A Surprising Way You Can Use Every Day Situations to Make You a Better Actor

Actors are busy people. Many have full time jobs and have to rush around just to make auditions and even get home early enough to spend time with their loved ones. So what you need is to learn how to better your skills even when there doesn’t seem to be time for it. Wouldn’t you agree? That’s why today, I’m focusing on a simple way for you to become a better actor and practice those skills, in your neighborhood, when you’re out for dinner or even catching the train.   

It all comes down to opening your eyes.

As you’ve gone across town from home to work or from meeting to meeting, have you ever really observed the world around you? Or do you just have your eyes narrowed in on your phone or focused on your next place to be? So much is happening around you and if you’re too zoned in, you’ll likely miss some pretty incredible learning experiences.

Yes, I’m talking about the art of people watching, but I want to propose it to you in a new way. Have you ever stopped to really watch how people talk to each other? How people cry or argue? Have you stopped to notice how different people hand stress?

For you to really learn from the experience of people watching, you need to keep your eyes open and in tune to their whole body expression; what is expressed and what is felt.

Take the time to observe their body language, their posture, the details in their eyes or lips. This is called sensory acuity; where you take the time to find the micro expressions that tell a bigger more internal story that the normal big expressions we’ve come to rely on.

A great example to learn from would be the TV series, “Lie to me”, where the whole show is based on solving mysteries and detecting lies through reading people’s micro expressions and body movement. You can watch this show to get a real idea of how to portray your character as true to life as possible, in ways that many of your peers won’t even think of.

Once you’ve watched the show, take it to the streets. Go throughout your day and your commute, not tuning the world out, but tuning more closely into people’s interactions, emotions and situations.

Lastly, bring it home. Write notes of what you observe and then come home to review them. Notice your true to life micro expressions as you have a conversation with your boss, friend or spouse and see if you notice theirs as well. Try practicing them in front of a mirror as well, to really see what they look like from the observer’s perspective.

Learning by seeing and doing.  This is an old method that's been tried and found to be true.  For more information on classes and taking your career further, visit us at the New York Acting School for Film in the heart of New York City; where dreams come alive!