08/27/2026
Stop auditioning.
The biggest thing that gets in an actor’s way is getting stuck in their head , worrying about whether you’re doing it right, how you look, or what the casting director is thinking.
Instead, your job is to experience.
Break the scene down. Know your lines. Know the story and have a point of view about what’s happening. Know who you’re talking to, what you want, why you need it, and what’s at stake.
Then make it personal. Find your way into the circumstances and make strong choices.
And then , let yourself go. Go to a 12.
But don’t try to create the emotion.
The emotion is a byproduct of what you’re doing.
Go after what your character wants. Fight for it. Need it. Let what’s happening affect you.
If you’re trying to protect something you love, you may experience fear. If someone is standing in your way, you may become angry.
You don’t play the emotion. You go after what you want — and the emotion follows.
Use your imagination and personal experiences to make the circumstances real for you.
Then listen. Really listen to your reader. Let their words affect you and change what you think, feel, and want in the moment.
You’re not waiting for your next line.
You’re living through the scene.
And if you’re nervous, let the nerves be there. You don’t have to get rid of them to be present.
Prepare deeply. Make your choices.
Then get out of your head and own the experience.
Don’t show us that you can act.
Let us experience it with you.
