React First, Then Speak: The Acting Science Method with Faith Hibbs Clark

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Hi, I'm Faith Hibbs Clark, casting director, educator, author, and the creator of the acting science method.
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I am 5'8, last time I checked, and you're listening to How We Roll.
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When it comes to working in entertainment, there's a lot of hows, and they all boil down to how we navigate this wild industry.
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While how we follow our dreams is uncertain, how we roll along the way is in our hands.
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Welcome to How We Roll, a podcast for actors by casting networks.
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Hello, fellow actors.
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It's your friend Robert Peter Paul welcoming you to a fascinating, one-of-a-kind conversation that truly got my gears turning.
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We spend a lot of time in this audio space trying to answer hows that ultimately uncover what makes an actor feel authentic, both in business and performance.
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You know that magic moment when you stop acting and simply start being?
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Well, what if there's a science behind that feeling?
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Today we're exploring how actors can use tangible scientific formulas to better understand and consistently create real performances, as well as project confidence in the audition room.
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And don't worry, no lab code is necessary.
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For this tall order, joining us is actor advocate Faith Hibb Clark.
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Faith Hibb Clark is a casting director, educator, and creator of the Acting Science Method.
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A science-based approach to film and television actor training that combines nearly 30 years of casting experience with research in communication science, psychology, body language, and human behavior.
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Having cast projects for major studios, Faith helps actors understand not just what books the job, but why it works.
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Through her many programs, she mentors actors with practical, evidence-informed tools to thrive in today's industry.
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Learn more in the episode description.
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I'm thrilled to include some questions from you, our creative community, in today's chat.
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To have your hows answered on a future episode, please submit them via social media at Casting Networks and at Rob PeterPall or at the link in our show notes.
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Here's how we roll with the science of acting, featuring Faith Hibbs Clark.
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We're rolling.
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Faith, my friend, thank you for joining us on How We Roll Today.
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Thank you for having me.
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It's a pleasure.
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Well, as a casting insider, a behavioral scientist, an actor, advocate, I cannot wait to mine your brain for tangible tips.
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But before we get there, we always begin with the same reflective question, which is what was your first paid gig in this industry?
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And what lesson did you take away from that experience?
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Oh wow, that's a great question.
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Well, my first paid gig in the industry was totally by accident.
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I was publishing a newspaper, like a real newspaper, you know, wrap your fish and chips in a newspaper.
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So retro.
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Right?
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I'm also British, so it makes sense.
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But I was publishing this newspaper.
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It used to be called Drama Beat, and it was mostly for local theater actors.
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And I got this call from a film producer.
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And the film producer is like, Hey, I want to put an ad in your newspaper.
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I'm looking for actors.
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And I said, Absolutely, that sounds great.
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And we started talking about the timing of it.
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And he says, Oh, well, when does the paper come out?
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I'm like, well, in like two months.
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And of course, that doesn't work in the film industry.
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Yeah.
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He's like, I need it now.
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I need it yesterday, right?
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Yeah.
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And so that wasn't going to work out.
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And I said to him, you know, maybe I can help you somehow.
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I mean, I I know a lot of actors.
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And he says that that's that's great if you can help me find the actors for this project.
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Uh, we have 10 in the budget.
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I know it's not a lot, but if you want it, we you can have it.
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I was like, yeah, 10 bucks.
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Um in.
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I was gonna do it for free.
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So what the heck?
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You're like, I can go to the movies.
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Back then, yeah.
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Um, now not so much.
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But anyway, uh, so I I found the actors for him.
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I cast this project for him.
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And then I get this check in the mail.
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This kind of tells you how old it is.
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I get this check in the mail for 10,000.
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Oh my gosh.
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And I'm like, yes, casting director.
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And I and I at the same time, I was working in uh deception detection uh as a body language.
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I wanted to ask you about that.
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Yeah.
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Because you're like, I'm never looking back, 10K.
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But when I did ask you the gig question, Faith, the deception detection of it all, because I know you came into my head.
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And I think that applies so well to today's conversation.
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So if you could just share a little bit about that too for our listeners, that would be great.
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Yes.
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So I'm a trained behavioral scientist educator, and I was working at the time as what's called a deception detection expert.
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I actually started the newspaper because I was pregnant and needed something a little slower to do.
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But anyway, I was working in that industry, and I was working with CEOs, I was working with trial attorneys, helping people be better communicators.
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And towards the end of my career, I was getting a lot of calls and clients who were politicians.
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And they were particularly interested in how it was that I could detect deception.
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And not because they wanted to be better communicators, but because they wanted to find out how they could be detected so that they could do the opposite of that.
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Of course.
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Exactly.
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I was doing that work, and just so you know and and how it relates to actors too, deception detection is based on body language science.
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And that's the ability to read someone's body language, which is always communicating, and see if it's congruent with what they're saying.
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And if it's congruent with what they're saying, then it's probably the truth.
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And if it's incongruent with what they're saying, then likely it's a lie.
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And so we look at body language as a way to get what we call tells.
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Um, tells are little hints that maybe something's off.
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And we like to look for clusters of three or more.
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And if three or more clusters are off, then we determine that that person is most likely lying.
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And so that was the clusters, is what the politicians wanted to know.
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They're like, oh, what is it I'm doing that would make people not believe me?
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And I'm like, oh, it's really easy.
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You're lying.
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That's that's why they don't believe you.
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Yeah, you didn't need me to tell you that.
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Just look in the mirror.
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But I love everything you're saying.
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It's so interesting.
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And there are a lot of jokes about that on television shows, right?
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I mean, there's always the couple that's like, you're lying.
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And they're like, no, I'm not.
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They're like, yes, you always touch your hair when you lie.
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I know your your tells.
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So I think it's it's fascinating.
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And I can't wait to explore how that applies to acting.
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So let's get nerdy, friends.
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Today we're diving into the science-backed techniques to enhance your craft and almost engineer believability when those magic moments just aren't happening.
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And I love it because it's more consistent, this approach.
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So, to lay some more foundation, faith, in a nutshell, can you just share what your approach, acting science method, is for everyone listening today?
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It's the science of communication, psychology, and neuroscience and all of those concepts, all of those things that affects how we are perceived on camera.
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So a lot of our industry is about people's opinions.
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And as many casting directors and directors that are out there, there are differences in those opinions based on their personal preferences.
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But the science-backed technique gives you something predictable that's truly grounded in science.
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You know, I loved what you said earlier, too, which is such a fascinating statement you've shared.
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It almost sounds controversial in the sense that all acting is a lie.
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Because as actors, we're like, no, I want to feel the truth.
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Why do you think the lie is actually the path to truth?
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And how does the science play into that?
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You've you've touched on it a little bit, but when we say fall back on your technique and your training, this is such a tangible training that people can fall back on.
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Yes.
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In my research work, I actually discovered that there are 13 different types of lies.
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And of course, we don't have time to get into all of them, but there are 13 different types of lies.
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And one of those things.
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Let's do it in French.
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Everyone, Faith is in France.
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She's calling in from France, which is also amazing because this is an international conversation.
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I just had to slip that in there.
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I think that's so cool.
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Aaron Ross Powell In case we have any technical issues, that's a good thing to mention.
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Trevor Burrus, Jr.
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She's in a dreamy village near a bakery, I believe, somewhere.
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Just paint that picture in your head if you're if you're only listening today.
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Aaron Powell Yes, a medieval village next to the Lot River.
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The blangerie is a couple.
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I love that.
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I can listen to that all day.
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And we're not lying, just to get back to the lie of it all.
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I'm gonna say that.
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Right.
