The best acting exercises are always the ones that push you to your limits. You're not just exploring a character different from yourself, but you're delving deep into their thoughts, their appearance, their actions. As training or warm-up, these are my personal favourites:
1. Imagine yourself as a character completely different from what you would usually portray. If you're usually a loud person, how would you act as a mute or as someone with down syndrome? If you're usually a more reserved person, how would you act as a noisy market auntie or as a drug addict?
By immersing yourself into the thoughts and actions of this character, you're able to bring them to life. Another really useful tip I learnt is to incorporate real-life characteristics. The slow breathing, or the swallowing of saliva after a lengthy sentence, taking the time to sigh or pause in between sentences. These help to create a more realistic and natural character.
2. Imagine yourself as another person. Now, think about the 'what ifs'. What if I were this person? What if this event happened to me? How would I react; what would I say and do? What if you met this person? What would he/she be like?
Once you've brought yourself into the thoughts and world of this character, naturally enough, you'll become this character.
3. The psychological. This makes use of your imagination and the mind. How would you respond if you faced a classroom full of people criticising you and making you feel really lousy about yourself? They call you stupid, hopeless, good for nothing, and bit by bit these voices build up until it all becomes a blur. How do you react? What would you feel? Does your breathing get heavier?
Remember these very moments when your heart seems to have stopped for a moment; when your heart is racing so fast, it feels like it's about to fall out of your chest; when you realised you lost something important and you're panicking; when you heard terrible news and you are on the verge of falling apart. Remember how these emotions felt, what you did, how you responded, and recreate these with each character and scene that you're given.
I hope this was a useful read for you. Comment below if you have any other tips that work for you! :)
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