What makes an actor – Part 1 of 3
Heroes and villains have captured our imaginations since the dawn of time. It doesn’t matter if it’s the story of a successful hunt told around a campfire while eating mastodon burgers, or a classic work of literature like Homer’s. The Iliad and the Odyssey or J. R. R. Tolkien Hobbit Y The Lord of the rings Serie. And how many of you remember spending countless hours reading comics about your favorite superhero? Now think how cool it is to see your favorite superhero come to life on a ten meter screen.
How many Batman fans watched The dark knight? Let me rephrase that. Are there any Batman fans out there who No watch the movie? It is the classic story of good versus evil. evil but with a couple of unexpected twists. The lead was clearly Bruce Wayne, but how many moviegoers walked out of the theater saying, “That was a great movie. The Joker was amazing!” Even though Christian Bale got top billing playing the role of Batman, to many, Heath Ledger made the movie.
Even if you haven’t followed Ledger’s career, you may also remember him from Brokeback Mountain (2005), Monster’s Ball (2001), and possibly The Patriot (2000), where he played Mel Gibson’s character’s son. There are some who may think, Hmmmm, he got his chance in 2000 and it took eight grueling years before he landed the role of the Joker. Could not be farther from the truth. Even those who have followed his career may be surprised to learn that Heath Ledger has over 150 entries on IMDB.
It usually takes many years of hard work to become an overnight success. It takes years of study, a lot of discipline, countless hours of rehearsal, a lot of networking, and a lot of luck. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard comments like “I can do a better job than that” or “It’s not like acting is that hard.” Then there’s my personal favourite: “It must be cool to get paid to play.” If acting is so easy, why doesn’t everyone do it? The answer is simple: acting is not as easy as it seems. And most people don’t have a clue what it takes to be a successful actor. Some may think flying an airplane is easy until they sit in a cockpit and take a look at all the controls. Then when you consider the training required to be a commercial pilot, the job becomes that much more daunting. Minimum pilot experience is 1,500 flight hours and 500 cross-country flight hours, 100 night hours, 75 instrument hours (simulated or real). Also, depending on the type of license they have, they are also required to have a specific medical certification. Flying an airplane doesn’t sound so easy anymore.
So what do you think it takes to stand on a stage, or in front of a camera, and give a performance to dozens or millions of people who think flying a plane is easy? People who have no idea of the subtleties and intricacies of your performance will sit there and judge your every word and action. Sometimes you run into a tough crowd. Ahhhh, but when you connect with the audience, when you can share a part of yourself and in doing so make them reflect on their own life or their own circumstances, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.
In part 2 of this article, I will not only talk about what acting is all about, but also what it is not. Until next time, break a leg.