Mike Myers: The idea that they’re the hero of their own story.

Rachel Weisz: Everyone walking around the planet is the hero of their own story.

Mike Myers: And they can justify to themselves every action that they make. Sidney Lumet said in his book [Making Movies], “Freaks are not the freaks we think they are. We are much more connected to the most outrageous behavior than we know or admit.” Do you think that’s true?

Rachel Weisz: I do. And I think it’s the actor’s job to get into people’s skin and not judge them but to see things from their point of view.

Mike Myers: Mike Nichols used to say that his recurring direction is “I am like that when…” So when you see a character do something that you couldn’t possibly imagine yourself doing, just try to find the equivalent.

Rachel Weisz: Oh, that’s so brilliant, because oftentimes you hear people say, “Well, my character would never do that.” Or the director might say to you, “Your character would never do that.” And I always think, We all do everything sometimes.

[Interview mag., Oct 2006; photo of Rachel Weisz from "The Fountain"]

Related Talent Development Resources pages:
depth psychology
dysfunction / disorder
the shadow self
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Rachel Weisz, character development acting, acting life experience, psychology of acting

Therapy can help more than acting class

“I’ve been going to therapy since I was twenty one. I think the more you know about your own psyche, the more you can know about other people’s, and can play them better.” Jennifer Jason Leigh ["Inside the Actors Studio" interview]

Many other talented actors have used therapy to explore their inner life. In our interview [a few years ago], Heather Graham said that in some ways therapy “helps more than acting class. You realize why you operate in certain ways.”

No shrink required

In the current issue of her column The Craft in BackStage titled “Using Psychology in Creating Characters” [Aug 10-16 2006] , Jean Schiffman notes, “But we don’t need a shrink to uncover the psyches of the characters we play; a working knowledge of psychology can help us understand who they are and why they do what they do.”

Some resources for actors

She refers to the book Tools and Techniques for Character Interpretation: A Handbook of Psychology for Actors, Writers, and Directors, by Robert Blumenfeld as a “historical overview of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy and their uses in creating believable, deeply human theatrical characters.”

And she notes that Doug Warhit, an acting teacher and psychotherapist, “recommends that actors read the Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria From DSM-IV-TR… it’s full of descriptions of the psychological traits that characterize every condition from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder to paranoia.”

While many actors point out they do not judge the characters they play, it may be very helpful to explore the emotionally complex inner depths of real people.

Jean Schiffman site www.jeanschiffman.com
book: The Working Actor’s Toolkit

Doug Warhit site www.dougwarhit.com
book: Book the Job: 143 Things Actors Need to Know to Make It Happen

related Talent Development Resources pages:
counseling/therapy
bipolar disorder
depth psychology
dysfunction / disorder
mental health
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entertainment psychology, acting books, acting and therapy, personal development for actors

Daniel Dae Kim [photo from “Lost”] says that when he looks at a character to play, “I don’t necessarily look for his heroic qualities or his negative qualities. I am very aware of playing stereotypes and trying to stay away from those.

“But I think that wanting to play a hero or always wanting to play the positive portrayal can be equally limiting. As an actor I look for interesting characters to portray. I look for people who have lots of different shades to them and different colors in their personality because that’s what we are as human beings.” [AsiaSource, June 23, 2005]

Dark women characters

As I note in my article Women and Violence On Screen a number of actors have found some of their juiciest and most pleasurable roles in playing the bad guy – not the hero. And in more and more projects those actors are women. One of the more acclaimed current roles is the complex and conflicted deputy police chief in “The Closer” – played with such nuance by Kyra Sedgwick.

Stephen A. Diamond, PhD on using the shadow

Along with many artists and psychologists, Stephen A. Diamond, PhD thinks the so-called negative aspects of our personalities can be a source of creative power: “By bravely voicing our inner ‘demons’ we transmute them into helpful allies, in the form of newly liberated, life-giving psychic energy, for use in constructive activity.

“During this process, we come to discover the paradox that many artists perceive: That which we had previously run from and rejected turns out to be the redemptive source of vitality, creativity, and authentic spirituality.” [From "Redeeming Our Devils and Demons" - a chapter in the book Meeting the Shadow]

> related pages that explore the inner depths of personality:
depth psychology
the shadow self

> interview with Dr. Stephen Diamond

> more articles : acting
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Daniel Dae Kim, entertainment psychology, acting and depth psychology, character development

Harry Dean Stanton – compelling authenticity

“I play myself all the time… on camera and off. What else can I do?”

