In the last 2 weeks, we've talked about the two biggest fears actors face, how they manifest themselves in our work and careers, and how they work together to sabotage our progress.
This week, we finally get around to the million dollar question, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
As you can imagine, Fear of Failure and Fear of Success are issues for all kinds of people, not just actors. The great news is that actors are better prepared than most to do what it takes to conquer our fears. Why? Because the techniques we need defeat fear are the same ones we already use in our acting.
'What if?'
- The Acting Version - Sanford Meisner defines acting as, "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances." We look at who the character is and what they're facing, and imagine what we would do in their place.
- The Fear-Crushing Version - Fear also relies on imaginary circumstances, or 'what ifs'; 'What if I go in there and forget all my lines?' 'What if I book this job and can't keep my survival job?' Start answering those questions, and follow every answer with 'and then what?' until you reach the end.
Usually, you'll end up someplace like 'I'll be really embarrassed' or 'I'll have to find another job.' Unpleasant, sure, but nothing you haven't dealt with before, and not nearly as scary as Fear would have you believe. (In the words of a wise friend, 'You won't fall out of the Universe.')
Imagery
- The Acting Version - We imagine our characters as animals. We envision orbs of light energy moving around our bodies, changing the quality of our voice and movement. We endow our scene partner with whatever physical, emotional, and intellectual traits the script demands. We stand in a blank space and envision walls, doors, castles, and oceans.
- The Fear-Crushing Version - Where is the fear in your body? What color is it? How much does it weigh? How does it move - does it flutter, buzz, pulsate, etc.? If it were an animal, what would it be? Picture it. What's it wearing? What's its name? What can you do to it to make it less scary and more ridiculous? (Harry Potter fans will recognize this strategy from the Boggart scene. Mine is a cantankerous old woman named Maude in a dusty pastel pantsuit.)
When you feel fear show up, picture this personified version of it. Let it know that you understand why it's there, and you'll get to it, but first you have to do this audition (or agent meeting or phone call or whatever.) Tell it to wait for you in your apartment, car, or a chair in the waiting room. When you get back, say, 'ok, what is it you wanted?' (By then, it's usually lost interest.) Soon, it'll have no more power than an annoying neighbor.
Breath
- The Acting Version - There's no more powerful actor tool than taking three slow, deep, belly breaths. It centers your mind and focuses your thoughts. It harnesses the nervous energy buzzing around your body and puts you back in charge. It reminds you of who you are, where you are, and what you're there to do.
- The Fear-Crushing Version - Ditto. When fear is getting the best of you, go back to your breath. Even when your conscious mind is being disobedient, deep breathing will trigger your subconscious to relax. The buzzing slows, the chatter quiets, and the other techniques have room to work.
Rehearsal
- The Acting Version - The word 'rehearsal' comes from the Anglo-French for 'repetition.' We repeat the words and actions of the story and character again and again until it becomes second nature. What at first feels alien and outside of us becomes, through repetition, familiar and innate.
- The Fear-Crushing Version - On some level, we're all hooked on the adrenaline rush that comes with performance. If the only place you're getting that rush is in auditions, your body and mind are going to maximize the panic to get their fix. The solution is to scare yourself on a regular basis. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Do one thing every day that scares you."
Feed your need in other ways. Go up at an open mic night. Hike a mountain. Take an improv class. Go skydiving. Seek out safe places outside your career to practice freaking yourself out and discovering you're ok. You'll be able to practice all the other fear-crushing techniques in situations that don't have career consequences, and your brain won't go into overdrive for every audition, because it'll be too busy digesting the rush you fed it yesterday.