Excerpts from "MOVIE ACTING" by Bob McAndrew

Q - How does film acting differ from stage acting?

A - Film is a more subtle medium. You don't have to project your voice so that the lady in the last row of the mezzanine hears you or make gestures that are seen by the guy sitting in the balcony. But this doesn't mean that you cut down on energy. The energy must be there but it's contained. Film is like an X-ray. It sees right through you. It won't tolerate anything false and doesn't revere anything that isn't instinctual. Lionel Barrymore once said if you spent enough time in front of the camera we'd not only know you but we'd know your ancestors."

Q - Why is concentration so vital in film acting?

A - When we focus our attention outside of ourselves and experience the other actors on a deep level we start to listen from the heart and not from the head. We listen and experience not only the words being said but the feelings behind the words. This state of total attention helps create peak acting performances. Furthermore, when you are truly concentrated you won't do anything false because you don't do anything unless it comes from the other actor. Like Sandy Meisner said: "What you do doesn't depend on you."

Q - Can you say more about energy and its relationship to film acting?

A - If you simply know that the camera records energy you realize that the actor has to be a dynamo; he's got to feed that camera from the first take to the last. This goes on day after day until the picture is complete.

Q - I'm told that stage actors often have difficulty working in film. Is this true?

A - There is an adjustment that has to be made. The actor that doesn't understand this or doesn't know how to focus the energy is usually going to have problems. Film is often about what isn't being said and how the actor communicates without words. We call this subtext. In film, anything that can be said without words is extremely powerful. Steve McQueen, for example, is remembered for his actions not for the things he said. Brando and Dean are not known for their words but for their behavior. In the 50's at the Actor's Studio, people lived by the maxim "an ounce behavior was worth a pound of words." But a word of caution. ..following the great success of Dean and Brando were their imitators; actors that behaved solely to be interesting...they failed miserably. Acting is not about being interesting but rather about being interested.

Q - What else can you say about behavior?

A - Behavior must come from inside. A gesture, as Michael Chekhov would say I is always "psychological." He meant that it wasn't arbitrary, but that it was born out of the character's needs; it was conceived in truth.

Q - Is all acting character acting?

A - Yes, and let's put an end to this question forever. Acting is not a self portrait. It's always about a character created by a writer. What's important to remember is that character acting can be incredibly subtle. The character can walk like you and talk like you but it's never you. Paul Newman did a series of successful characters without changing very much on the outside. Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman often transform themselves completely. Whether the transformation is large or small you're always playing a character.