Hi fellow actors,
Recently I was in a discussion among writers regarding feedback on how some characters speak. This got me wondering, sometimes we get a script and we think, “no one would ever say that”, “no one talks like this.” When in fact, the dialogue is based on someone the writer knows. So people do in fact talk like that even if we think it’s melodramatic or ridiculous. Or may be it is bad writing. There are some badly written tv series out there and I wonder how the actors get through it without laughing at the absurdity of it.Have you been in a position, even in an audition where you have struggled to say lines as they are written because they don’t resonate with you or your interpretation of the character?
How do you stay true to the script while balancing your own interpretation?
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great question Suzanne Bronson - for me, I look at my job as having to find a way to justify every word in the script as if ...well, as if someone WOULD say that lol sometimes I've worked with directors that gave me some flexibility but, frankly, I always try to make the script work.
But, as you pointed out, sometimes the writer does leave justification gaps and then it's a journey. I once worked on a scene from a play I absolutely loved but had major trouble finding the character. When we presented it, the teacher basically said our scene 'didn't work' (nice for 'it sucked') but he did add "It's not totally your fault - it is a very badly written play." I still don't know how to feel about that haha
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I have done some bad plays myself Sebastian Tudores We, the cast, just embraced the suck. We had fun even though there was hardly anyone in the audience and just enjoyed being on stage. Had to believe in the imaginary circumstances, and stay present or it wouldn't have worked.
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Suzanne Bronson, this is such an interesting question! I’ve heard many actors talk about approaching those moments by focusing on the intention behind the line rather than the exact phrasing. When the objective, emotion, or circumstance becomes clear, even unusual dialogue can start to feel more natural because you’re grounding it in the character’s need in that moment.
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Suzanne Bronson "embraced the suck" is going in my directing lexicon! lol
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I love it Sebastian Tudores! Sometimes I need to remember the WHY to get there the WHAT. haha