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Um so yeah, 13 different types of lies, but one of those types of lies that's pertinent to our conversation, Robert, is that the entertainment lie.
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And the entertainment lie is unique among the types of lies because it's the only type of lie where the other party consents to being lied to.
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You you think about this uh in any other situation, you can't go up to someone and say, Look, I'm about to tell you complete and total bull and you're gonna accept it.
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In fact, you're gonna enjoy it.
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Right?
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You can't do that.
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But with the entertainment lie, when you're performing, the other party, the your audience, your receiver, as I call it in this method, they consent.
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They say, Okay, lie to me, lie to me, I and I'm gonna enjoy it.
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But there's one really important caveat that you need to know in order for people to suspend their disbelief.
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And that is that that lie has to be believable.
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Good news, we are all liars.
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So you're already trained.
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You're already trained.
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Um the average person lies 81 times per day.
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Yeah, and sometimes it isn't so clear, right?
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Because even if you look at posting on social media, in a sense, you know, I don't know the statistic, I'm gonna make this up, but maybe 90% of posts are somewhat lies.
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Because even if you're just posting a picture of your house or of the view from your window, usually you're putting a filter on it.
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So that's not really the picture you took already.
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And I I think it's it's a scale, right?
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But like you said, it all at the end of the day is rooted in that truth of the story and that you're telling.
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So if you're committed, your lying is still grounded in that truth.
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When we lie every day, even if it's a white lie, the stakes are very high.
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So I'm interested in how the stakes play into the science of it all, right?
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And I think that might naturally come up in today's conversation.
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You know, traditional acting methods ask a lot of actors to go inward and ask these questions.
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What are the stakes?
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What is my character feeling?
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And your method does touch on this, but it also asks actors to think about the receiver, like you mentioned as well.
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Why do you think that shift is so powerful?
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It's incredibly powerful because it's not about what you're feeling as much as it's about what's being perceived.
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So when someone watches your performance, they are going to relate to that performance, believe that performance, be moved by that performance or not.
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And I think every actor can uh remember a time in their life when they had a really great audition.
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You know, back when we were in person, they'd have a really, really good audition.
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They'd walk out of that audition and be like, ah, I nailed it, and they don't do the part.
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Yeah.
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But conversely, they might have a situation where, you know, you send in a self-tape and you're like, it's not my best work.
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Kind of push that one out.
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Because I was uh standing in line at Disneyland and had a last minute audition.
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I had to do it, you know, something that they don't think is representative of their best work, and then they get that job.
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And they're like, I don't get it, I don't understand.
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And that's because it's being based on their own perception.
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You live inside this, you know, tower of existence and you're looking out through the windows, but everyone else is looking from the outside in.
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And the acting science method is very much about modern performance, specifically film and television.
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When you look at other acting methods, it was about theater.
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It was about live stage.
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And this is very much about well, what is being captured?
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What is being communicated in this medium?
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And this medium is flat, it's not multidimensional, it's flat.
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And so we have to really think about how do we communicate in that frame in a way that's gonna move the audience, in a way that's gonna make them believe you.
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Um and we throw that around a lot.
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I mean, I'm sure you have examples of this, but it's like be more believable.
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Throw it away, throw it away.
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You know, I know.
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What does that mean?
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I know.
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Make a choice and then just just say it, just say the word.
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But I love that you don't act.
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Yeah, don't act.
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Oh, that's my favorite note right there.
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I'm like, well, what does that mean?
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Stay grounded.
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I love that you mentioned the frame too, though, because it when I think about your method, I think about going down into my living room, watching a TV show, pressing pause, and whatever the frame of the screen is, ideally, if someone comes into the room, they should be able to tell at least what the feeling of that scene is.
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And again, maybe not what the actor's feeling, but based on their body language, what's going on in the scene.
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You could tell if it's a sad scene, a happy scene.
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And I think as actors, we can really get hung up in that feeling, like you were saying, but that doesn't always mean it is being communicated, which I think on a basic level is why you can compliment someone and they'll say, Oh, I was so nervous, but it doesn't show.
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So I guess what's the difference there?
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Can we get into that a bit between experiencing an emotion and then making sure you're transmitting it on a broader scale?
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Because I know this is your whole method.
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Yeah.
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Um well, it's funny that you talk about pausing the frame when you're watching a television show and you should have this idea of what people are feeling in that frame.
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And that's such a uh observant thing to say because most of our communication is visual.
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And yet I think most actors really focus, if not hyperfocus, on words and the delivery of the words.
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But studies show that nine only nine percent of communication is the meaning of words.
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Because if I say to you, I hate you, but I how I say it, right?
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And I hate you.
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Yes, you're crazy, right?
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Like on paper that says I hate you, you're crazy.
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But of course, in the execution of that, I hate you, you're crazy, you're creepy, you know.
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Um totally changes everything.
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And we will we will judge other people's communication on visual before we judge it on anything that they say.
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Um, but we do that at a very subconscious level.
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Society teaches us that words are more important.
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And so we get caught up into words.
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Oh, that you have my word, my word is my honor, blah, blah, blah.
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And so when an actor gets a script, they look at the script and they say, Oh, look at these lines.
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I've got to deliver these lines a certain way.
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But what they don't realize is that their body is actually communicating much more than the lines in the script, no matter how you say them.
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Yeah.
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You know.
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And that's why it can feel new when a if a different actor does the same lines for a casting director, even if it's just, hey, will you sign for this?
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You know, they're coming in the you're the delivery person in the co-star audition.
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It's like, well, are you are you rushing?
00:20:01.159 --> 00:20:02.519
It's like, hey, will you sign for this?
00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:04.359
Or is it like, hey, will you sign for this?
00:20:04.519 --> 00:20:08.759
Like, there's there's so many different ways you can communicate that via your body.
00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:10.440
So let's get physical for a second.
00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:12.200
Let's get physical.
00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:13.399
Physical.
00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:14.839
Physical.
00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:16.759
You got me going, you got me going.
00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:17.079
Okay.
00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:21.240
How does the nonverbal communication show up in your technique?
00:20:21.399 --> 00:20:30.519
So, how how do you actually recommend actors learn how to harness their body and and communicate in this way that we're talking about?
00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:40.839
I think a lot of actors focus, like I said, on the words, on the backstory, but the viewer is focusing on what we see right now and a little bit about what we hear.
00:20:41.159 --> 00:20:46.680
So the first the first thing you should know is the acting science method is broken up into scientific tenets.
00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:59.799
I take the science of something and then explain that science and then directly apply that science to an acting uh concept technique that can be directly applied to the performance.
00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:10.519
So, to answer your question, I'm gonna share with you one of those tenants, and that is reaction first, but not just any reaction.
00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:11.399
Okay.
00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:16.680
Um and it has to do with the emotional regulation process.
00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:32.920
In neuroscientific terms, emotional regulation is not the same as clinical terms of emotional regulation, is like anger management, which is all about suppressing an emotion.
00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:41.879
Emotional regulation in neuroscience is about the way in which our brain processes information.
00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:54.039
So it goes like this, and I'll just kind of explain it and then give you the so this is the science, and then and then I'll show you how that can be something the actors can use immediately into their work.
00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:54.519
Awesome.
00:21:54.759 --> 00:21:55.799
I'm putting my lab coat on.
00:21:55.879 --> 00:21:56.279
I'm ready.
00:21:56.359 --> 00:21:57.639
I got my goggles.
00:21:58.279 --> 00:21:59.559
I love that.
00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:07.240
Um so the science is this the brain is going to react to a situation.
00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:12.839
So something is happening in your environment, but it doesn't react the way you think it reacts.
