Hi Actor,
So you "have the part". The steps you take from now until the end of project are what I call 'The Actor's Process'. It is the personal, structured, systematic approach we work through. It incorporates both Priming and Practice, specifically for the purpose of preparing for a role.
We already know Priming sets us up with a blueprint for Practice and Practice is the action of a skill.
I encourage you now to look at each character as an overarching skill in themselves. Each role that comes across your desk demands different requirements of you. These people you play may be different to you and yet need to come from you.
All the things we do creatively, in the lead up to a role should be in line with getting us closer to the character, allowing us in on their perspective, connecting us to them. We want to do things that allow us to be able to perform the new role, the new "skill" effectively. We also know that uncomfortable and intentional practice is the most effective. So lets challenge ourselves too.
Priming x Practice
The first step to our process is priming. Read the role, the script and whatever material you have available to you. Obviously a casting brief is going to have less info than a full script but the important thing here is to familiarise yourself with the information you have at your disposal.
Write down all the things you can listen to, watch & read. Keeping in mind that we are doing so to gain clarity in what our practice should look like going forward. Look at the circumstances the character finds themselves in. Is there anything from their background, social status, occupation, relationships or the time period that ushers us closer to the kind of person they are. This will start to give us ideas on what to practice each day.
Now, write down all the things that you believe you need to practice, to get you as close to the part as feasibly possible. Look at your calendar, and plan times to practice. There will be some reoccurring foundational practices that you will repeatedly come across with every role, like memorising your lines but for a large part each role will likely require different things of you. This is one of the exciting qualities of the work we do. Every role is different. Each should potentially challenge us in a different way.
Consider how much time you have to prepare for the role and focus on the stuff that gives you maximum return on effort first. There is no point rocking up to set, having journaled extensively on what happened to your character 5 yrs prior to the events of the film without having learnt your lines. Think & prioritise. Remember that priming's main purpose is to fire you up. The work you do here ideally needs to inspire you. So make it fun for yourself. Ignite the artist's heart within you.
"Practice on the days you eat" - Shinichi Suzuki
Now that we have set up a personalised system for the specific role we just need to follow through. I recommend doing something prep related at the start and end of each day (minimum) in the lead up to filming. Make it a habit by doing it every day. Go and be as creative as you like in your prep phase for the role and eventually you'll start building a palpable intuition for your own process.
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Just quickly, "getting the role" or "ownership of the part" can mean anything from receiving a casting brief to booking the role. If you're working on a character, you "have the part". No matter how far into Production (Pre to Post) your character gets.
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I'd love to hear from you on what your "Process" is. Do you subscribe to a particular method or approach or do you use a bunch of techniques? Leave a comment below or email me on lachlanstuartactor@gmail.com . Talk Soon.
Lachlan is an Australian Actor who has been working within the industry close to a decade. He’s worked in Film & Theatre.
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