A favorite quote of mine regarding technique is by the singer Lionel Richie, who said, “Let go of your training wheels and let your talent speak for itself.” This statement has two key implications: First, he didn’t say not to train. I'm a highly-trained actor myself, having studied an amalgamation of acting approaches over many years, including Meisner, Method, and personal coaching from the renowned acting teacher Harold Guskin. Most great actors have studied an acting technique, and many of them are our favorite actors today. The second implication of Lionel Richie’s statement is the focus of this blog:
"Let go of your training wheels and let your talent speak for itself."
One challenge with excellent acting techniques, whether it be Meisner, Adler, or Strasberg, is that every actor goes through the same system and learns the same way of working. Again, these are excellent techniques if they’re the right fit for you. How do you know when it’s the right fit? When it doesn’t feel like work and feels effortless—like breathing. Of course, you need some degree of talent to begin with, to determine if any of these techniques are the right fit.
Back to everyone going through the same program or technique. During my first year of Meisner training (I did two years and a third-year master class), there was a Christmas party for all the classes. I’ll never forget walking in and being struck by how everyone looked and acted like a “Meisner” actor. It had a cookie-cutter feel to me. Yes, this was just my experience, but it’s important to trust your own experiences. Looking back, I now realize that the Meisner technique was not the right fit for me. Neither was Strasberg’s method nor any of the offshoots I studied.
When the technique isn't the right fit, what you’ve studied, hoping to liberate and free you as an actor, often has the opposite effect. It puts you in your head and creates fear and worry. You feel obligated to get the technique right and end up trying harder and harder. And the harder you try, the more difficult it gets. Your confidence takes a hit too. It’s a terrible place to be, especially when you know you’re talented and love acting. What you often don’t realize is that it has nothing to do with you or your talent. You just haven’t found your fit and natural way of playing as an actor.
It wasn’t until years after my training that I found my fit. A successful actor friend recommended I try working with Harold Guskin. Thankfully, I listened and did a series of one-on-one sessions with Harold. It was there that I found my fit and discovered something unique to me, which would become the foundation of the acting classes I’ve been teaching for the past ten years. When I discovered my fit—or maybe it discovered me—the relief I felt was both powerful and empowering. In an instant, I “let go” of ALL my previous training, and I was in awe of how easy it was. But that was the kicker. It couldn’t be that easy, right? How many times had I heard it takes twenty years to master the craft of acting? Maybe it takes twenty years to get lucky, find your fit, and then see how easy it is.
It's important to point out that being "easy" still includes discipline, passion, and devotion. These qualities are crucial to a fulfilling acting career; they naturally ignite and light you on creative and artistic fire.
My approach to acting and what I teach is not technical, by any means, yet it provides the actor with a way of playing that feels easy and natural when they can let go of their “training wheels.” That’s sometimes a big “if,” as some actors are afraid to let go of the training they’ve invested years and money into, holding onto it for dear life, even when it’s not their fit. That’s unfortunate.
Throughout life, you continually have to let go to grow. To truly live in the moment as an actor requires letting go and “not knowing” what’s going to happen from one moment to the next. To find your way as an actor, you often have to do what Lionel Richie said: “Let go of your training wheels and let your talent speak for itself.” Letting go requires the courage to trust the moment, trust your instincts, and trust your talent. The result is the discovery that great acting does you!
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