Day 2

In the reading, it suggests that an actor must put all his being into the theatre, into the part of the character. One must concentrate so intently as to birth the soul of the character and display this soul artistically with the utilization of all five senses. This teaching, while it makes sense, also makes it more understandable that some actors and actresses lose themselves in the part.
I was recently watching a talk show, (Conan – the best) and studied the behaviors of the actors as they were interviewed. Were they crazy? Had they lost themselves? Did they ever know themselves? These questions plagued my mind throughout each interview. Some were more apparently vulnerable to this identity confusion than others – for instance, William H. Macy stood out. If I saw him on the street, I’d say, wow, that homeless alcoholic should really take a shower, shave his beard, and get a job. If I saw him ten years ago, I’d say, that is a normal person. (Well, I probably wouldn’t say that, but he wouldn’t make any unusual impression). It turned out that his most recent role was that of an alcoholic. Macy undoubtedly did a good job of physically portraying the character – but did he leave the character behind when the movie finished? I could only subjectively analyze the interview, and of course he may have been nervous, but he did raise suspicion.
It takes time to know oneself fully, and if actors begin acting at such a young age, do they really get the time to know themselves? Or do they become a mixture of themselves along with characters they have portrayed? I personally would be cautious to play a troubled character. I’d choose peaceful, happy, prosperous characters with the knowledge that I could potentially lose myself in this persona.

Anyway, I recently did something I had never done before, and paid attention to my senses as I did this act. I do not watch TV often, but there is a particular show I’ve never seen before (nor did I have any interest in seeing). So, I went on Hulu and played “Bob’s Burgers” on mute. It was on mute because I was in Swem Library. I played it for five long minutes. It was visually entertaining and boring in every other regard. I noticed that my visual acuity became heightened without the sound. As the character on the screen shivered in the freezer, I became aware of my own arms, slightly chilly. The taste on my tongue was the coffee I was drinking, rather bitter with a hint of milk – though the show did make me briefly think of burgers and it sounded pretty good. Though the library has scattered, quiet noise on the first floor, I became tuned into the program and noticed only the silence from the screen.