Acting

ICYMI SAG_AFTRA president Sean Astin is at CES checking out the AI situation.

For me, it's all about the given circumstances and the dialogue. Those are the two things that you can't change. Then I break it down from there.

What I wish writers knew about actors work? Give us as much as possible. Write well, don't use cliches. It is very difficult to play a character with "nothing to do." I come from the theater where every character has a purpose. Every character drives the plot forward. I take that mentality to television and some shows like Law and Order are experts at making every count. It is like watching a stage play. Billions is another great example. But some TV shows....as a viewer who is an actor, sometimes I ask myself, "why are they there?" It's the old Star Trek joke. Whenever a new crew member suddenly appears, you know they're going to die.

First, I'd like to say actors are at different stages in development: Beginner, intermediate and advanced. Our education is everything from drop in acting classes to acting degrees from universities to community playhouses that offer onstage experience. And more options exist. I say this because there are methods and processes for actors to work through to develop their approach to bringing words to life. You get in front of people and deliver lines. Your instructor gives you notes. You are asked/taught to decipher a scene by answering questions like: What is the scene about; what are the qualities of your character; what qualities of the character can you relate too? Like a writer takes notes, learns structure, tells a coherent story and brings the characters to life. The work of the actor is always aided by the casting directors talent in matching them to the right character. Then during auditions there is input by instructors, coaches, the writers, the directors. The collaborative process requires a trained actor to connect with their character, but to enable that to happen, the actor for years must try, fail, learn, listen, give, risk it all and do so much more. It's like jumping out of a plane with a parachute, yet knowing everything about the plane, the parachute, the air speed, wind currents, the landing spot, the optional landing spot, the emergency parachute. When you are on stage or on set you have control of your physical and emotional self. You earned the booking, you have rehearsed the lines, and understand the character better than the writer and the director. That is a snapshot anyway. -- My ask of writers (I'm learning that craft myself) is to take two months of scene study and two months of improv classes. Step through the veil to learn our language. You may be happily surprised by the overlap between the two disciplines. Bringing the words, and therefor the character and story, to life, will be more evident, and hopefully closer to the results you are hoping for.

Really good questions Chikaima Uwakwe For me it's about reading the whole script and seeing how the character fits into the script. More specifically, what the function of the character is to the script, what the writer wanted to convey through the character. I then also look at everything the character says and everything others say about them to get as full a picture as possible of them.

for me it's about the circumstance and I also try to study that character ( the emotions, dialogue, storyline and character motivation)

You asked "when you read a script, what’s the first thing you look for to find your way in to the character?" Overwhelmingly it is the dialogue the induces me to "feel" the character. Strong dialogue is so powerful.

Suzanne Bronson Love this post Suzanne, and every role actually is a chance to learn something about being a sentient, vulnerable, and real, living, breathing human. I'm inspired to be able to be someone in a film or tv series or play, that will affect the audience, that will inspire others. That's what I love, being, so other's can be...and feel...more.

Hi, Michael Stair. Great to meet you. Thanks for sharing the story. You did the right thing in my opinion. It's a lesson for actors, writers, directors, etc. We don't have to take jobs if they involve doing things outside of our character or things we aren't comfortable with.

Wow, what a crisis of conscious you went through, but if the artistic expression of the story didn't resonate with you you should feel confident in the choice you made. Now that just means it opens you up for another terrific role more in your wheelhouse!

Or it means I didn't go to acting school. I now realize that portraying a character is just a job. You

step into a role and become that character. Then at the end of the day you step out of the role.

People do it all the time in their every day living. We pretend, we become "imposters and fakirs"

Do we really know who we are?

I totally disagree Maurice Vaughan For me, acting is about getting to do things I, Suzanne wouldn't do, and be people I am not. I love playing a villain. Would I in real life plot the murder of my husband's rival so he could become king? No, but I love playing Lady MacBeth. The whole point of acting is doing things outside of your comfort zone, that's how you grow as an artist and as a person. (Nude and sex scenes that's different.)

It's one thing to turn down the role and say that's not for you. But accepting the job and then backing out Michael Stair , that was why they didn't call you again. I guess for you, acting wasn't your path. However, since you are still thinking about it, I would say that's a sign to do something about it.

