How to get used to the role of an actor a short guide. Techniques to help you get used to a new role

20.02.2019

Who hasn't dreamed of moving to Hollywood and becoming a world-famous actor? And what, the profession is well paid, and bonuses in the form of fans and freebies for premieres will not be superfluous. But keep in mind that recognition will come to you only when you become a real master of your craft, and the main thing of an actor, as you know, is to play in such a way that even the old man Stanislavsky would cry and exclaim “I believe!”.

So, if you want to earn the respect of your colleagues and the love of the audience, get ready for the fact that you will not only have to read the script and change clothes, but also master a bunch of unique techniques for “getting used to” the role. Fortunately, all brilliant actors have already proven their effectiveness, and you just have to choose the right one.

Get down to the bottom

Frame: Grisbi Productions In the film " Rage» Shia LaBeouf played a tank technician nicknamed "Holy One", and colleagues sometimes shunned the actor. Shia firmly decided to play the role of a war-torn tanker as convincingly as possible and, in order to "get into the shoes" of his character, he stopped washing a month before filming. One must think that in the scenes filmed "inside" the tank, Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman had a very difficult time, closely pressed against Shia.

Lose everything

Frame: R.P. Productions Adrien Brody's character in " Pianist survived the Holocaust but lost everything he loved. To feel the similar pain of loss, Adrian not only gave away his apartment and car, but handed out jewelry to his friends, left with nothing. He also left his beloved girlfriend to aggravate his suffering. After the success of the film, the actor realized that he got excited and called her back, explaining that it was all for the sake of the role. But how did she react? a poor girl, in principle, it is not difficult to guess.

Learn a new profession

frame: Columbia Pictures Robert De Niro is an ardent supporter of Stanislavsky's methods. For each of his roles, he carefully prepares, transforming into his character both externally and internally. That's in order to better prepare for his first collaboration with Scorsese in the film " Taxi driver”, and at the same time get to know the city better and learn the local slang, Robert received a special license and worked as a real taxi driver for three months until he learned all the intricacies of the profession.

Filming yourself drunk

frame: Initial Productions According to the plot of the film " Leaving Las Vegas The hero of Nicolas Cage abuses alcohol very much. But since alcoholics are not allowed on the set, there was only one way out - to copy the habits of a drunk person. Which is what Cage did. He installed several video cameras at home, turned them on and started drinking in order to see in the morning how he should look from the outside. He was probably horrified watching the film, but the Oscar he received for this role was no doubt worth it.

Blend in with the crowd

frame: Paramount Pictures In life, Tom Cruise is very charismatic bright personality. But for a role in an action movie " Partner in crime"He had to play a contract killer who knows how to blend in with the crowd and remain inconspicuous. For training, Cruz dressed up as a courier and delivered packages in a crowded Los Angeles. Nobody really recognized the artist.

put yourself in danger

Frame: Universal Pictures One of Sacha Baron Cohen's roles is Bruno, a gay man who hosts a fashion show. In order to better merge with the image, Sasha entered it six months before the start of the film's production and never left it until the very end. Once, in the image of Bruno, he took part in a rally against gay marriage, pestering the protesters, criticizing their views and provoking a fight. No one recognized the actor, and the fight took place.

insult people

frame: Universal Pictures In the picture « man on the moon"The quarrel between comedian Kaufman, played by Jim Carrey, and wrestler Jerry Lawler is very convincingly shown. Wanting to experience the same experiences as his character, Carrey asked Lawler (he plays himself in the film) to put him to bed in the same way, after which the real Kaufman spent three days in the hospital. The wrestler was embarrassed and categorically refused to beat Kerry. After long unsuccessful persuasion, the angry comedian spat relish in the wrestler's face. The scene with the assault was definitely a success - the wrestler could not restrain his emotions, and Jim got a real slap in the face.

suffer from masochism

frame: Paramount Pictures Actor Dustin Hoffman, preparing for the film "Marathon Runner", spent two nights in a city park, where he had nowhere to sleep and wash, and robbers and murderers constantly seemed to him because of the bushes. The efforts were not empty. The torture of the hero by the Nazis looked very realistic thanks to Hoffman's exhausted appearance and his hunted look. And in order to develop an impeccable lameness, Hoffman put a sharp stone in his shoe.

Immerse yourself in real conditions

frame: Morgan Creek Productions An excellent example of scrupulously getting used to the image of Daniel Day-Lewis - one of the main characters in the film adaptation of the novel "The Last of the Mohicans". To make his character, hunter and ranger Hawkeye, as believable as possible, Daniel whole month was all alone in the Arizona desert. The actor tried to live exactly like his hero. He traveled on foot, slept under open sky and ate only the food that could be collected or shot.