00:22:13.079 --> 00:22:16.680
It first has a physiological feeling.
00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:21.639
Your body is going to feel something, a tightening of your chest, uh, sweaty palms.
00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:29.319
Something's gonna happen physiologically to you at that point in reaction to something, uh, some stimulus in your environment.
00:22:29.639 --> 00:22:35.319
So say somebody cuts you off in your driving uh down the street and and someone cuts you off.
00:22:35.480 --> 00:22:39.960
And the first thing that might happen is you have this feeling of like tension in your body.
00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:46.359
Um after that, you will develop an emotion.
00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:48.759
Most likely you're mad, right?
00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:49.159
Yeah.
00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:52.039
Somebody they cut me off.
00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:54.279
But probably not happy.
00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:54.599
Yeah.
00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:57.000
Not joy, but you're probably mad.
00:22:57.399 --> 00:23:02.920
And so that emotion is gonna first be shown in your body.
00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:09.480
And that's actually how we can tell when someone's lying because it's not first shown in their body.
00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:16.759
So then what happens is once your brain recognizes the emotion, it shows it in your body.
00:23:17.159 --> 00:23:23.559
Once it shows it in your body, it will send a message to your brain and you'll have a thought.
00:23:23.879 --> 00:23:29.319
And that thought might be, Robert, what do you think you might think when a driver cuts you off?
00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:31.879
Something I probably shouldn't say on the podcast.
00:23:32.119 --> 00:23:36.839
You know, maybe a curse word or two, you know, maybe, oh, damn, or now I'm gonna be late.
00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:37.799
I mean, something that could be.
00:23:38.039 --> 00:23:38.759
Now I'm gonna be late.
00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:39.319
Okay, right.
00:23:39.399 --> 00:23:39.720
There you go.
00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:40.279
So there's your thoughts.
00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:41.079
I'll keep it PC.
00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:42.279
Yeah, now I'm gonna be late.
00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:44.519
And then you have a choice.
00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:49.319
You're gonna say that out loud, change it, as you just did.
00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:53.960
Um maybe you suppress it.
00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:58.599
But what you don't suppress is all the steps before it.
00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:05.559
So whether you say anything or not, maybe you want to say blankety blank blank blank, right?
00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:08.279
And you suppress that.
00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:11.799
But everything in your body showed your anger.
00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:13.799
We saw the thought formation.
00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:18.519
On your face and realize you had a thought.
00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:25.319
And we can probably tell without hearing anything that you are mad.
00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:29.000
You know, if you've done your job right, that's what we will see.
00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:31.240
Because that's how it is in real life.
00:24:31.879 --> 00:24:35.399
That's how our emotions grow in real life.
00:24:36.359 --> 00:24:41.079
Sometimes I'll ask an actor, uh, you know, what's going on in the scene when I'm coaching?
00:24:41.159 --> 00:24:42.359
I'll say, What's going on, what's going on?
00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:44.519
What do you, what is your character feeling right now?
00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:46.519
And then I get this whole backstory.
00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:49.559
Well, their father left when they were two years old.
00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:51.000
I'm like, yes.
00:24:51.639 --> 00:24:51.960
Okay.
00:24:52.440 --> 00:25:00.119
But what is going on right now that they have an emotion to in this very, very moment, what is happening?
00:25:00.359 --> 00:25:10.359
Because, you know, arguably trauma is always in the back of your head, but it isn't what your body's reacting to any moment from moment to moment, right?
00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:10.839
Yeah.
00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:11.720
I think that's brilliant.
00:25:11.879 --> 00:25:20.279
We were joking about this before, everyone, but it's like you carry the baggage, but you're not necessarily opening it and looking at it as you're walking around all the time.
00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:24.440
It's like it's there, you're rolling the bag, but you're not, you're not in it.
00:25:25.159 --> 00:25:26.759
Or it's up in the attic, you know.
00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:29.319
It's in the storage.
00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:29.720
Yeah.
00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:30.599
Yeah.
00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:33.319
But I love that you bring this up.
00:25:33.399 --> 00:25:35.159
I mean, you're hitting all the points, Faith.
00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:38.440
My next thing here was can you please share the car metaphor?
00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:42.759
Because I did sit in on one of your sessions and I I think about this often.
00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:51.879
And it reminds me too of the simple fact that a TV show, a movie works because of the beautiful reaction shots in a scene sometimes.
00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:55.240
Sometimes you're just sitting on the person reacting to someone else talking.
00:25:55.319 --> 00:26:08.279
And I always feel bad when a co-star or a supporting character doesn't really get seen because the the story the person's actually about was reacting so beautifully that it just made sense to show them and it's nothing to do with the other performance, but that's a whole other thing.
00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:13.480
But you're right, that that reaction is so vital to storytelling.
00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:20.680
And I wonder how do you apply this to breaking down a script, even in an audition sense?
00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:30.839
Is it like instead of focusing on the words, are you someone that recommends going in there and thinking about, like you said, what's going on in that moment and how would their body be reacting to it?
00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:32.519
Those are two really good questions.
00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:36.119
I'm gonna go back to the first one because the first one is really interesting.
00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:46.759
Most actors are showing the emotion with the line, or they'll say the line and then react.
00:26:47.639 --> 00:26:53.079
And neurologically, that's just not how we do it in real life.
00:26:53.319 --> 00:27:00.519
We were so when we talk about we roll, we just, you know, we just feel in stuff and responding or not responding as we go.
00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:05.240
But that's critical to believability.
00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:08.519
And yet actors are often doing it backwards.
00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:12.839
They're reacting with the line or they're reacting after the line.
00:27:13.079 --> 00:27:29.639
And when you look at my um emotional regulation matrix in this, in this method, you see the process and you realize that all of that happens before we even get a thought, let alone decide whether or not we say the line or not.
00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:33.079
We say that thought out loud or not, or we change our thought.
00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:40.119
And so when it when you take the science and you boil it down, it's very simple.
00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:45.879
You have to react to the emotion just before you say the line.
00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:54.519
And only if you say the line, because you may be reacting to something that your character thinks but suppresses.
00:27:54.839 --> 00:27:59.480
And this is what gives you that wonderful nuance between lines.
00:28:00.119 --> 00:28:05.159
It's the way that you can communicate something happening in a scene to which there is no line for.
00:28:05.480 --> 00:28:16.039
You know, everybody knows that amateur screenwriters will write everything out and hope that they can cast an actor that will show more than tell.
00:28:17.639 --> 00:28:25.240
And yet it's very hard if you say to an actor, you need to show this in your in your in your delivery.
00:28:25.799 --> 00:28:26.119
Okay.
00:28:27.240 --> 00:28:30.839
And then, you know, they start wanting to kind of do something.
00:28:31.319 --> 00:28:36.200
And really it comes down to showing it with your body and thinking it.
00:28:36.519 --> 00:28:38.519
And that's where you show something.
00:28:39.000 --> 00:29:01.240
Um you're breaking down the the script, because that was the second part of your question, look at your lines and ask yourself on each of those lines or portions of a line, what is a one-word emotion that describes why I said take it out.
00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:15.559
So that would actually, if take it out was the line in the script, um, and I decide that it's because it's disgusting, I'm feeling disgust, and I want to point and show a face, right?
00:29:15.879 --> 00:29:23.000
Um, instead of saying, take it out or take it out.
00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:29.879
It would be more believable if I were to say take it out.
00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:30.599
Yeah.
00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:32.440
You're like, take it out.
00:29:32.599 --> 00:29:37.159
Like it's like you're reacting to the stimulus and then you're finding the word.
00:29:37.399 --> 00:29:40.279
And also we don't have the words a lot of the time as humans.
