The Paradox of Good Acting

It is an unfortunate paradox in acting that the more an actor feels like they're doing a good job, the more likely it is their work is unusable.

The exact whys of this are unclear to me. Perhaps it's that the more an actor does, the more they feel like they are accomplishing something like good acting. Until it's not enough to experience the moment in a scene, but you have to experience the experience of experiencing the moment. With that sort of self-concious removal from what's going on - it's no wonder that most actors doing a role behave like no person that has ever existed in the real world.

A recent conversation with Gabriel that led to something of a breakthrough:

GABRIEL
Okay, so just walk down the path. See the footprint. Squat down, say "People" then keep walking on the path... Whenever you're ready.

Donovan thinks through every moment in the story leading up to this point. He now know his character is tired, lonely, losing hope.

GABRIEL
Okay, whenever you're ready.

Donovan walks down the path. His posture is rigid, his face strained with hours of walking, his chest heaves with labored breathing. He SEES the footprint. He squats. He looks up.

DONOVAN
(Joyously) People.

GABRIEL
Yeah. You're giving me way too much here. Just walk down the path, squat down, and say "People". Give me like 10 percent of that.

Donovan walks down the path. His posture is rigid, his countenance stoic, he breathes audibly. He SEES the footprint. He squats. He looks up.

DONOVAN
(Optimistically) People.

GABRIEL
Yeah. That's still way too much. Stop thinking. When people are walking they're looking in front of them and the most they're thinking is "there's a spider", "don't step on that rock", they aren't thinking of every moment that led up to that.

DONOVAN
Okay, I've got it. Can I have 30 secs to prep?

GABRIEL
Sure. Whenever you're ready.

Donovan goes to the top of the path, he does a sensory inventory trying to enliven each of his senses to his environment.

He walks down the path. He sees the leaves, he is aware of the smell of the trees, he hears the birds, he feels the cool air flowing over his skin - his head turning to follow each of this things. He sees a footprint. He squats, he studies the details of the tread, he touches the footprint with his finger.

DONOVAN
(Meaningfully) People.

GABRIEL
Donovan, what the fuck? What were you doing? People don't walk like that through the jungle. Here, come here. Watch the tape.

Donovan watches the tape.

DONOVAN
So what's the issue, was the pause before the squat too deliberate?

GABRIEL (frustrated)

Okay. Try this for me. Stop acting. Don't think about the character, don't think about what's happening in the story. Just look at the ground in front of you, walk down the path, look at the footprint, pause, squat down, and say "People". Don't worry about the emotion, just say the word.

DONOVAN (frustrated)
Okay, I'll try it.

Donovan walks down the path. He sees the footprint. He squats down. He says people.

GABRIEL
That's great! That's it. That's exactly what I wanted.

DONOVAN
Really? That was it?

GABRIEL
Yep.

DONOVAN (Upset)
But I don't feel like I'm doing my job.

GABRIEL
You're making this way harder than it is. Seriously, stop acting. Stop worrying about everything your character has gone through. Stop preparing before every take. You know the character by now, you know the situation, now you can just live it. Just do these things, do them as you would do them. Acting is so incredibly easy, stop making it so hard for yourself.

DONOVAN
Okay. If that's what you want.

And so, that's what I've been doing. I was initially frustrated and felt like everything I was doing was rubbish. I didn't feel like there was enough going on - I wasn't coursing with emotion. It wasn't the least bit fun. But a funny thing happened, Gabriel wanted fewer takes. I was doing a lot less "work" and felt a lot more like I was just walking through life. The simplicity of it became enjoyable.

I've only been working in this new way for a few days, but I feel like there's something to it.