Finding a character

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:07pm

What personally do you all do when you get cast. How do you find your character? Is there a certain routine that you love to use etc. Post to help fellow actors and actress's with their craft!

Sorry if this should be in the off topic.

[LadyGuenevere]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:09pm

-I study the time period that the character was in, which does influence their behavior
-I determine a style of walking and speaking
-I try to act like the character offstage in different situations (whenever it's appropriate)
-I try to look for motives for their actions in the script
-During the last part, when my character is nicely established, I fill out a question sheet, the answers being everything that the character would say.

I love character development in shows.

[thibodeaux]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:10pm

Well, I read the script several times to get a feel for the character and then I do research into their times...the difficulty of that weighing on when the character exists (modern vs. classical). Then I examine relationships, discover objectives, tactics, obstacles--What does the character really want? How does he/she go about getting it? What stands in his/her way?

Figuring out why they say what they're saying and what their images are; then even prying into the hokey-dokey stuff they teach you that can actually work, like... What is my character's color? Their animal? Does that change? If so, when?

Finding your character's center of gravity, where they lead from...That can tell you a lot about a character right away.

Those are some of the things I do to find my characters.

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 7:11pm

Besides what Lady said, I write a short biography of my character, tracing their life from birth to death, thinking about all the factors that would affect their life. I also use certain character traits and connect them to the character's past to give meaning to why they are the way they are.

[NoDayButToday2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:00pm

very well said thibodeaux

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 8:02pm

This reminds me of something that Pearl Bailey said when she played in TWHM at the Kennedy Center in Washington. She got tumultuous applause when she stepped off the trolly in the first scene and started chatting with members of the audience as she was wont to do. She stopped herself and said: "The producers are telling me that I've gotta stay in character. 'Trouble is, I ain't found out what my character is yet!"

Posted: 8/11/04 at 10:52pm

I definitely do what aspiringguy said. it's really helpful to make the character realistic and to see that they have all these things that have made them who are you are portraying at the moment.

[razzledazzle2]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 11:14pm

y'all have some great pointers. i'm taking an acting class this semester at school and i will definitely try to keep those in mind. making the character seem more realistic is fantastic!

ive been in plays and productions before and tried the usual method for memorizing lines. any suggestions for faster ways?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/11/04 at 11:19pm

Always decide what shoes the character wears. It affects how the character will move.

Posted: 8/11/04 at 11:59pm

a thing i learned from inside the actors studio (i watch that show religiously) is that you have to find a reason for why your character says what he/she says. if he's singing, find out why he's singing. what emotions are there? what is the motive?

Thanks Hugh Jackman :)

[thibodeaux]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 12:06am

Repitition, really.

Well, that and isolating your images; figuring out the picture words. What sets off an image in your head? Action words, places, people. Conjunctions and things like aren't images; they move the idea along. Isolating those and personalizing them; who is Romeo? What does he look like? What does he smell like? Feel like? Sound like?

Where is Oz? How long does it take to get there? Is it dangerous? If so, what lies in your path? What are the people like there? If you don't know, make it up! (But within the realm of the play, within the realm of the character).

Personalization makes it yours. It makes things more tangible; you can grasp them easier. And it makes it easier to remember.

That's what I do.

(PS, thanks NoDayButToday2...Guess my college acting classes are paying off!)

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 12:10am

Sometimes what is best is finding a song that is what you can base a character on.

For example

Mr. Applegate can be somewhat like "Ballad of Guiteau" from Assassins, funny, unstable, a religious zealot (in reverse). It helps with quick ideas and character choices and motivation. And it gives you something to go back to if you feel you've lost the original thought.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 1:45am

Doing a beat by beat analysis helps me a great deal.
And I like to rehearse my lines in front of a mirror.
I also think it's helpful to find similarities between the personality of the character with people that I've met in real life.

Updated On: 8/12/04 at 01:45 AM

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 2:33am

Just be very observational and notice people around you and strangers passing by. Does someone carry themselves in a way that reminds you of your character. Analyze what about them makes them remind you of them. Is it the way they talk, their posture, gestures, their facial expressions. Try playing around with different combinations of these things. I am more referring to the physicallity of the character because emotions are based on motivations.

For me I was struggling with finding my approach to the character of Motel in Fiddler on the Roof (which I am currently playing). One day I was experimenting with different walks and suddenly i found this perfect, akward hunched walk, and the entire character just clicked in me. It was an epiphany and a great moment in my acting.

Akiva

[badkarma719]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 3:08am

Well I usuall spen about a week and basical live as my character almost. I did a production of Bang Bang ur dead in High school and lived out like Josh would have for a week. it drove some friends crazy. I did the same for Eugine in Grease.

The hardest charater work I dod was for the Wizard of Oz thou, I couldnt get Uncle Henry or the Gate keeper down. So my director and I actually spen time working on what she wanted and that helped

however when I did how to eat like a child and free to be u and me I just wrote out the stuff cause I had a week to put the show together.