00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:46.599
It's like we we don't know, especially in this day and age where we're all on our phones and scrolling, and you know, that's a whole other rabbit hole.
00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:48.599
But it's harder to find the words now.
00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:51.879
So it's like it it's like, come on, just you know, take it out.
00:29:52.119 --> 00:30:02.279
And I think that's a a cool method as well, just in this, in the sense of, you know, if a hot coffee spills on your lap, you're not going, ah, it's so hot.
00:30:02.519 --> 00:30:09.079
You're probably going like, ah, like you're probably like, oh, like reacting or whatever, and then saying, like, it's so hot.
00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:18.039
But I just watched this behind the scenes clip recently of actors doing like a big fight sequence, and the director screamed, don't be afraid to make noise.
00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:19.480
Don't be afraid to say things.
00:30:19.639 --> 00:30:22.279
And that kind of stuck with me as well because of what you're saying.
00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:33.079
It's like in the script, there's not 20 pages of it being like they hit here, and the actor says, uh, or the other actor goes, damn, or it's like, mm, over here.
00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:37.000
It's like that's all happening because of what you're saying.
00:30:37.319 --> 00:30:43.879
So I think that's an important distinction in the in the script breakdown process, especially with an audition where you you don't have a lot of time.
00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:45.799
It's extremely helpful.
00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:46.920
I love that.
00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:58.200
I love that you said that and recognized that, and even have a story to back it up because I mentioned earlier that with this particular tenon and its application for actors, that you have a choice point.
00:30:58.359 --> 00:31:11.159
So when you get that thought in your head after that, you know, after the feeling, after the emotion, after the embodiment of that emotion in your body language, the thought and then the choice point.
00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:19.720
And the choice point, like I said, you can there's seven different choice points, but you could, for example, suppress it, you could change it, um, blah, blah, blah.
00:31:19.879 --> 00:31:22.279
But the one that you just mentioned is critical.
00:31:22.440 --> 00:31:33.639
And one that we don't think about, and I think a lot of actors stray uh uh steer away from it, is sounds, because sounds are part of our primal language.
00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:43.480
So we absolutely make so many sounds just in everyday conversations and everyday life.
00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:44.119
Yeah.
00:31:44.519 --> 00:31:47.879
And yet many actors they'll say a line.
00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:51.240
I was like, yeah, but you might laugh a little first, you know?
00:31:52.680 --> 00:31:52.920
Right?
00:31:53.079 --> 00:31:56.279
Or I hate you, you're crazy, right?
00:31:56.599 --> 00:31:59.720
It's but it's uh there's a sound there.
00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:03.159
Oh I don't think so.
00:32:03.639 --> 00:32:06.599
It's just and that's the reaction too, right?
00:32:06.680 --> 00:32:11.799
It's me going, I mean, don't pick up on this now, listeners, but I edit out a lot of these because I don't always love them.
00:32:11.879 --> 00:32:15.720
But me going, mm-hmm is like me agreeing with you when you're talking as well.
00:32:15.879 --> 00:32:17.399
It's like not being afraid.
00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:25.240
I think a lot of us can get scared, especially if we're on a set for the first time, to do anything other than what we were hired for and what's written.
00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:30.359
But it's like that's that's part of the the filling in the blanks and the reaction.
00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:38.680
It's like just being in the moment and not even maybe realizing that you're sort of like being present also frees you up to do a lot of this just naturally.
00:32:38.920 --> 00:32:41.879
So I really like that you bring up the body sounds.
00:32:41.960 --> 00:32:47.480
And I think this goes really well into a flash-round game I made for you that I'm calling the acting lab.
00:32:47.879 --> 00:32:54.119
It's a fast-paced experiment where actors can test the science behind performance.
00:32:54.359 --> 00:33:00.759
So I'm gonna give you a variable, a challenge, or a moment actors face all the time.
00:33:00.920 --> 00:33:08.759
And if you please could try and find a concise science-based hack from your method, if there is one, and if they're not, that's okay.
00:33:08.839 --> 00:33:09.879
I can cut it out.
00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:15.159
I know many of these are things you teach in workshops, and sometimes they're an entire workshop on their own.
00:33:15.319 --> 00:33:20.680
So the challenge today would be to try and distill this into a tiny experiment actors can try listening.
00:33:20.839 --> 00:33:21.720
Does that make sense?
00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:22.839
Okay, okay, I'm ready.
00:33:23.399 --> 00:33:23.879
Okay, are you ready?
00:33:24.039 --> 00:33:25.079
I like I like a challenge.
00:33:25.639 --> 00:33:26.279
This is gonna be fun.
00:33:26.440 --> 00:33:27.399
Let's roll.
00:33:27.639 --> 00:33:35.000
The first one is inspired by a lot of listener questions we received for you, which were from Amina Anina, who's a great listener.
00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:37.399
Barbara, the realtor sent one in.
00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:44.200
So a lot of people wanted to know a science-backed way to calm or use your nerves in an audition.
00:33:44.519 --> 00:33:51.480
So thinking more so as the person, not necessarily the acting, but science and nerves, what comes up there?
00:33:51.879 --> 00:33:59.720
It is natural to be nervous, and the science behind it is freeze, uh, fight and flight.
00:34:00.279 --> 00:34:01.639
Or fight and flight.
00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:06.839
So it's uh it's what your body does when it doesn't know what to do.
00:34:07.639 --> 00:34:10.599
You panic because you don't know what to do.
00:34:10.920 --> 00:34:14.119
Because your body is essentially not getting instructions.
00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:17.880
Your brain is not getting instructions um from its environment.
00:34:18.039 --> 00:34:24.920
So all it sees is this unnatural situation, like an audition, which let's face it, it's unnatural.
00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:26.519
Um so thank you.
00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:28.599
So you're gonna freeze.
00:34:28.680 --> 00:34:32.119
That's audition amnesia, that's when you forget your lines.
00:34:32.360 --> 00:34:35.240
Flight is when you have the a lot of blinking.
00:34:35.400 --> 00:34:39.320
It's your way of shutting the blinds and trying to get the heck out of Dodge.
00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:51.559
And um, and fight is when you have uh things like sweaty palms or you know, a red outline of Texas as a heat rash on your chest.
00:34:52.440 --> 00:34:52.760
Yeah.
00:34:53.159 --> 00:34:55.800
Um, but but so the answer is simple.
00:34:56.119 --> 00:35:05.160
If that's what your body does when it doesn't know what to do, then it learning what it needs to do in that environment is the opposite.
00:35:05.560 --> 00:35:12.760
There you you will calm your nervous system by knowing exactly what it is that you need to do for that audition.
00:35:13.080 --> 00:35:26.600
Um in this method, I take these scientific principles and and I have uh formulas of how you put these things together that you can use on any on any script, make it your own.
00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:34.200
It's it's a formula, it it's uh created with scientific elements, but you put in your own personal touch.
00:35:34.280 --> 00:35:42.120
You make your choices, you do all your your interpretation and your um, you know, whatever else you do as part of your process.
00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:48.840
But you have these formulas that all of a sudden you know what you're doing, your body doesn't need to be nervous.
00:35:49.240 --> 00:35:51.560
Now, can I just say this?
00:35:51.800 --> 00:35:56.920
If you need to be nervous, don't rely on your natural nervousness.
00:35:57.080 --> 00:36:06.280
So, in other words, if your character is nervous, it's not a good idea to just rely on your natural, oh, this is an audition nerves.
00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:14.200
Um, because it's gonna read differently than many of the different other types of situations where someone is nervous.
