The reasons actors book work or don’t go way past assessing whether they are good or bad, talented or not. That’s rarely the discussion. The vast majority of actors asked to audition are good, well-trained, experienced performers.
So, if the actors called to audition for a role are more or less equally qualified, it’s fair to wonder if there’s anything more to be done than simply the best job you can and hope for the best.
There is. Actors can up set themselves apart by applying intentions in a smart, strategic way. Not all actors are taught the power of utilizing intentions (actions) to create a stronger, more dynamic performance. Many others who are trained in this regard ignore exploring intentions as part of their actor homework when prepping.
I see this in private auditions a lot when I work with actors who audition at the network level for series regular roles. The work is already so good, there are few ways I can enhance it. Clever intentions underneath the lines for each sentence is one way I can make an audition performance stronger one hundred percent of the time.
At the end of the day, the story is the story. That’s not something the actor can change (or try to change via the performance). The story needs to be told the same way by everyone auditioning. Writers don’t write parts for actors; they write stories that are inhabited by characters. Actors sometimes forget that.
There is always latitude with character development, but again, the writer has secured boundaries on how far each character can be interpreted. Characters aren’t scribed as blank slates waiting for a lively performer to come and ignite them with personality. Actors sometimes get that wrong, too.
It’s not likely that an actor can make a wildly off choice from the writer’s vision and book. It’s happened, but those are not the odds with which you want to play.
Simply put, the story and characters are crafted by writers. Working actors don’t guess in regard to those two elements. They interpret accurately and are aligned with the storytelling and characterizations.
Their uniqueness in performance comes from their own individuality and the nuances contained within the emotional and intentional content of their character.
General or repetitive intentions are what make a performance or audition executed by a good actor only OK.
Intentions help with:
- Specificity
- Diversity
- Accuracy
Here’s an example of strategically used intentions. Let’s say this scene takes place in an office. A boss is firing an employee and for the sake of context, the boss is genuinely sorry to have to let the employee go. They like each other:
“Bill, it looks like we’re going to have to lay you off. It wasn’t my decision; it came from the higher ups. I’m really sorry.”
The boss has three separate sentences. Since we know these two are friendly, it would be very easy to generalize all this dialogue with an apologetic tone. That would be accurate for the scene, but it’s not very specific or impressive. If we apply an intention or a verb underneath each line, it becomes clear that “to apologize” could apply to all three lines.
Let’s explore other options!
1. Bill, it looks like we’re going to have to lay you off. Some choices that apply only to this line of dialogue and not the other two are: brace, introduce, ease.
2. It wasn’t my decision; it came from the higher ups. Here you might consider: defend, commiserate, discredit, vilify.
3. I’m really sorry. Since the word “sorry” is built into this line, an obvious intention is to apologize, but it’s hardly the only choice: empathize, conclude, pity, or mourn might work.
Mixing these intentions underneath the lines will give your performance hustle and dimension other good actors may not be offering.
In summary, you can’t get away from this being a story about a boss who genuinely regrets having to let an employee that they like go. You can’t get away from their status. With more information, you might see what kind of people they are, and you won’t be able to get away from their core characteristics, either. Intentions are not the only way, but they’re a great way to offer the writers and producers a performance that meets their expectations and showcases your unique contribution to the overall project.