As someone who comes from the theater, acting in film is new to me. Multiple takes always fascinate me. I am used to rehearsing and a run through, then that's it. You got one shot to do the scene live (may be multiple days but there are no do overs if you flub it in the moment) If you drop your line, or you didn't connect with your scene partner like you wanted, there is no chance to dwell on it, you have to pivot and keep going and hope the audience didn't notice. The best you can hope for is the chance to get it right the next night. That is why I love doing live theater. It gets my adrenaline pumping.
Now I know multiple takes aren't always because of a mess up, sometimes accidents happen, or the turnaround etc. Nevertheless, we actors have to do the same scene, sometimes just one part of the scene, repeatedly.
What I would like to know from you film and tv veterans- who may have never done theater even- how do you keep the emotional stakes 'new' when you're on your 15th take of heavy, dramatic scene?
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I've done stand up comedy on stage and I try to keep the emotional stakes new by performing material that I feel connected to and feel passionate about. There have been a few times when I've messed up some lines and forgotten some lines and realize my mistake after I've left the stage at an open mic, but I remind myself that I'm the only one who knows how my script goes as I wrote it, so I shouldn't beat myself up over it. It can feel exhausting to put in that same enthusiasm when you've been going over lines over and over again, but I find if I'm passionate about the material and connected to it, it makes it much easier to perform more than once.
Thank you for sharing that Haley Mary
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For me, repetitive takes allow for me to really get into that scene. There would always be some rigidity to doing a scene for the first time, so as I go along and the proverbial iron becomes hot, the blood really starts to flow and that keep the emotional stakes fresh as ever. I remember one time my character had to get into a heated argument with his wife, and my scene partner and I really had at it over multiple takes. When filming was over, I kept arguing with everyone I talked to in real life until I took a conscious minute to exit that state.