00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:21.080
The only situation where that would work is if you were literally showing a nervous actor in an audition.
00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:21.800
Yeah.
00:36:22.040 --> 00:36:26.360
Okay, that's a good clarification because I think a lot of us, and I guess everyone's so unique too.
00:36:26.440 --> 00:36:29.720
And if you're booking and that works for you, maybe that's great for you.
00:36:29.880 --> 00:36:35.640
But I think a lot of actors say, okay, I'm gonna use these nerves and I'm gonna try and channel them into the nerves at the scene.
00:36:35.800 --> 00:36:43.720
But sometimes I think like what you're touching on, if you don't maybe have the experience and the technique, you're then just actually just losing control.
00:36:44.040 --> 00:36:47.560
Like you're not in control of your audition and and your room.
00:36:47.960 --> 00:36:48.440
Exactly.
00:36:48.600 --> 00:36:57.000
And the thing is, if you are relying on the nervous energy or the increase in cortisol in your nervous system at that time, to say in a scientific way, right?
00:36:57.160 --> 00:37:01.240
Uh the adrenaline and the cortisol that's in your nervous system at that time.
00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:06.760
If you're if you're relying on that for an audition, cool, and you booked the job, cool, and then you're on set.
00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:16.520
And 22 takes later, you don't have the same cortisol spike and the same adrenaline spike that you had in the first audition.
00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:19.080
Things are going downhill really fast.
00:37:19.320 --> 00:37:27.960
The better solution is to know where your emotion comes from, how it manifests in your body, and be in control of it.
00:37:28.600 --> 00:37:29.720
Yeah, that's so true.
00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:30.920
And that's the fun, right?
00:37:31.000 --> 00:37:33.400
It's like we all have these things manifest differently.
00:37:33.480 --> 00:37:35.640
And that's what makes it interesting to watch on screen.
00:37:35.720 --> 00:37:45.160
It's like some people for trauma can't stop kind of smiling, and that's, you know, they they can't say something traumatic without smiling because they have some kind of tension in their jaw.
00:37:45.320 --> 00:37:47.640
I mean, there's a million different things, but we have a lot here.
00:37:47.800 --> 00:37:48.520
I love that answer.
00:37:48.680 --> 00:37:50.840
The next one is also physical.
00:37:51.080 --> 00:37:59.640
One physical adjustment that instantly enhances confidence in a self-tape slate or a general meeting.
00:37:59.800 --> 00:38:06.200
Is there something physical actors can learn to do to sort of dispel the nerves and stand in their power?
00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:14.040
Yeah, I'm so I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna take my card off the you're like, I feel like I'm picking them from the rack here.
00:38:14.280 --> 00:38:17.880
I'm gonna take body language, I'm gonna take body language coding.
00:38:18.040 --> 00:38:19.800
Uh that's a tenant and this method.
00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:21.800
Body language coding is this.
00:38:23.080 --> 00:38:34.280
Since you already know from what I told you before that the body is going to register the emotion first before you even have a thought, um, we can use that to our advantage.
00:38:34.520 --> 00:38:45.240
So any emotion in any scene, nervousness, disgust, uh, pride, joy, confidence, we'll get to, right?
00:38:45.560 --> 00:38:51.160
Um, has a physiological trigger or a code to it.
00:38:51.800 --> 00:38:55.320
So you simply have to recognize what you do.
00:38:55.480 --> 00:38:57.080
Let's go back to that disgust.
00:38:57.160 --> 00:38:57.480
All right.
00:38:57.560 --> 00:38:58.920
What does what does faith do?
00:38:59.080 --> 00:39:02.520
What does Robert do when you're having the emotion of disgust?
00:39:02.840 --> 00:39:06.920
And this is what I call emotional fluency because everybody is different.
00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:09.400
It's like a language that you speak.
00:39:09.880 --> 00:39:11.720
Body language is universal.
00:39:12.120 --> 00:39:13.400
Sorry, I'm feeling disgust now.
00:39:13.480 --> 00:39:14.200
I'm like, I don't know.
00:39:14.760 --> 00:39:16.360
If you do this, yeah, whatever you do.
00:39:16.440 --> 00:39:19.560
It's like, do you curl your brows or you kind of like something smell?
00:39:19.640 --> 00:39:20.120
I don't know.
00:39:20.440 --> 00:39:30.040
And this is why it's important to watch your auditions, to watch yourself performing and and even just watch yourself in everyday life to see what you actually do when you feel things.
00:39:30.600 --> 00:39:35.000
Let's say for disgust you wrinkle up or you do the teenage snarl.
00:39:36.680 --> 00:39:37.000
Okay.
00:39:38.760 --> 00:39:40.920
So let's say that that's what you do for disgust.
00:39:41.480 --> 00:39:41.640
Okay.
00:39:42.360 --> 00:39:52.120
The interesting and beautiful thing about science is that what you sh do on the outside will send a message to your brain.
00:39:52.440 --> 00:39:55.960
And what your brain is thinking will send a message to your body.
00:39:56.280 --> 00:40:01.720
So if you want to feel the emotion for real, you code your body.
00:40:01.880 --> 00:40:06.200
So in other words, if you want to show disgust, you do this, you do the teenage snarl.
00:40:06.440 --> 00:40:06.760
Okay.
00:40:06.840 --> 00:40:33.400
Now, if you did that for a while, you know, did that all day, you know, with your teenage snarl, um, where your lip is uh curled up on just on one side, then after a while, that's gonna send a message to your brain, and your brain is gonna say to itself, Hey, brain, we must be feeling disgust because we're doing that thing we do when we feel disgust.
00:40:33.960 --> 00:40:34.600
Yes.
00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:43.400
It's kind of like when a song comes on the radio that you have have attached a certain memory to, you're you'll always cry because of a certain reason.
00:40:43.560 --> 00:40:44.840
The coding is so brilliant.
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:46.120
I think that's so fascinating.
00:40:46.200 --> 00:40:49.080
And we could have you back for so many specific episodes on this.
00:40:49.320 --> 00:40:59.720
Another one I thought we could talk about is you mentioned your formulas, but is there a simple formula in this game we're playing right here for communicating love or passion in a scene?
00:40:59.880 --> 00:41:02.920
I know you do workshops on this around Valentine's Day.
00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:06.440
I've seen you do really fun things, but what comes to mind there?
00:41:06.600 --> 00:41:23.000
And if it's easier, we can look in an audition setting, because I think it can be hard to display love in that situation where you're just standing in front of a camera, you know, and and you have to maybe like show the eye contact that you're kissing and do something specific, but you can't actually like kiss the lens.
00:41:23.080 --> 00:41:24.920
Or maybe that would work for a comedy.
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:25.320
I don't know.
00:41:25.480 --> 00:41:27.400
But what's the formula here?
00:41:27.800 --> 00:41:29.080
That's a lovely question.
00:41:29.320 --> 00:41:44.200
Um so it goes back to body language coding, but the type of body language code that you would use is um pretty specific when you're when you're talking about love, and of course there's different types of love, right?
00:41:44.360 --> 00:41:59.640
But if if your character needed um romantic love at that point, you have to think about what what does your body do, for instance, when it communic when when you're getting ready to kiss somebody, what does your body do?
00:41:59.880 --> 00:42:07.560
And so typically it's proximics, it's you get closer to the person, your gaze is gonna change.
00:42:07.960 --> 00:42:11.320
Um your breathing is a big one, right?
00:42:12.200 --> 00:42:19.480
Um, and so when you combine the things together like that, we can feel that.
00:42:20.120 --> 00:42:21.160
We can feel that.
00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:27.240
So often there's no need to air kiss in in an audition.
