Expert: Roland Parliament - 4/13/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Mr. Parliament,

My name is Andrew and I'm 15 years old. I've always wanted to become an actor but I don't think I can act. How exactly can you become good in acting? What exactly do good actors do to prepare themselves to give a good performance in their films? May you help me please?

ANSWER: Hi Andrew,

The important thing is that you want to be an actor. I didn't think I could play guitar either, but after years of study I became pretty good at it. When you mention preparation, that's the key - good actors do a LOT of preparation. They go to theater school, they take workshops, they study, study, study and then study some more. It takes a great deal of courage and dedication to become an actor because this is not an easy job. The pay is usually lousy and the hours very long. You must be willing to take great risks with your way of thinking about things, and be prepared to do what at times seem to be very silly things. You have to be ready to bare your soul to the world.

Why some people fail at being actors is because they think that they are just pretending to be another person for a short period of time. In fact, you ARE that person, for as long as it takes to assume their persona. You research them, you move like them and you do your best to imagine what it feels like to BE them. If that person is very evil or in pain, this can be a very difficult process. You have to learn to live separate lives, that of your own and that of your character.

My most successful students are not necessarily the most talented, or the ones who work the hardest. They are usually the ones who WANT IT MOST! They can't think of themselves doing anything but acting, are are willing to make any sacrifice necessary to do that.

What would you be willing to give up to act? Your Family? Your Health? Your Security? If you can honestly say you could give one of those up without hesitation, maybe you could become an actor.

There will be many thankless years of struggle to achieve your goal. But if you persevere, you will have one of the most spiritually uplifting careers anyone could have. And, you will have a far better understanding of the human condition.

Best of luck,

Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mr. Parliament,

Thank you so much for your time to help me. However, you misunderstood the part where I asked how actors prepare for their roles. What I meant was how do actors prepare themselves for their roles they got picked to play. I didn't ask how do actors prepare themselves to become actors. Do you know? Overall, thank you for the rest of the infomation. I will take some time to consider all of it.

Have a good day,

Andrew

Answer
Hi Andrew,

The answer to your clarified question is one word - research. Look into the time that the character existed and the socio-economic climate of the time. What was their status? Where did they live? What were the politics in those times?

We are all affected by the times and circumstances we live under. Your job as an actor is to understand all of these and more, and to re-act the way that person would have done. Sometimes that requires manipulating your body as John Hurt did in "The Elephant Man". Sometimes that means re-acting to extraordinary, frightful circumstances as Sigourney Weaver did in "Alien"s. Other times you might have to do a host of things as Tom Hanks did in "Saving Private Ryan" or "Forrest Gump".

Every new role is a new opportunity to explore the human condition. And every new role is your chance to examine what some other person, living in a different time or a different circumstance might have felt living their life.

That's what makes acting so difficult - to feel the way another person might have felt in a life that's so different from your own.

This may not have been an easy answer to your question because there are no easy answers. Every role presents a new challenge that is so different from the last. That's what makes acting so exciting, and sometimes, frightening.

I hope this helps. I haven't completely solved this dilemma myself. But I will continue to try for the rest of my life.

Good luck,

Roland