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How To Listen As An Actor

Here’s a comment a Hack Hollywood member recently made about “listening” in our private forum. There are 2 seemingly unrelated thoughts here, but pay attention to the response.

Hacktor Question:

I’m always told in acting: “Listen” and that’s what I always focus on doing now.

I broke up today with my girlfriend, she’s been full of insecurities for 2 years, non-stop arguing about nothing, a constant brainstorm, and that’s just too much for me now, at last.

David’s Answer:

Listening is good but to me it’s more about prioritizing.

We listen when it’s important and we think of other things when they are more important.

That is more like real life.

We could be sitting having coffee and you are talking but I might see something that temporarily is more interesting to me.

So long as it is part of what is really going on with the character, almost anything is good, other than being in your own head. Be in the character’s head, but not your own head thinking about results.

Speaking of which, I guess you got tired of listening to your girlfriend and while she was talking you were thinking of other things, like how do I get out of this? That’s honest and that’s what you have to understand. Acting should be like that. She is talking and you’re talking but what you’re thinking is, “I hate this relationship and I want to get out”.

Amazingly enough, she probably never guessed that is what you were thinking, so what a great actor you just proved yourself to be.

Try to be that connected to your acting and every time you do it will be a new adventure in joy or misery, but it can become real to the audience.

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