00:42:29.000 --> 00:42:30.840
It just never looks right.
00:42:31.240 --> 00:42:34.840
I know I love the casting director stories from the past of being in the room.
00:42:34.920 --> 00:42:41.800
I've heard some castings say that you know they've had actors actually come up and kiss them, which is I had that happen.
00:42:42.360 --> 00:42:43.080
Has that happened to you?
00:42:43.160 --> 00:42:43.400
Oh gosh.
00:42:43.880 --> 00:42:47.320
A long, long time ago, but it was just I was like traumatized by it.
00:42:47.640 --> 00:42:50.440
Maybe I'm thinking of you and your your story if you told it.
00:42:51.000 --> 00:42:51.480
It might be.
00:42:51.720 --> 00:42:53.160
It was a really long time ago.
00:42:53.320 --> 00:43:09.400
It was when it was when um I'm I'm dating myself here, but it was when pre-reads were in person because we used to have to hire a camera package, a you know, a camera person and a camera to do a casting.
00:43:09.640 --> 00:43:13.480
So prereads were simply, hey, come to the office.
00:43:13.720 --> 00:43:18.440
I'm gonna sit down with you, I'm gonna read, or maybe it was an associate or assistant or whatever.
00:43:18.760 --> 00:43:21.720
And and we'll just sit here and read.
00:43:21.960 --> 00:43:24.840
Like literally, you read the script, I'll read the script.
00:43:24.920 --> 00:43:32.360
And and if we felt something, maybe it was worth bringing them in and and putting them on tape, or what they used to call the screen test.
00:43:32.680 --> 00:43:32.840
Yeah.
00:43:33.080 --> 00:43:36.040
Well, this guy was just got got all carried away.
00:43:36.200 --> 00:43:42.360
And before I could do anything at all, he leaned across and tried to kiss me.
00:43:42.440 --> 00:43:43.880
And I was like, oh no.
00:43:45.080 --> 00:43:46.600
You're like, this is why we do the pre.
00:43:47.000 --> 00:43:48.280
You're not going to the job.
00:43:48.440 --> 00:43:49.640
We're not going to the date.
00:43:49.720 --> 00:43:50.920
Or maybe, maybe, I don't know.
00:43:51.080 --> 00:43:52.520
You're like, and that's my husband.
00:43:52.600 --> 00:43:53.480
No, I'm just kidding.
00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:55.800
No, no.
00:43:56.280 --> 00:43:56.680
No, no.
00:43:57.240 --> 00:43:58.040
No, no, no, no, no.
00:43:58.280 --> 00:43:58.680
That's interesting.
00:43:58.920 --> 00:44:02.600
But that's a good judge of situations in general, right?
00:44:02.680 --> 00:44:04.040
It's like that love or fear.
00:44:04.200 --> 00:44:09.080
So even in this scenario, I would put in the love category of like, I'm very interested in what you're saying.
00:44:09.160 --> 00:44:11.800
So I'm leaning forward and it's a good conversation.
00:44:11.880 --> 00:44:12.600
So I'm in it.
00:44:12.760 --> 00:44:17.000
It's like in any scene, you can think about are you it's the relationship of it all?
00:44:17.160 --> 00:44:18.760
Like, is your body further back?
00:44:18.920 --> 00:44:19.720
Is you're nervous?
00:44:19.880 --> 00:44:20.760
Are you closer?
00:44:20.920 --> 00:44:23.000
That's I think that's a great thing in itself.
00:44:23.240 --> 00:44:29.640
What's the science-backed communication for one of the easiest emotions I think to overplay, which is anger?
00:44:29.880 --> 00:44:33.400
What's like a quick tip for displaying anger in a scene?
00:44:33.800 --> 00:44:36.840
Oh, but it goes back to the same, the same.
00:44:37.160 --> 00:44:38.360
What do you do?
00:44:38.680 --> 00:44:40.440
Because you're bringing you to the characters.
00:44:40.600 --> 00:44:50.360
The only time you're not bringing you to the character is uh historical characterization, when you have to be someone else and study someone else's body language.
00:44:50.600 --> 00:44:53.960
But you're bringing your own body language to any character.
00:44:54.120 --> 00:44:57.720
So you've got to know what do you do when you're angry.
00:44:58.040 --> 00:44:58.360
Yeah.
00:44:58.600 --> 00:45:04.040
Uh, and that's the absolute best because I didn't mention this earlier, so I'll mention it now.
00:45:04.600 --> 00:45:11.960
When you take on the physical manifestation of the emotion when you're body language coding, that message goes to your brain.
00:45:12.040 --> 00:45:22.920
And then your brain's like, oh, if we feel this, if we feel anger, then it starts to release the chemicals into your limbic system that will actually make you feel angry.
00:45:23.240 --> 00:45:24.680
It's so fascinating.
00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:26.840
So it's not, you're not acting anymore.
00:45:26.920 --> 00:45:29.400
It's just, it's believable you're actually really angry.
00:45:29.560 --> 00:45:35.640
Like you've got the hormones and the chemicals pumping through your body now, making you actually feel angry.
00:45:35.800 --> 00:45:50.040
You asked earlier, and I want to just throw this in because when somebody wants to appear confident as a in a self-tape, you can use body language, like in the uh the slate, you can use body language coding for confidence.
00:45:50.200 --> 00:45:57.960
If you're at a networking event, if you're um doing the the slate, whatever it is, you can use body language coding.
00:46:01.640 --> 00:46:10.840
Because if you take on that physical attribute, uh and be specific, it's not just confidence, confidence can be cocky too.
00:46:11.320 --> 00:46:13.720
Like if you say, What do I do?
00:46:14.680 --> 00:46:19.640
When I'm just feeling really good in my day, and everyone wants to talk to me.
00:46:20.120 --> 00:46:22.360
What what does that look like in your body?
00:46:22.680 --> 00:46:29.400
And then that's the body language, that's the facial expression, micro expressions that come from that.
00:46:29.560 --> 00:46:32.120
Micro expressions happen in a tenth of a second.
00:46:32.360 --> 00:46:38.520
We don't see them except on camera if we slow it down, but audiences feel it.
00:46:38.840 --> 00:46:49.960
So once you start taking on the macro expressions of body language, um, how do I behave when I'm having the best day and I'm in such a good mood and everybody wants to come and talk to me?
00:46:50.840 --> 00:46:51.720
What is happening?
00:46:51.880 --> 00:46:52.200
Yeah.
00:46:52.360 --> 00:46:52.520
Yeah.
00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:53.880
Best day ever.
00:46:54.440 --> 00:46:55.640
Best day ever.
00:46:56.200 --> 00:46:59.080
And you have to recreate that.
00:46:59.320 --> 00:47:01.000
You recreate that.
00:47:01.240 --> 00:47:08.760
Then your brain is pumping out those chemicals and hormones and neurotransmitters that are going to actually make you feel that way.
00:47:09.000 --> 00:47:16.120
Every morning, as part of my just life routine, I will do a happiness body language code.
00:47:16.200 --> 00:47:19.880
And this is because this is what I would do if something really cool happened.
00:47:19.960 --> 00:47:21.640
I'll be like, oh my god, yes.
00:47:22.360 --> 00:47:23.400
Oh my god, yes.
00:47:23.720 --> 00:47:24.280
And I go like this.
00:47:26.760 --> 00:47:30.440
And all those chemicals, those hormones go into your try it.
00:47:30.520 --> 00:47:32.920
What do you do when you're like really excited and happy about something?
00:47:33.320 --> 00:47:33.640
My god.
00:47:35.480 --> 00:47:36.600
You're like, yes.
