Shy since childhood Clea DuVall has referred to herself as “an only child and I’m just a real loner kind of person, and yeah, kinda dark. But I’m happy. Not sad. I’m just shy and nervous.” [imdb.com] Like many other talented actors, she considers herself shy. Maybe acting – playing other people – is a [...]
Energy psychiatrist Judith Orloff, MD works with many creative people to help with issues such as stage fright. In our podcast interview about her new book Emotional Freedom, I asked her: “Many actors get anxious about auditions, not getting work etc, issues that are kind of built in to the profession – do you have [...]
Gabriel Byrne on auditions “It’s important to present oneself as relaxed and confident..” Gabriel Byrne commented that the audition process “is really a most inadequate way to determine if an actor is right or not for a particular role. Unfortunately, it’s a situation that most actors have to accept. “Work on developing an unshakable trust [...]
Nervous excitement “With any film and even theater, you never get over being scared and overwhelmed, because it’s a new character and that brings on a whole new set of circumstances.” Alison Lohman is talking about one form of anxiety that actors experience, and may try to avoid or stifle. But there can be value [...]
Jenna Gavigan’s role in the William Inge play “Come Back, Little Sheba” is the “vixen” Marie. Gavigan is on academic leave from Columbia University to pursue acting. A recent newspaper interview [Shedding the wings, by Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2007; photo: Myung J. Chun] notes that “she wants to major in something [...]
In the new Interview magazine, Director James Mangold and Liv Tyler have a stimulating conversation on many aspects of excellence in acting, especially being vulnerable and authentic. James Mangold: “There are some actors who, when they feel insecure in a scene, will just turn up the volume or the energy to try to electrocute themselves. [...]
Kate Bosworth – always learning Kate Bosworth [photo from "Superman Returns"] thinks “all actors are insecure.. I certainly am… I think almost all artists are insecure. I don’t ever watch myself and think, ‘That was great, I hit it out of the park!’ Never… “One of the things I love most about this job is [...]
Out of the comfort zone Many people, maybe most, want to avoid anxiety, fear and other “stressful” feelings. Except for the occasional roller coaster ride. But talented actors (and other artists) often use those kinds of feelings to guide and energize their work. Julia Stiles [left] says she chooses projects based on “ways I need [...]
Cherry Jones Cherry Jones [left], earned a Tony nomination for her acting in a stage production of A Moon for the Misbegotten [2002] but was “nearly paralyzed by a profound case of stage fright” according to a Time Out New York article. She said it was from “Living up to the greatest performance I have [...]
Philip Seymour Hoffman In a recent interview, Philip Seymour Hoffman [Best Actor Oscar nominee for “Capote”] admitted he used drugs and alcohol earlier in his life. A lot. “It was all that stuff. It was anything I could get my hands on. I liked it all.” He got sober, he says, because “You get panicked. [...]
The enemy of art Commenting about her feelings this morning and her best-actress Oscar nomination for “Transamerica,” Felicity Huffman [left, as Bree in the film] said, “I woke up in fear and anxiety – which I know is the enemy of art, and in general.” [CNN Showbiz Tonight Feb 13 2006] Nicole Kidman admits, “Every [...]
Whether you get cast or not is dependent upon things that are totally out of your control. For example, the way an actor may have experienced this is, they were running late for an audition, or just got there in the nick of time and just does it. Or you get into an audition and [...]