Lock yourself in a psych ward

frame: Fantasy Films flying over Cuckoo's Nest"led by Jack Nicholson. The director of the film put the actors in a real mental hospital so that they adequately played their characters. The actors tried so hard to comprehend the secrets of madness that one day Danny DeVito discovered that he had a fictional friend, and was seriously alarmed.

Found an error? Select the fragment and press Ctrl+Enter.

Actors are representatives of an amazing profession. They know how to plausibly tell from the stage about the fate of their hero, make the viewer believe every word and gesture, cry and smile, rejoice, empathize and laugh heartily.

The credibility of the acting

Acting professionalism depends not only on how much knowledge a person has received at a university or in special courses, learning this type of skill, but also on the presence of talent, personal qualities - determination and perseverance. “I don’t believe it!” - this statement was often repeated Stanislavsky those who failed to reincarnate in their character. Creating a convincing image is not an easy task. For true credibility, acting a person needs some skills and experience. Good actor must have the ability to think figuratively and be able to quickly transform to perform different characters. To get used to the role, the actor often has to overcome long haul and strive for impeccable performance with overwork. Innate abilities help the actor get rid of the problem - how to get used to the role Stanislavsky . However, such talent is peculiar only to the elite. How to make sure that the actor is believed and no one from the audience could doubt the veracity of what is happening on stage?

Techniques to help you get used to new role

The following tricks help both experienced actors and beginners get used to the role of the character:

  • study of the role prototype. After reading the script, the actor should find a suitable object to study the character of his character. demeanor, characteristic movements and properties of temperament, the smallest details in the form of timbre of voice and tone, look, facial expressions and gesture - that will help, as he said Stanislavsky , "get into the soul." Having become infected with the image of a new hero, the actor puts his own personality in the background. Experts advise avoiding complete identification with the hero in order to avoid unpleasant consequences. If there are any difficulties with “entering” the role, the actor can turn to a psychologist who will help analyze the personality of the character and sort out his emotions under various circumstances;
  • organization of life, as similar as possible to the life of the performed hero. Having created the right conditions before the start of filming, the actor can feel his character in just a few days.
  • creating a compelling appearance. This item involves working on the stage image, costume and accessories. The actor should look at himself through the eyes of others and try to channel his emotions into words and actions;
  • obtaining the skills and abilities necessary for a new role. Given the fact that this profession requires a person to learn quickly and master the essence of the subject well, an actor sometimes needs to get used to the role of two or more characters. Work on each of the images requires certain knowledge, experience and life philosophy. Sometimes you need to master the game to play successfully. musical instrument, new dance direction or artist skills;
  • conveying the emotional background inherent in the hero. For greater persuasiveness in performance, it is worth creating genuine experiences. Sad and sad memories will help to cope with the melancholy role. Emotions strong, bright and charismatic personalities can be conveyed by remembering the feeling of confidence and energy from a successfully completed business;
  • sincere faith and living your fiction. It is not necessary to prepare a speech in advance for this. To succeed, it is important for an actor to feel like a really different person who has different thoughts, feelings, dreams and experiences. Improvisation will be a great help in this matter. For a brilliant performance, it is important for an actor to be focused on his alter ego and remember that without faith in himself, he will not be able to capture the attention of the viewer.

How to improve the ability to get used to the role

The person who has to get used to the role needs to prepare for future game a certain character not only informationally and physically, but also morally. This procedure is familiar to every professional actor. For example, if a person gets used to the role of a historical character, it is worth taking an interest in his entire biography, memories, experiences, photographs and speeches of the hero. Daily re-reading of the script, memorizing one's own and other people's lines will help to fully imbue the idea of ​​the performance and feel its atmosphere. The actor preparing the role must also act as a strict analyst who will understand the essence of the role and its main purpose in the performance.

When attending rehearsals, it is important to give all your best to them, demonstrating all the emotions of the character as authentically and deeply as possible. Sincere belief in yourself, honing every gesture and word, intonation and movement will help to achieve incredible credibility. Developing the ability to feel the feelings and moods of others will be a useful skill for those who do not know how to get used to the role of an actor. High level empathy in combination with spiritual and ethical self-improvement can affect the success of an acting career.

Getting used to the role for actors is not an easy task. Even comedy, it would seem simple roles not as simple as us ordinary people, Seems. In order to flawlessly fulfill their role, the stars have to suffer and endure real hardships. Some actors are ready to part with everything that is acquired by overwork in order to get used to the role.

For example, actor Adrien Brody in order to get used to the role of the poor Polish pianist, crushed by the Nazis, sold his apartment in Manhattan, car and mobile phone. After that, he hired a music tutor and learned how to play Chopin flawlessly. Set sobbed, and the director appreciated his efforts.