00:47:37.480 --> 00:47:38.440
It feels so good.
00:47:42.600 --> 00:47:43.960
I knew that I would.
00:47:44.360 --> 00:47:45.240
It's like the science fact.
00:47:45.880 --> 00:47:47.480
Start my day until you make it.
00:48:01.880 --> 00:48:06.920
I have to also look at like the timing, the questions, the connections, all these different things.
00:48:07.080 --> 00:48:18.840
And I always wonder, because of the body language, if if I look off, you know, to the screen for a second instead of looking where I've shown that I'm looking at you, a viewer might take that as like, oh, he's he's unengaging or whatever it is.
00:48:18.920 --> 00:48:23.320
It's like these micro expressions, like you're saying, tell a whole story.
00:48:23.560 --> 00:48:30.200
And so just because it's different in your feeling and in your brain doesn't mean it's being communicated to the viewer.
00:48:30.440 --> 00:48:32.120
So I love everything you've brought up.
00:48:32.200 --> 00:48:35.080
And I have so many, I'm gonna X off here because we're running out of time.
00:48:35.480 --> 00:48:36.760
I have one more thing for you, though.
00:48:36.920 --> 00:48:38.840
Oh, so that this will make you feel better.
00:48:39.080 --> 00:48:42.840
So you mentioned, you know, sometimes you might not be making eye contact.
00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:50.360
A lot of people falsely assume that solid eye contact is a sign of honesty.
00:48:50.520 --> 00:48:53.640
And it's not, it's actually a sign of deception.
00:48:53.960 --> 00:48:56.360
Think thou protest too much.
00:48:56.600 --> 00:49:07.720
If you try too hard to maintain eye contact, you're probably lying, or at least it's an indicator, one of maybe others uh that could form a cluster of deception.
00:49:08.280 --> 00:49:12.440
But the average person looking away, everyone.
00:49:12.680 --> 00:49:19.640
Well, here's here's your litmus test, because the average person will look away every 10 to 20 seconds.
00:49:20.120 --> 00:49:21.400
And that's natural.
00:49:21.640 --> 00:49:22.920
And that's believable.
00:49:23.320 --> 00:49:23.640
Okay.
00:49:23.960 --> 00:49:32.120
Because even in an interview setting, it's like, or whatever, a meeting, you feel like you want to look at someone like you're saying, to show that all your attention's on them.
00:49:32.360 --> 00:49:37.400
It's lying in the sense of being disingenuous because then you're already thinking about yourself versus being present.
00:49:37.800 --> 00:49:38.760
Well, that's true too.
00:49:39.160 --> 00:49:40.120
That's very freeing.
00:49:40.200 --> 00:49:41.240
I love that you say that.
00:49:41.480 --> 00:49:43.720
And I wonder, you're giving so many tangible tips.
00:49:43.960 --> 00:49:51.640
The last one I have here, and then I just have a few more things, is I wanted to end this game with crying on cue because I know you have a lot of science to share there.
00:49:51.720 --> 00:49:55.480
And I want people to look at your what you've written about that and take the workshop.
00:49:55.560 --> 00:50:01.960
But do you have like a quick flash-round thing you can tease for listeners if they have to cry on cue in a scene today?
00:50:02.360 --> 00:50:08.440
Well, I've identified in my course and in my book that's coming out soon, crying on cue for actors.
00:50:08.600 --> 00:50:10.760
It comes down to body language coding.
00:50:10.920 --> 00:50:15.640
Again, feeding your brain exactly the code that it needs to cry.
00:50:15.800 --> 00:50:21.960
But where most people get this wrong is that they assume that every crying scene is the same.
00:50:22.040 --> 00:50:29.800
So I've identified the different types of crying scenes in uh in my work and the codes that go with them.
00:50:29.960 --> 00:50:35.320
So all you have to do is look at the script and determine which type of crying scene is it.
00:50:35.640 --> 00:50:41.560
Here is the formula of the different codes that work together to prompt you to cry.
00:50:42.040 --> 00:50:44.120
And it is magic.
00:50:44.280 --> 00:50:51.400
It is magic to see that literal effect on an actor just by using science.
00:50:51.640 --> 00:50:59.720
No more uh trauma mining, you know, no more method acting where they go and like live the experience.
00:51:00.200 --> 00:51:02.280
And no more happy accidents.
00:51:02.440 --> 00:51:06.680
It's something you can absolutely control and create.
00:51:06.840 --> 00:51:09.880
No more crying sticks to unneat.
00:51:10.200 --> 00:51:11.000
Oh my gosh.
00:51:11.240 --> 00:51:13.000
I know the crying sticks.
00:51:13.240 --> 00:51:15.000
It's like, should I order that on Amazon?
00:51:15.160 --> 00:51:16.440
No, I should order your book.
00:51:16.600 --> 00:51:19.880
And a lot of what we covered today, thank you for playing this flash round, by the way.
00:51:20.040 --> 00:51:26.520
Woo! You earn just being such a wonderful human who is giving so many resources to the creative community.
00:51:26.680 --> 00:51:31.640
In your other book, The Science of Goal Setting for Actors and anyone else really who wants to succeed.
00:51:32.120 --> 00:51:33.400
There's the book if you're watching.
00:51:33.480 --> 00:51:34.680
It's so beautiful.
00:51:34.920 --> 00:51:36.680
It has such a beautiful cover.
00:51:37.320 --> 00:51:45.080
What's just a tip you can tease for actors today as we sort of wrap up here on setting and achieving their goals?
00:51:45.320 --> 00:51:48.520
Because I think that's such a big thing in the creative journey.
00:51:48.600 --> 00:51:56.440
And our careers are so different than other careers in the sense that we are entrepreneurs, but it's not always as linear and we kind of create our own our rules.
00:51:56.680 --> 00:51:59.080
What's your advice just overall on goal setting?
00:51:59.480 --> 00:52:04.760
You want to tap into your brain's natural ability to predict.
00:52:05.320 --> 00:52:09.080
And so your brain will search for resources.
00:52:09.320 --> 00:52:20.360
We're taking in uh 200 trillion bits of data every second, but we only maintain about 2,000 bits of it, and some, maybe not even that much, right?
00:52:20.600 --> 00:52:27.880
So it's it's a lot coming at us, and we dispose a lot of data.
00:52:28.520 --> 00:52:34.680
And our mindset is really our brain's ability to go through all of that information.
00:52:34.920 --> 00:52:38.440
Some people see an opportunity and some people don't.
00:52:38.600 --> 00:52:40.280
It's the same situation.
00:52:40.520 --> 00:52:44.040
I was recently talking about 48-hour film projects.
00:52:44.280 --> 00:52:49.080
Some people see that as an opportunity, and some people like, oh, why would I bother to do that?
00:52:49.640 --> 00:52:49.960
Right?
00:52:50.440 --> 00:52:52.680
Because it's the craziest 48 hours you will ever have.
00:52:52.760 --> 00:52:54.280
I've done them and it's wild.
00:52:54.600 --> 00:52:55.480
It's super cool.
00:52:55.640 --> 00:53:00.920
And if you you got the choice between doing nothing and doing that, why wouldn't you?
00:53:01.240 --> 00:53:02.280
Like, why wouldn't you?
00:53:02.440 --> 00:53:08.200
And the same person over here that can't see the opportunity who's like, I don't have any footage, I can't get an agent, blah, blah, blah.
00:53:08.360 --> 00:53:23.080
And it's not just a matter of negative and positive, it's actually tasking your brain with, hey, dial into the future, because it can predict, your brain can predict, you know, a reasonable amount of time out based on all your mistakes in the past.
