Throughout my years of working as a professional actor and casting director, I have had the pleasure of cultivating my own acting form to one that is uniquely mine. Although there are literally hundreds of various acting methods to reach the point of individualism within your acting form, one of the most vital stepping stones to reach this point in your art form is to simply be the character.
The famed acting coach Stanislavski continually preached that actors will only reach true life imitation when they enter into the State of “I Am.”
The State of “I Am” refers to an actor that moves beyond his rehearsed and memorized script and performs his dialogue and movements based on the current emotional state of the character, and not on the rehearsed knowledge. There are many ways of reaching this mindset; however, I have cultivated several tips to help all actors reach the truest form of acting.
The Unknown Known
This is one of my personal favorite segments of acting – The Unknown Known. As an actor, you must approach every rehearsal and every performance as if it is your first time. Although you know what is about to happen, you know what your fellow actors are going to say and you know how your character is going to react, you must disconnect from this known into the world of the unknown.
As an actor, you must believe that this is the first time your character has said the words and performed the actions within the scene. You will willingly forgo the known and move forward in the state of unknown.
You Are the Character
Now, this topic has been discussed in almost every acting book and acting class I’ve ever taken; however, its importance is paramount to the success of any actor of any discipline. In order to truly step into the State of “I Am” you must willingly place yourself into the mindset of a character. For a brief moment in time, you must forget your birth name and who you are, and replace your memories, thought process and subconscious with that of your characters.
Although this can be extremely difficult for young actors, you may accomplish this goal by working with your outer form, which is your physical moments, and gradually turning your focus inward. Image you are like an onion, and you must peel back each layer to get to the core of the character. Once you have reached this core, you are no longer yourself, but rather you are your character.