Recently, a demo student of mine was struggling with the concept of sounding conversational in their commercial scripts. No matter how hard they tried, their delivery came off as stilted, self-conscious, and flat.
Working with them on their scripts was downright painful at times. The more breakthrough acting techniques I pulled out of my hat, the more anxious and defeated they felt.
Finally, they said, deflated, “How do I make the script my own?”
First, let me say that I sound the same way they do when I haven’t taken the steps to get connected in a deeply personal way.
The process of what is called personalization of the script boils down to this: you must have a deep understanding about what is being conveyed, and then you must filter it through your own life experiences to find a way to relate to it.
There are other embellishments that follow, but if we don’t start with this, the rest of our performance is destined to sound like we are just reading. We get nowhere, like riding a bike without wheels.
Our goal as actors is to have the words in a script become our words. When we’ve truly achieved this, there’s no telling where our performance will go. It feels spontaneous and compelling.
Personalization of a script requires you to believe that you are interesting enough to bring yourself to the script. This is where the biggest hangup is in the process! Most people don’t believe they are very interesting, or that their point of view in a particular script is desired.
Don’t worry about what you think casting wants. Hone your script analysis skills and then work on peeling away the walls you’ve built around your childlike playfulness. When you do these things, you will be bringing a creative team partner to the table. This is what they want.
Casting directors from all over say they are looking for originality – something they haven’t seen or heard before. Everybody loves surprises – especially casting. The best thing we can do is bring them our perspective.
The student I mentioned at the beginning of this blog found a way to make the script their own, by digging into two questions: what am I saying and how do I feel about it?
It wasn’t their perfect acting skills or flawless voice that helped them nail the piece. Their performance was delightful because they allowed the nuances of their personality to shine. Instead of listening to themselves and grading every word, they threw caution to the wind, and lived a truthful moment in time.
There’s no one else in the world with your perspectives, quirks, and experiences. This is your treasure as an actor. Run every script through your personal filters before performing it. Then have the courage to jump in without hesitation.
Here’s where the importance of confidence comes in: when you have the courage to take creative liberties in your work, you always run the risk of not being understood, or appreciated.
You won’t book every project, no one does – but in a business where it’s imperative to stand out, it’s far riskier to play it safe, than to go with a fun impulse. So run, don’t walk, to your next audition, like a kid running to the playground.
Feel the rush of making choices on the fly and someday you will enjoy the incomparable feeling of booking because you are you.
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