Throughout my experience as a stage and screen actor, I have spent hundreds of hours working with some of the top acting coaches in the country in order to fine tune my craft. While many of these coaches spent time dealing with subtext and visualizing inner images to go along with your spoken dialogue, one of the most important topics every actor should be well-versed in is understanding your inner monologue.
Your inner monologue is the primary aspect in which you transform thought into spoken words, and as an actor you must understand how to utilize subconscious thought process.
We as human beings continually utilize an inner monologue when we’re talking, listening or even sitting still in our rooms – our minds are continually debating, contemplating, wandering and – well – thinking.
As an actor you must take time to uncover the inner monologue of your character in order to form a truly dimensional and realistic human. I want you to think about the last conversation you had with a friend, relative or co-worker. Within this conversation, you and the other person likely took several pauses within the conversation to gather thoughts or absorb information you just heard.
Silence
When you look at naturally fluid conversations you have throughout the day, you will notice there are intricate pauses throughout sentences and statements. The purpose of these pauses may be different; however, they are there. In order to portray a natural flow of speech, this silence is vital for an actor to master.
While many acting coaches and other actors refer to this “silence” as a “pause,” this is an inaccurate term as the word pause refers to a momentary suspension in action where there is literally no speaking or any other action (verbal and non-verbal). However, the term “silence” is vital as it reflect a stop in actual talking, but the continuing of internal dialogue and thought processes.
When you’re preparing for a scene, you must understand the importance of silence in order to gather your “thoughts” and to engage in internal conversation with yourself. Review your script and look for moments within dialogue where a silence is necessary in order to absorb what you just heard or mull over what you’re about to say.