In life we don’t put our effort into trying to believe the world as it enfolds in front of us, we simply choose not to disbelieve it. Most actors waste a lot of energy trying to convince themselves of the realities in a given scene. If an actor is fighting to convince herself,how on earth is she going to convince the audience? In life, we don’t try and convince ourselves we are who we say we are. Of course we are who we are. Who else would we be?
Let’s say the phone rings and a neighbor informs you that your cat has been hit by a car. You hang up the phone. You’re sad. You don’t know for a fact that your cat is dead; but since you have no reason to doubt your neighbor’s call, you believe it — not because you want to believe it, but because there’s no reason to disbelieve it. Here’s the distinction: an actor in a scene will try to believe the facts of the scene; a human being in a similar situation accepts the facts.
It takes more energy to convince yourself you’re something you’re not than it takes not to question it. It’s the path of least resistance.
Don’t worry about trying to believe. Just don’t disbelieve.
From the Book:
Sixty Scenes They’ve Never Seen *Plus some very useful advice by Jeff Seymour