Actor's Woes

on the other hand:Today's Nick and Uncle Jit's birthday. Tomorrow's mine! What a busy week...

I find the hardest and yet the most important skill that an actor must acquire is the ability to be genuinely natural.

Good actors are able to cry at will and still not mess up their lines. I'll say it again. Good actors are able to cry at will, not because of onions or just act as if they are really crying (a.k.a scrunching up face and boohooing). I really respect those who really can shed tears at any moment at will. I know off screen they probably did many takes, but it still requires the actor/actress to know how to cry.

Great actors are able to be genuinely natural. They say that the eyes don't lie. I say that the nerve reflex don't lie. One actress I've seen is able to show her surprise well like it was really a surprise and not an act.

By the way, I'm not so much talking about Western actors because they seem to be very good in being genuinely natural. I'm talking about Eastern, especially Chinese actors. Sometimes the acting is very fake, and exaggerated. This makes the whole show looks more like a comedy than a drama when it's suppose to be drama.

But of course, I'm a little bias. Being an actor I believe, is one of the toughest job in the world. It is because of the need for the actors to be fully immersed into the role that they are playing. If one plays a very meek man, the actor must be consistent in every way. So it's lots of hard work, especially when some come from a singing background. It is very common nowadays to have singers becoming actors and actresses as well. First, they would have to act in their own music videos, then if the reception is good, and the singer becomes mega famous, they push the singer to become an actor, expecting him or her to excel in the same way. Of course, it doesn't work that way. So these newbies have to learn how to be natural, how to be graceful, how to be harsh, how to cry and laugh like it's the saddest or funniest thing they heard. But other than that, they can't cry or laugh anyhow they like.

And of course, there is the script. Actors must memorize every line and say it till it sounds normal. Which sometimes scriptwriters can go overboard by making child actors speak complicated adult language. The poor actors cannot expect a flashcard to show them what to say. So actors memorize day and night. Even worse if they are acting with a bunch of people who don't speak their language. So they have to play smart. Actors must be quick to react and respond to situations because every moment is captured on the camera. Initiative, innovation and creativity is another need. Since they must live the character, they must also live the conversation and every act the character does. There are actually many spontaneous, genuinely natural actions that actors do cause they think it would be even more convincing. They are right.

Then, actors have to face the director's wrath. Some directors are famous for being unruly but superb. Even music videos director once threw the script at the actor because of frustration. But actors must learn to cooperate with their team. In fact, actors, though looks glam and whatever, they can't be high and mighty. After all, if the director fires them, there goes their bread. Or caviar. They can still be bossy or whatever as some actress in Hollywood tend to be, but again, their lives kind of depend on the money that comes in with the contract. And contracts can be terminated. So, it's best to be meek and cooperate.

Coming back to Westerners, I really think Broadway actors are the best. In fact, I think all stage actors are the best. They can't have a single flaw in their acting because there are no retakes like in movies. So, it's pretty cool. I've directed stage plays before. It's hard work, even if it's only for 15 minutes. Think of what it would be if it goes all the way to 2 hours!

So, I salute actors and actresses. Work hard! All the best!