Thanks for the advice Suzanne Bronson, and I totally agree with your thoughts. I've matured considerably since then, and now believe I can professionally explore vistas of the performing arts while still maintaining my comfort zone. I guess I'm just a ham entertainer! By the way if you have any original C O P Y R I G H T E D scripts you'd like someone to read, please send one to me. (michaelmstair@gmail.com).

I relate to developing a short hand as a writer working with directors and producers, Jacqueline Rosenthal. And I like seeing directors working with the same actors sometimes, like Jordan Peele and Daniel Kaluuya.

2 short hand 110% with a motivating message between two different people. we both had two ideas of what it takes to be a successful creator rather your filming or selling, and acting. I was the actor which he wasn’t and he was a director. skills that we both had were producing, editing, and selling. and when you line them up and wok together, it becomes powerful. I I mean creatively we did amazing, the most talk about work in my industry at the time. he got an AVN award and I ended up with an nomination. that is a 10 year collaboration.

... Nice! I dig that!

I think part of being an artist is being passionate about many things. You find that many actors utilize their platform to express their passions (political and otherwise) and that's been going on since the dawn of time. What hurts box office now is that social media amplifies these voices and opinions so much that it can cut into potential viewers for an actor's movie. I don't think we'll ever see the passion go away from an actor's beliefs, they will just need to mindful enough to harness it so it doesn't turn off fans.

That's great, Suzanne Bronson! Congratulations! Glad to hear it! My mindset is finish unfinished projects and stop getting sidetracked with new projects and things (one reason I haven't finished some of my projects).

Suzanne Bronson YES!!!! Believing is seeing, feeling is being...so happy about this : ) "I am the embers of light within me", that's where I am beginning. I am the beauty, what is wanted, and needed, and perfectly here, for who and what I am.

Suzanne Bronson That mindset shift from “trying” to being is powerful, and you can feel how intentional your course correction has been. You didn’t just declare it, you're backing it up with action, training, tools, and environment, that walk-in closet sound booth is such a perfect symbol of commitment.

Congratulations on making the bold move, Suzanne Bronson! I used to be a lurker on Stage 32. After RB gave the community a challenge to be more active, I started being a lot more active. I've had a lot of success on here since. Meeting people, learning about different areas of the industry, getting script requests, paid jobs, and more.

That's great Maurice Vaughan see my comment to RB's blog. Similar to what you just said.

Suzanne Bronson I know the money is on its way to you! For me, it is deciding to get back to acting classes in January to continue my training at a time when time-wise it is really not practical due to my two young kids. However I realise that I need to honour it no matter what if I want something to come of it and also because it has brought me joy so i need to honour the joy too.

Hi, Suzanne Bronson. I've always done what I loved on the side while completing a 42-year career as a clinical social worker. I wrote for myself, poetry for self-therapy, short stories here and there, and I had a monthly feature article in a regional magazine for a few years. I finished my first novel by accident, kind of, when I stumbled onto writing from first person which seems to work for me. I started screenwriting last year and retired from social work in 2023. Now, I do what I love as often as I can which us usually several hours a day on most days. I, too, am still waiting on the money but I declared writing as my retirement career and I plan to do it as long as my fingers will move. Maybe with voice recognition after that. A former coworker came to one of my book signings and told me that I look younger than I did when I was working. I attribute that to two things, less stress, and doing what I love. I think a more accurate statement might be, do what you love and the happiness will follow. If money comes, that's wonderful. If it doesn't we are fulfilling our passion, and perhaps our destiny. Blessings!

Now that we are two weeks in to 2026, I think this is a good time to revisit this question. What is a bold move you are taking for your career this year?

Must-watch video, Aaron Marcus! I can do this as a screenwriter too. Thanks.

Thanks, Maurice. I agree. This mind shift can be used by anyone, not just actors. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here.

You're welcome, Aaron Marcus. I also think actors don’t book jobs sometimes because of their headshots and acting reels.

To add to your ideas. I think many actors don't get the audition due to their headshots not being eye-catching. It doesn't matter how talented an actor is, if the headshot is not effective, a casting director probably won't invite the actor to read.

Having a strong reel is great, but I think the actor's headshot and resume are powerful (assuming they are right for the role) that should get them the audition. A strong audition can get the actor cast, even if they don't have a reel. Great ideas here. Thanks.

I agree, Aaron Marcus. You're welcome. I need to upload my resume. Thanks for the reminder.