THE TRUTH OF THE TRADE

The complexities of everyday life are reflected in our language, when we might say one thing and mean another. But acting is not about being truthful, writes Les Chantery, it’s about being real — and there is a difference.

Real human beings don’t always express our inner truth. We sometimes lie, exaggerate, conceal, manipulate, downplay or calculate what we say and how we say it to get our needs met. Can you imagine if we were all truth-tellers, suddenly expressing what we really think and feel? For example, when a friend asks, “Do you think I’m a talented actor?”, your honest answer might not be what they want to hear. It may be commendable in an acting class when participants express the ‘truth’ of their characters’ feelings, but is it real? Do people always express their inner truth? The answer is no. Real life is often more captivating than film or television. Look at the rise of reality TV over the years. Even if it is somewhat fabricated, people are voyeuristic. They are intrigued by real people in crisis. If we can achieve a performance closer to real life in our self-tapes, we can engage the viewer by making the tape not only watchable but also feelable.

Actors will read a script with the intention of finding the character’s inner truth − what they are thinking and feeling − and then attempt to express this. Fine. The question is, Should the character express this inner truth? Do you express your inner truth every day? When I see an actor expressing very ‘truthful’ emotions and behaviour, I sometimes ask them, “How likely is it that the person you are playing would be so forthcoming? If they expressed all this inner truth, would they achieve what they are seeking from the other person?” Get curious about how real people express themselves and behave when seeking to have their needs met.

A study on obsessive, intrusive thoughts was performed by clinicians on a group of people deemed ‘mentally healthy’. Researchers wanted to uncover the types of daily intrusive thoughts that popped into people’s minds. There were 52 common intrusive thoughts people shared, including swerving a car into traffic, picturing strangers naked, leaving the stove on, causing a public scene (like screaming uncontrollably in a theatre) and bumping into people deliberately. These are very truthful intrusive thoughts, but do we express them out loud? No.

To be real means we sometimes repress, deny or laugh away such thoughts. We are not truth-tellers; we are human and, therefore, complicated and nuanced. If being human means being ‘real’, then being a character means being ‘real’ because, after all, the best actors make their characters real.

The following three tools are designed to instantly make your performance more real:

1. The language tool
Neuropsychology shows that language is the most modern tool we have developed to meet our needs. It is adaptive to our survival. Instead of using physical violence to get food from someone else (as we may have had to do in prehistoric times before language), we can now use words. For instance, we might say something threatening like, “Give me your food or I will kill you.” If humans use language as a tool, then your character uses it the same way.

What if the dialogue/text is seen as a tool, as technology the character uses to deal with their situation? We all use words strategically every day. Ever composed a text message and spent time trying to find the best words to use? To include or not include an emoji? To sign off with ‘xo’ or not? That is strategy. You are using language as a tool. Too many actors take every line of dialogue in their script literally — for example, if a character says, “I never want to see you again”, do they mean it? What if, like real people, they use words strategically. Consider how the line changes if:

• It’s a lie, but you want to hurt them.
• It’s a slip of the tongue, which you regret as soon as you’ve said it.
• It’s something you wish you said to a previous person, not this one.
• It’s a test −you want the other person to fight for you.
• You know abandonment is the other person’s worst fear.
• You’re projecting this onto the other person; it’s actually your fear.

The next time you work on a script, search for that one line of dialogue that you say but may not truly mean. This instantly makes your self-tape more ‘real’ because you have uncovered a moment where the character is doing what we all do: using language as a tool to get their needs met.

2. The reaction tool
In real life, humans do not always react to situations truthfully. For example, some people laugh when they’re in conflict with someone else − not because it is genuinely funny; it’s a defence mechanism. In this case, the person’s ‘inner truth’ may be a feeling of sadness, but their reaction is laughter. Or you might react with anger if someone makes you feel unexpectedly vulnerable. There is a duality between what you’re truthfully feeling and the reaction you really have. In psychoanalytic theory, these are known as ‘reaction formations’, the instances in which people conceal or deny a feeling or desire by expressing an outwardly contrasting or different one.

Many actors express the inner truth of their characters’ feelings and emotions in every moment, but is this real? We do not always express our true feelings and emotions. To make your self-tape more real, look for one instance in the script where your character may react or express themselves with a reaction formation − a cover-up for what they’re truly feeling. This duality is real, feeling one thing but expressing another. There is a moment in the film Adaptation when Meryl Streep’s character is approached by a stranger who senses she is sad, and he asks her about it. Streep starts laughing in response to his comment because the truth is that she is sad, but her reaction is to laugh it off because revealing her vulnerability at that moment is probably a greater pain, in truth. That is a reaction formation. That is real.

3. The need-to-speak tool
In real-life conversation, we respond to other people’s tones, usually before they have even finished speaking. Less-experienced actors tend to wait until the reader’s last word before reacting. This is not ‘real’. In real life, we often respond to a person’s tone, energy or a word they use mid-stream that signals whether what we’re hearing is good or bad.

Imagine your agent calls to update you about a job you’ve been on hold for, and they say, “Hi, so we just got the call from Netflix. Unfortunately, it’s not going to go any further for you. They think you did a really great job, but they decided to go in a different direction.” Most humans will experience the gut punch as soon as they hear the word “unfortunately”, yet most actors wait until the reader says their last words (in this case, “different direction”) to have it hit them. I often tell actors to circle the word in the other person’s line which signals to you when you would really be affected by what they’re saying. This need-to-speak tool doesn’t mean you cut your reader off, but having the impulse to respond or react when it is ignited in you (and not waiting for the last word) makes your performance real.

Real life is complex − we might say one thing and mean another. There is an inner truth and an outer reality. The next time you’re putting down a self-tape, consider using one of these three tools to make your performance more human, more real.

Les Chantery is a NIDA Acting graduate and owner of The Actor’s Station studio in Sydney, where he teaches in person and also online around the world. He is a highly sought-after acting coach, with clients working in many projects for HBO, Hulu, Disney, Stan, Paramount+ and many more. His book, Life … in a Mid-Shot: A Screen Test Manual, is due for release this year.