3 great acting reminders for stillness

I feel like something I talk about a lot in this blog is that movement is a spectrum. 

I mean, everything is a spectrum really, right?

You don’t have to be Jack Sparrow to be a character movement actor or an actor who employs movement work. So, on the other side of the spectrum, you don’t have to be playing a statue to work with stillness either.

Last week I shared some of my favorite examples of stillness on camera, which you can check out here.

And even though watching examples is great, educational and awe inspiring, it’s not entirely practical. 

So, we’re gonna veer a bit away from character movement work today and instead chat about some good ‘ol acting stuff. 

I watched a great talk by Matthew Harrison recently about stillness, and something he says he tells his students is, “less is not more, less is just…less. And more is too much. It all depends on what the scene needs.” 

Each scene is going to demand different things from you. And more than just the scene, right. The genre of the piece and the character you’re playing, to name only a few other elements.

Now, I’ve got a few thoughts, reminders, and tips for ya regarding stillness and how it is anything but an absence of movement. 

Stillness is still something

Stillness doesn’t mean nothing.

Irene Starger wrote for Backstage reminding us that, “Stillness is not to be confused with blankness; actors sometimes believe that the more they do—in terms of gestures, expressions, and bits of “business,”—the more interesting their performance will be.”

Stillness doesn’t mean you’re void of movement or thought or purpose.

If anything, from a character movement or movement signature perspective, stillness shouldn’t strip away all of that hard work you’ve done. 

So let’s strip it all away for an extreme moment and give this a try:

Set a timer for one minute, and sit as still as you can.

No emotion, no thoughts, blank slate.

See how it feels.

Go ahead, give it a go. I’ll be here.

You’re back?

Great!

It’s difficult, yeah?

If it didn’t feel that hard, try it again only for two minutes this time. 

Now, when you’re working on being more still in a moment on stage, behind a camera, wherever you’re performing, remember this blank slate. 

Remember how much effort it took to be blank. And know that the characters you play aren’t going to be blank either. 

Unless you’re playing an android or something. 

Stillness pairs well with this

This is a big one. 

Something that can aid you in stillness is listening. 

Yep, listening. 

Oldest actor lesson possibly ever. And it can be a lot harder than it sounds. 

All of us at some point, struggle to do this in even our daily lives. 

But as an actor, it’s almost a default, (especially baby actors just starting to learn the craft) to do this…

To wait for your cue. 

The other actor has a monologue, and you’re supposed to be paying attention. But unless you also have that monologue memorized…you’re worried you’re gonna miss where you come in, right? And what happens when you’re waiting for your cue?

You drop out of the moment. 

Which means you’ve dropped out of the emotion. I.e…you’re not still, you’re blank. 

Focus on listening. Let what is being said land on you, really take it in before you react.

And within your reaction, think about the emotions your character is feeling and how openly they would display them. 

Don’t perform your reaction. 

Which leads me to the last thought, (well, at least my last current thought) on stillness.

A reminder

Not a practical tip exactly, but a reminder tip.

Stillness can be generated by a character who’s trying to hide an emotion. 

Think of a time you felt a really strong emotion, doesn’t matter what kind. 

Could be anger, despair, lust, or guilt.

Got one?

Brilliant!

Where were you when you were feeling this?

Were you in a position or place to fully express that emotion? Or did you have to stifle it?

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say most likely that intense emotion was stifled.

And if it was stifled, chances are you were utilizing stillness. Or as Matthew Harrison prefers to call it is ‘compression’ 

It’s not that the emotion isn’t there. It’s simply under the surface. 

Which is honestly, how the majority of us live our lives. Society teaches us to do so, right? 

So, this is when collaborating with your director, fellow actors, and the rest of the creative team is incredibly helpful. 

To help figure out the moments when you perhaps should be more externally expressive and turn that dial-up vs moments when you internalize all the feels and turn it down. 

Me again with my dials 🙂

Balance is key

As with anything, there’s a dial, scale, spectrum…a balance really. 

Stillness can be an incredible tool in your toolbox, just be sure that you’re not using it too much. 

Use it where it counts the most. 

Shout outs

So, is there an actor out there that utilizes stillness really well?

There’s too many to name here, but I’ll give just a few shout outs:

Gillian Anderson, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Morgan Freeman, Mark Rylance, Ian McShane, Travis Fimmel, Sandra Oh, among so so many others. 

Till next time! 🙂