Preparing to Don your Acting Mask

So the moment has come when the role you’ve been desperately trying to land is finally sitting right in your lap. After what feels like countless auditions, readings and re-readings, and screen tests, you’ve been given the green light! So what now? What should you be doing to nail this role and turn such an opportunity into the launching pad you have always waited for? Firstly, you need to buckle down and learn as much as you can about this character, because the only way you are going to make a truly unforgettable impression on the audience is through a complete transformation that overshadows you, the actor, and gives way to your newly developed persona.

You must get into the head of this character. Where are they from, where are they now, and where are they going? How does this affect the decisions they make in everyday life? What do they want, and at what lengths will they go to get it (however extreme)? You want to get to the barebones of this person, so learn his/her family background, age, social status, upbringing, sexuality, fears, and how fine of a line separates their desires from their needs.

Many actors go through months of preparation prior to taking on a new role. Some go above and beyond to ensure the transformation is so convincing you forget you are watching an interpretation: You are 100% invested in this character, consumed with wanting to know how they impact the overall story.

Getting into the belly of the beast, so to speak, will get you closer to better understanding the psyche that influences any character’s actions. If you are portraying a cop, for instance, talk to a real-life police officer about what the public assumes and what actually entails trying to protect them. Going out and having real-life experiences described to you by surgeons, janitors, teachers, auto mechanics, mayors, drug addicts, social workers, and even criminals is invaluable information when trying to better understand worlds we have no comprehension of.

No matter the role, if you can pick the brain of someone who can relate to the eccentricities of your character and the uniqueness behind such unfamiliar waters, you are a privileged fly-on-the-wall with knowledge and insight your audience trusts is authentic. And not you the actor: You, the character.

The ability to adapt to new values, morals, interests, wants, and needs foreign as ever to your own personal constitution is no easy task, but the life of a chameleon demands such adaptability, and once the craft is mastered who knows what reflection awaits you once it’s no longer work but sheer passion running the show.