When I stage managed stuff, I had some of my actors do character exercises(ei how they would walk sleep do everyday activities) and for a version of Peter Rabit I had them actually study animals for a few days

I feel it just depends on how u like ot do it. And really from my experience is if u need help with a character just ask ur directoer, cause they useually have some way that they wanted it to look before they casted u

Posted: 8/12/04 at 8:34am

Okay, I don't want to be preaching Mamet right now, but as I am in the Atlantic Theater School and no one has brought this 'method' up, I'm going to post it. (And it's kinda good review for me seeing as I haven't been in school all summer)

Basically, we're taught that you cannot become a character. That's just impossible. Or you'd go crazy. We're all ourselves, with our own unique experiences and ways of dealing with things etc. So, with Practical Aesthetics (what they call the technique, boy if anyone from my studio sees this I'm going to look like such a brown-noser hehe), what you do is analyze the script scene by scene. To analyze, you ask these questions:
1. What is the character literally doing?
2. What does the character want?
3. What is my action?

An action is the means with which you get what you want. Basically. An example would be 'to put someone in their place' or 'to get forgiveness'. You use your lines to play your action out fully. From playing your action truthfully (which is what all good acting is supposed to be, right) you create the illusion of character.

This might be really confusing for some people. I don't even know if this technique is for me yet. It certainly works, I've seen people do amazing things with it and it's helped me become more honest in my acting, but who knows, right? If you want to learn more (shameless plug), read 'A Practical Handbook for the Actor'. It's an interesting read even if you don't end up using the technique.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 9:30am

sarah - your description seems the most accurate so far. I was never one for "method" of any kind - but to each his own. I believe that different things work for different actors - some need "triggers" to find the emotion - but to me, if it's written well - all you have to do is play the scene truthfully. We used to call our "Acting the Song" class "NOT" Acting the song - don't act - just BE. That seems to make the most sense to me.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 9:34am

Yes, I'm with you, redhot.

[robbiej]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 10:03am

Exactly, red.

I mean...I would NEVER advocate my 'method' to anyone. Why? Cause I can't actually tell other people how to do it.

Most of these techniques I haven't used since college. I mostly just start out with broad physical strokes. I go balls out from day one...the table read. My instincts rarely fail me, and if they do, I go back to technique. But after I get the general physical arc of the character, I start to work on the details. I rarely work 'emotionally'...what I should be 'feeling'. For me, it's all about doing, and finding the appropriate emotions with the other actors. Because what I think I should be feeling is rarely what the other actors are trying to make me feel.

I guess the best advice I can give is stop feeling. Just do.

It's fun. Get out of your heads. Play.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 10:20am

to expound on what Robbie just said - I think the core of being a good actor is the "Listening" factor - all acting really is, is reacting to circumstances and dialogue. How a human being reacts to something said to him is what the action is usually all about.

Posted: 8/12/04 at 1:15pm

i LOVE inside the actor's studio! and i saw the one with Hugh Jackman and the whole reason for saying "oh what a beautiful morning..." more than once. He's so cute. I fell in love with him in Kate and Leopold... he was the epitome of a perfect man in that. maybe cuz he is (?)

btw, i always am trying to surprise myself by doing some sort of movement or expression or voice, and just BEING like redhot said, cause natural things just come out. once you surprise yourself i think that THAT is really when you are embodying (spelling?) the character. Updated On: 8/12/04 at 01:15 PM

[ponine24601]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 1:17pm

i basically do what everyone has said. i don't feel like repeating it all.

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 3:03pm

The main thing for me is the animal. I decided my character was a bird, so for an excercise I flitted (sp?) around stage and I adjusted that to become my character walk! Costumes are a big deal w/ me too, at least always walk in the shows for the character if not the whole costume.
Also do a self interview: Fav color, clothing style, best friend, crush/ love interest, wealth statues, etc.

Updated On: 8/12/04 at 03:03 PM

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 4:08pm

The first thing I do is read the script. I study how my character interacts with all of the other characters and from there I determine who he is. Once I talk to the other actors I determine a voice/accent. This is only because different people will have different views of the show. If I have any questions I go to the director.
If the character is well known you sort of have to take a clue from the popular image but try and make it as much you as possible.

[Jussoc]

Posted: 8/12/04 at 4:59pm

I know that one thing that I personally do as a young actor is to place my character into a made up situation. Then I toy with different resolutions that my character may have for that situation until I find the one that I believe is most like my character, and what they would most likely do.

What this does and allow you to enter into your character's head and discover what it is that your character would do when faced with certain discissions. The reason that this is good to know is because I believe a person can be judged on the choices they make. So if you place your character in a position where he or she is making choice and deciding, you can explore the person your character truly is.