Whether you are a stage, film or TV actor there is one thing you must continually strive to do – guide audience members into the realm of suspended disbelief. Think about it, when you watch a movie or go see a stage production, you are ushered into a new world, with new people and new circumstances. While audience members are fully aware they are watching a fictional story with fictional characters, if the performances are delivered with true sincerity and conviction, the audience members will gladly forego rational thinking and delve into this world you and your cast and crew have created.
Guiding into Suspended Disbelief
One of the primary questions new actors ask me when it comes to this subject matter, is how can you guide audience members into a world of suspended disbelief? While there are many sub-answers to this question, the primary one is: Understanding your role in the script, truly exposing yourself to the emotional nature of your character and placing yourself in an state of suspended disbelief.
I remember one of my acting coaches clearly repeating time and time again, “If you don’t believe the world you’re in is real, the audience will view you as simply playing make believe instead of truly connecting with each character the Universe you’ve created.”
Role of Character Development
Character development plays is a key component when it comes to grabbing hold of the audience and freeing them from the chains of their “reality.” The term “character development” encompasses literally hundreds of methods you may utilize to fully engage into a character; however, you must always remember that creating a complete and sound character requires: character biography, script analysis, implementation of subtext and a solid understanding of the super-objectives within your character.
Perform Unrealistic Scenes with Ultra Realism
This is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges an actor can face – performing an ultra-unrealistic scene with ultra-realism. For example, do you think it was natural for the actors in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy to engage the world of Mordor? However, it was through true dedication to their character the character’s universe that these performers were able to deliver dialogue and actions with such convictions it resulted in the audience believing this “world” was real; even though the audience accepts the fact that it is purely factious. Performing a scene with ultra-realism requires you to become one with your imagination and think like your character beyond the words within a script. This is achieved through excellent character development, script analysis and a commitment to fully understand the tiny details of the world your character thrives in.