Harry Dean Stanton [photo and quote from the HBO.com section for “Big Love”]

Nicolas Cage thinks “Harry Dean exudes a spiritual awareness that’s steeped in deep sadness, and it’s so compelling to watch on film. He’s a compelling man to be around as well because he defies a lot of laws.” [Entertainment Weekly, June 2 2006]

In the same article, Rebecca De Mornay comments that Stanton has “complete honesty and authenticity every minute” and is “such the real thing. He just is who he is.”

And maybe that authenticity is one of the key sources of charisma.

Be who you are

Amanda Peet has said of acting, “But really the key is to be relaxed… you have to be who you are and you have to go with your own instincts. You really have nothing else as an actor, but to commit to who you are. If they like it, they like it. If they don’t, they don’t. If you try to exude some star quality or charisma, it’s probably not going to get you very far.” [Quotes from the page: acting3]

Developing charisma

But according to a new article [Charm, graciousness - and attitude. By Janet Cromley, Los Angeles Times May 29, 2006], there are aspects that can be developed.

Tony Alessandra, author of more than a dozen books on sales and personality, thinks charisma is generally inherent, but that it’s also infinitely teachable. “Many people have developed it,” he says. “Just look at Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Foreman. Did they have charisma when they were younger? Nope. And look at the late Princess Diana. They used to call her ‘Shy Di.’ ”

The article goes on: “The first step in boosting your charisma quotient, say media coaches and matchmakers, is to adopt certain behaviors, such as demonstrating enthusiasm and optimism, maintaining eye contact, speaking with authority, standing erect with shoulders back but muscles relaxed and mirroring body language.”

Charisma and caring

But true charisma, the article notes, starts from within, based on certain attitudes. “Charisma begins with what I call ‘graciousness,’ ” says Jackson Bain, who has taught media skills to executives and politicians for more than 20 years. This means listening carefully and focusing one’s attention on what others are saying.

“This isn’t acting,” he says. “This is changing your attitude toward the world around you and the humans around you. You need to begin by asking yourself, ‘How much do I really care about these people I’m with?’ ”

related book: Charisma : Seven Keys to Developing the Magnetism that Leads to Success, by Tony Alessandra

related pages:
self-esteem / self concept resources
social reactions / interactions
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actors charisma, personal development for actors, charisma book, self esteem products

Kristen Bell (“Veronica Mars”) noted recently how much of an impact acting can have on an actor: “It’s sort of a weird profession.. in that it manipulates your emotions. When you’re crying, you’re really crying. You’re not crying about anything you care about, but you still have the cry inside you, that feeling of sadness you had to go through to produce the tears.

“It affects your body and your emotions more than it does mentally. So you find that when you’re playing a really dark character, you come home with all this s—. You’re like, ‘Why am I edgy? Why am I needy?’ It’s because you take it home. You don’t mean to, but… If you’re dedicated, you do end up taking some of that home.” [tvguide.com May 2, 2006]

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman has commented about the kind of intense work she does in, for example, portraying Virginia Woolf: “Unfortunately the thing that makes me want to be an actor, in terms of wanting to be consumed, is also what can destroy you because it becomes almost too hard.” [Hollywood Reporter, Nov. 13, 2003]

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Acclaimed for her immersion in roles, Jennifer Jason Leigh has admitted, “I think I live in this mythical world where doing the parts I do is not going to hurt me, and telling people my age is not going to hurt me. And it actually does. It’s a bit sick-making but, you know, I can’t change who I am.” [imdb.com bio]

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett has said that leaving intense, dark characters like Veronica Guerin and going back to a more balanced real life is vital, and easier to do if you’re a mother of a young child: “You have to switch off at the end of the day because there’s a little creature that needs you and I found that quite educational.”

But, she added, “I have a very healthy relationship to my work and I find that if a scene is working, no matter how intense it is, you have the catharsis on screen and you can let it go. I think it’s if at the end of the day you feel like you haven’t cracked it, that’s when you go home and it’s more difficult to switch off.” [darkhorizons.com interview Nov 25th, 2003]

> related pages:

emotional IQ resources : books sites/programs

nurturing mental health: acting

nurturing mental health

nurturing mental health : sites / programs
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creating a role, mental health products, mental health actors, entertainment psychology