Get Out of Your Head and Into the Present Moment

Stanislavski had a great term for not being self-conscious as an actor. He called it being “private in public.” After all, there’s an unnatural element to acting that’s rarely mentioned: you’re being watched! While I often joke that actors love being watched (otherwise, they wouldn’t be actors), it can still freak out many talented people. Self-consciousness puts actors in the worst possible place: their head. The head is dead. The moment is alive. Living in the present moment is essential to expressing your truth. To be fully alive as an actor, you must master the art of being private in public.

Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life. This scene is widely regarded as one of the most raw, emotional, and influential moments in Hollywood history. Stewart, who had just returned from his service as a WWII bomber pilot, was grappling with the emotional aftermath of the war. His wife and daughter later said of his performance, "That's him in real life." Stewart didn't plan how he'd feel or express himself in this scene. Instead, he took the risk every actor must take: to be private in public.

"Self-consciousness puts actors in the worst possible place: their head. The head is dead. The moment is alive. Living in the present moment is essential to expressing your truth. To be fully alive as an actor, you must master the art of being private in public."

The foundational challenge in acting is overcoming the self-consciousness every actor faces. In Meisner training, this is addressed by putting your attention on the other actor, a habit instilled early with the famous “repetition” exercise. In Method acting, the focus is on sense memory, private moments, and affective memory. The Adler school teaches actors to use their imagination along with actions and justifications. While each of these respected techniques contains a wealth of discovery, the common thread is eliminating self-consciousness while providing a pathway to truthful acting.

It took me years to realize how easy it can be to be private in public. That understanding only came when I found my natural way of working as an actor. Recently, in class, I demonstrated a powerful way to explore a character and script using Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story. I spent several minutes diving into the multi-dimensional character of Jerry. Using the not acting approach I teach, I became so immersed in my exploration of Jerry that I forgot the students were even in the room. Both the actors watching and I were amazed and inspired by what unfolded. This level of privacy in public is thrilling and addictive. Once you experience it, you’ll never settle for anything less.

"This level of privacy in public is thrilling and addictive. Once you experience it, you’ll never settle for anything less."

Your ability to get out of your head and into the present moment will depend on how self-conscious you are as an actor. I believe my ZEN of NOT Acting class offers the easiest and most natural way to be “private in public” while developing rich, multi-dimensional, and memorable characters. Join us, and discover the freedom, truth, and power that only comes when you fully step into the moment.

The Art of Listening: How It Elevates Your Acting to a New Level

The Art of Listening is the foundation of The ZEN of NOT Acting. Truly listening as an actor requires being open, receptive, and spontaneous, while embracing a state of not knowing. It demands being fully present, because real listening can only happen in the moment.

We often think of listening as simply hearing, but it is much more than that. Listening involves all of our senses and extends beyond sound. Here, I use the word “listening” to mean receiving impressions. These impressions, which come through our senses, affect us and play on the only acting instrument we have: ourselves.

"We often think of listening as simply hearing, but it is much more than that. Listening involves all of our senses and extends beyond sound."

Morgan Freeman in his Oscar-winning role as a gym associate and former boxer in Million Dollar Baby. Freeman is a master at The Art of Listening, it's no wonder his career has spanned seven decades of memorable roles.

We listen with our eyes by observing behavior, both obvious and subtle. The more nuance we notice in our scene partner’s behavior, the more fun it becomes to respond. Our sense of touch can also deeply affect us as actors, whether it’s the feel of a prop imbued with personal meaning, or the physical touch of a fellow actor in a scene. Through our imagination, we are touched internally by images that arise. These images can evoke powerful emotions and transport us to places we could never have planned.

"The more nuance we notice in our scene partner’s behavior, the more fun it becomes to respond."

As an actor, truth is your compass. Only through listening can you respond truthfully and authentically to what is happening in the moment. Constantin Stanislavski, the great Russian acting teacher, proclaimed, “Truth in art is truth in circumstances.” I would add that truth in art is also truth in listening and genuinely responding within those circumstances.

Mastering The Art of Listening will elevate you to the realm where true greatness in acting resides. In fact, show me a great actor, and I’ll show you a great listener. Did you hear that? 

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Are you ready to uncover the power of authentic listening? Whether you’re based in Los Angeles for in-person scene study or joining online from anywhere in the world, my classes are designed to help actors master this transformative skill. Reach out to learn more. Let’s take your acting to the next level, one moment at a time.

Why "Not Knowing" Makes You a Better Actor

In my previous blog, The Power of Presence: How Being Fully in the Moment Transforms Your Acting, I talked about how certain actors have a remarkable presence in their work. I purposely chose an image of Marlon Brando in The Godfather to represent this idea. Brando’s power of presence is legendary among actors; he literally transformed “truthful” acting forever with his groundbreaking portrayals of Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire and Terry Malloy in On The Waterfront, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. If you’re a young actor reading this and haven’t seen those iconic performances, I highly recommend you do—they continue to influence actors today, whether they’re consciously aware of it or not.

Brando once said that you can never know the “how” in acting, which means you must be in a constant state of “not knowing.”

This state of “not knowing” can be exhilarating but also intimidating for actors, as it requires letting go of control over what’s happening or what’s going to happen. Yet, this is where your talent, imagination, playfulness, and instincts come alive, and one of your greatest strengths as an actor—vulnerability—truly shines.

(I’ll dive deeper into vulnerability in a future blog.)

Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil. Stone’s range of memorable characters is a testament to her ability to step into any situation and seamlessly play ball. Watching her, you can tell that leaning into the spontaneity of "not knowing" is genuinely fun for her, and when the actors are having fun, the audience can feel it too.

“Not knowing” not only makes you a better actor, but is also the springboard into great acting when you trust the moment, trust yourself, and trust the story as it unfolds. The actor who can consistently stay in a place of “not knowing” as they explore their role, may very well become one of the greatest actors of their generation.

That could be you, if you’re up for the challenge. I don’t know. ;) Do you?

Join us to explore the power of “not knowing” and bring a new level of truth to your work.