Dustin Hoffman for his role in the movie "Marathon Runner" spent two days sleeping in a city park. The efforts were not in vain - the torture of the hero Nazi criminals looked very realistic. And in order to work out the perfect lameness, the actor put a sharp stone in his shoe. Sometime later, Hoffman achieved the iconic role of Razo Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy after rigging a meeting with a producer by dressing up as a beggar on a Manhattan street corner. The producer, not prone to sentimentality, immediately reached into his pocket for a penny for a crust of bread. And when the actor opened up, instead of a penny, he received a contract for a million.

For the role of a boxer in the movie Knockdown, Russell Crowe spent a month working with trainer Muhammad Ali. The coach helped Russell learn to box quickly, but he did not expect Crowe to become so addicted to this sport that he would even earn himself a typical “boxing” shoulder injury.

Actress Renee Zellweger had to put on a lot of weight for the successful role of a fat loser, and then ... spend the entire fee from filming on fitness and diets. But everyone already knows this story. But for the role of Bridget Jones, the actress also anonymously hired a job at the Picador publishing company. To fit into the role of a philologist aspiring to break into the publishing industry, she had to shed her Texan accent and change her hair. Rene turned out to be a master of reincarnation - in a new workplace famous actress no one knew.

In preparation for the role of Howard Hughes in The Aviator, Leonardo DiCaprio read all the books about this millionaire and memorized his biography. In life, Howard Hughes suffered from a manic fixation on certain objects or actions. Therefore, during the filming, for the authenticity of the image, Leo in a certain way went out through the same doors, stepped on the same chewing gum on the pavement several times and walked trying not to step on the joints between the tiles. To complete the picture, Leo sat at the helm of the aircraft and began to take piloting lessons. In between takes, the actor retired and tried not to talk to anyone, just like his neurasthenic hero. It's good that the habit of getting used to the role came to Leo recently. It is still unknown what he would start doing before the role in the film " Full eclipse where DiCaprio played homosexual writer Arthur Rimbaud.

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the most great masters in terms of getting used to the role. When Cohen decided to become a comedian after college, he began to pick up people he knew on the street and strangers and parody them. For example, the prototype of the cheeky rapper Ali G was a DJ, the son of a priest who really wanted to be like a gangster. Sasha bought sports suit with Lurex, a huge gold chain, glasses with yellow glasses and went out into the street ... For the role of an ignorant Kazakh journalist Borat Cohen did not cut or shave for 6 weeks, made a brawl in a hotel room in Manhattan, quarreled with the authorities next to the White House. To play an Italian hairdresser in the musical Sweeney Todd, Sasha had to learn to hold a razor for 14 hours. Cohen claims to have nothing to do with his characters, they have separate life. Sasha (unlike Borat, Ali G and Bruno) almost never gives interviews, but his characters - with joy. And in conversations with journalists, the characters scold their "master" for what the world stands. Some colleagues in the shop are sure that Cohen is ill with schizophrenia, while others consider him a genius.

Instruction

Study the situation in which your hero will operate. Much depends on the event context: outfit, manner of presentation, active vocabulary. Evaluate what behavior would be appropriate for your character, what words he can use and what intonation to pronounce them. For example, the count will behave intelligently, speak slowly and, perhaps, slightly dismissively and.

Consider the character's costume. It should organically blend into the background of the social environment and at the same time demonstrate your individuality. If you are playing a person who goes against the opinion of society, select the appropriate entourage. Start from the character of your hero, his aspirations, outlook on life. Who is he - an active revolutionary or a romantic dreamer? Seductive Don Juan or soft tactful intellectual? To really get used to the image, you need to put together a lot of defining little things. Consider also makeup and accessories.

Imagine how the character's voice should sound. Think about what intonations are characteristic of him, how his facial expressions and gestures will differ. Speech can be smooth and intermittent, lively and monotonous, calm and excited. Build a speech pattern based on what events preceded the monologue, what thought you want to convey to the audience, what emotions the speech can be filled with.

Extremely important aspect character is his internal state. Dissolve yourself in the image of a hero, try on his personality traits. Depict the character's experiences with exaggeration, grotesque. If it is joy, let it be unrestrained, if melancholy, show world sorrow. Grotesque will be a great workout for you.

Rehearse to get used to the way you play. Repeat the hero's remarks, you can even mentally, to yourself. Close your eyes and act out the scene. It is useful to "review" the script before going to bed. Try to work out the character's gait, enter the character during normal walks. It is interesting to fantasize that it is not you who go to the store, but Napoleon himself. Just be careful, don't let go real life before losing orientation.

The ability to enter into the image helps in various life situations. So, sometimes you need to show self-confidence, will and firmness, and sometimes you need to play a riddle, coquettishness, gaiety. It is especially useful to get used to the images of timid and shy people. Be the person you want to be, and when you feel insecure, firmly tell yourself, “I'm an actor! It's a game!". There are no winners here, but you can easily lose by succumbing to your weaknesses and retreating.



Similar articles