research source
Method acting is when an actor refuses to break character on set. In between takes, they stay in the role, trying to fully inhabit the character so that they are always perfect when playing the role on camera. Find the parts of the role that ring true for you. Have you felt the sorts of emotions your character is going through? Do you know a little bit about the struggle? Find ways to channel your emotions into your character’s lines for the best results.
Don’t be embarrassed by something your character is doing, because it is ultimately just acting. If you hold back on a gross, violent, sexual, or emotionally difficult scene you only end up alienating the audience and coming across as “unrealistic. " All the best actors commit fully to their roles. Ever wonder why Tom Cruise is still an action star? It’s because he never winks, jokes, or sleepwalks his way through the script. He always has high-energy and full commitment, even in bizarre or comical situations. Committing to a role means doing whatever it takes to portray your character realistically, not doing what makes you, the actor, look the best. Even if what your character is saying and doing doesn’t make sense for what you personally would do, use your imagination until their emotions and behavior seem absolutely truthful for who that character is in their own lives. [4] X Expert Source Jim JarrettActing Teacher Expert Interview. 28 April 2020.
Nothing believable between two actors ever happens unless they’re both present and truly working off of each other. A hallmark of a good actor is the ability to be on stage or in front of a camera but not be distracted by the audience, camera, or crew. [5] X Expert Source Jim JarrettActing Teacher Expert Interview. 28 April 2020. Keep yourself in the moment. Don’t try to start thinking ahead to the next scene, or agonizing about whether you said your lines appropriately in the previous scene. For a humorous example, watch Charlie Day in the show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Even when he is not speaking, his eyebrows, eyes, and fingers are darting around. He fully commits to his character’s wild, unpredictable energy.
Nervous or scared characters often talk quickly, rushing the words out. Angry characters will raise their voice, and may slow down their speech (to make a point) or speed it up (when overflowing with anger). Happy/excited characters tend to speak with an even volume, or raise volume as the speech goes on. They talk quickly. A variety of pacing and volume, depending on the scene, is a great way to show characters changing or reacting to certain events.
This is another place where famous actors can help you practice. Research an old script online for a movie you haven’t seen, then pick a character and try out a couple of line readings. When you watch the movie, compare how the actor chose to deliver the lines. There is no wrong answer here, but this can help you notice the subtleties of emphasis. [6] X Research source
This is another place where famous actors can help you practice. Research an old script online for a movie you haven’t seen, then pick a character and try out a couple of line readings. When you watch the movie, compare how the actor chose to deliver the lines. There is no wrong answer here, but this can help you notice the subtleties of emphasis. [6] X Research source
This is another place where famous actors can help you practice. Research an old script online for a movie you haven’t seen, then pick a character and try out a couple of line readings. When you watch the movie, compare how the actor chose to deliver the lines. There is no wrong answer here, but this can help you notice the subtleties of emphasis. [6] X Research source
This is especially crucial for filmed projects, as identical blocking allows an editor to cut between different takes without the audience noticing.
Many experienced casts and crews won’t make eye contact with you while acting, knowing that is is a natural human tendency to make eye contact back. Try and help your fellow actors by doing the same while they work and you’re taking a break. Be aware of things that you do when you’re nervous. Avoid playing with your hair, hiding your hands in your sleeves, or shuffling your feet. Instead, deal with your nerves by taking a deep breath and drinking some water.
You should also do specific research for your part. If it is based on a specific person or time period, find out as much as you can. These little facts will work their way into your performance, even if only unconsciously. [8] X Research source You act from who and what you are—your humanity, your soul, your experiences. You’ll be a more interesting actor the older you get, because you’ll have more from your own life to draw from. [9] X Expert Source Jim JarrettActing Teacher Expert Interview. 28 April 2020.
Would you read the same lines differently? If so, how? Classic plays, like Shakespeare, are a great way to see the artistry of acting. YouTube, for example, 5 different actors delivering the same monologue from Hamlet. How do they all differ? What artistic choices is each actor making to make the character unique?[10] X Research source
You never know when a fellow actor will make it big, and could potentially help you get a role. Be kind and friendly to everyone in class– it will pay dividends later.
Improv games, like acting out suggestions from friends, acting with weird props, or acting short scenes with a friend, are great ways to practice acting anywhere.
This is also a good warm-up exercise, helping you prepare your mind and body for acting.