00:53:23.320 --> 00:53:29.240
It's got a pretty good idea of what you're gonna do based on what you've done before.
00:53:30.040 --> 00:53:44.360
But if you start feeding your brain information, I'm going to do this, this, and this, it starts then searching your entire existence for things that match that outcome.
00:53:45.000 --> 00:53:51.160
And I call this the the sci the future self science because, and this is why it works for for anyone.
00:53:51.240 --> 00:53:52.440
I use it in my own life.
00:53:52.600 --> 00:53:55.000
I've taught it to friends and family.
00:53:55.240 --> 00:54:05.560
It's it's no matter what, whether you're an actor, you're a uh CEO, a podcast host, a comedian, whatever it is, you can use it too.
00:54:05.720 --> 00:54:12.680
Um and it's crazy because people come to me afterwards and they'll say, it's like all these opportunities are coming at me.
00:54:13.400 --> 00:54:14.200
Not really.
00:54:14.360 --> 00:54:16.280
They were right there before.
00:54:16.840 --> 00:54:22.360
But your brain was not working to organize that data in a way that made sense to you.
00:54:22.680 --> 00:54:26.040
And suddenly now it is, and you're seeing things you didn't see before.
00:54:26.280 --> 00:54:27.720
Oh, that person was so nice to me.
00:54:27.880 --> 00:54:29.640
No, they were always a jerk.
00:54:30.440 --> 00:54:34.920
Suddenly now your brain is saying, they're nice to you because this needs to happen.
00:54:36.360 --> 00:54:41.880
You know, you start to see things differently because your brain is set with a different task.
00:54:42.280 --> 00:54:44.520
You know, I would say that your brain is like a dog.
00:54:44.600 --> 00:54:45.640
It's your brain is like a dog.
00:54:45.880 --> 00:54:46.840
It's like a well-trained dog.
00:54:46.920 --> 00:54:51.160
It just wanna walk, it just wants to do things for you.
00:54:51.400 --> 00:54:56.760
And if you want to be negative and angry and not be successful, it'll work on that really hard.
00:54:57.000 --> 00:54:57.240
Yeah.
00:54:57.480 --> 00:55:05.000
But if you tell it that it needs to do these things, specific things, it'll be like, okay, what do we do first?
00:55:06.360 --> 00:55:07.720
And it gets to work.
00:55:08.200 --> 00:55:13.560
It's also the, I don't know what the theory is called, but you know, for instance, my wife is pregnant right now.
00:55:13.720 --> 00:55:14.520
We're so excited.
00:55:14.680 --> 00:55:22.040
And so it's like that phenomenon of, oh my gosh, there's so many pregnancy storylines and all these TV shows we're watching.
00:55:22.120 --> 00:55:25.400
And there's we see so many more pregnant people out and about on the street.
00:55:25.480 --> 00:55:27.320
It's like, well, they were always there.
00:55:27.400 --> 00:55:29.880
And those were always in the TV shows you were watching.
00:55:30.040 --> 00:55:39.400
It's just now your brain is programmed thinking about pregnancy and and how to keep the baby safe and how to, you know, have a successful journey, X, Y, and Z.
00:55:39.560 --> 00:55:58.040
I think it's similar to what you're saying, and that if you're feeding your brain that you're a failure and you're never gonna make it every day, but still doing the actions to try and make it, you're already kind of like cutting your, I guess, quote unquote, chances or opportunities in half because you're your worst critic and you're limiting yourself.
00:55:58.280 --> 00:56:04.920
So I think what you just shared is probably the number one thing in any career in order to get going.
00:56:05.000 --> 00:56:07.560
Otherwise, you'll stop yourself at the starting line.
00:56:07.880 --> 00:56:08.360
It's true.
00:56:08.520 --> 00:56:11.480
What you just described is called retricular activism.
00:56:11.800 --> 00:56:16.120
It's once you notice something, you start to think there's more of it.
00:56:16.520 --> 00:56:18.520
And that's exactly this concept.
00:56:18.600 --> 00:56:22.440
You're you're you're picking that up absolutely correctly.
00:56:22.680 --> 00:56:27.000
Is you train your brain to start seeing more of what you want it to see.
00:56:27.640 --> 00:56:34.360
It's like when you buy a new car and you're driving home, you're like, uh, I didn't realize there's so many 370 Zs.
00:56:34.920 --> 00:56:35.560
Yes.
00:56:36.360 --> 00:56:39.880
There's no more 370 Zs on the road than there was before you bought one.
00:56:40.040 --> 00:56:43.800
It's just now, at the center of your universe, you start to notice them all.
00:56:44.120 --> 00:56:44.840
That's brilliant.
00:56:44.920 --> 00:56:57.160
And but and a step even before that, if you dream of having that car and you're in your, you know, old beat-up car that you're driving, but it's reliable, when you see that car on the road, you can kind of have two reactions, right?
00:56:57.400 --> 00:57:05.560
You could say, Ugh, that per like get mad at that person for no reason, or you can have the reaction of, I can't wait till I have that car.
00:57:05.720 --> 00:57:23.880
And I think that kind of like also is in line with what you're talking about, just reframing it seems trivial to just call it the positive mindset, but the the goal setting can only come if you're kind of like focusing on the the not even the positive outcome, but just the positive present.
00:57:24.520 --> 00:57:26.440
Everyone take a shot every time I say positive.
00:57:26.600 --> 00:57:27.240
Sorry.
00:57:28.760 --> 00:57:31.080
Um but you can take it a step further too.
00:57:31.160 --> 00:57:35.080
This is where the the book goes into even more detail about the science.
00:57:35.160 --> 00:57:39.080
And instead of saying I'm gonna have that car someday, the brain is lazy.
00:57:39.240 --> 00:57:41.560
It's not working on something someday.
00:57:41.880 --> 00:57:43.720
It works on what you need now.
00:57:44.200 --> 00:57:44.840
Yes.
00:57:45.080 --> 00:57:47.320
So if you say, That's my car.
00:57:48.360 --> 00:57:50.440
Your brain's like, that's our car.
00:57:51.320 --> 00:57:54.040
I don't remember buying it, but that's our car.
00:57:54.280 --> 00:57:58.360
Um, okay, so if we have this car, then we need this, this, and this, right?
00:57:58.440 --> 00:58:11.960
So that's so if you put it into the present, um, and I have a technique in the book that I talk about how you can do that, how you put things into the present without sounding like you're going crazy.
00:58:12.360 --> 00:58:17.080
Uh and sounding like you're lying to people because you don't have that car.
00:58:17.480 --> 00:58:21.080
That's the title of your next book, How to Be Present Without Being Crazy.
00:58:21.480 --> 00:58:22.760
Without sounding crazy.
00:58:23.000 --> 00:58:23.160
Yeah.
00:58:23.400 --> 00:58:24.680
Hey, that's a good idea.
00:58:24.840 --> 00:58:25.240
I like that.
00:58:26.360 --> 00:58:26.840
Everyone.
00:58:27.080 --> 00:58:30.360
Well, I mean, everyone, please check out the book that is out there now.
00:58:30.520 --> 00:58:31.640
Check out the book that's coming.
00:58:31.720 --> 00:58:33.160
You can learn how to cry on cue.
00:58:33.320 --> 00:58:36.920
Faith, you are just a treasure trove of knowledge and of a person.
00:58:37.000 --> 00:58:39.240
And I have so enjoyed this present moment with you.
00:58:39.320 --> 00:58:45.800
And I'm just grateful that we have you as a resource out there to find these formulas, find what clicks for you, right?
00:58:46.040 --> 00:58:48.120
And test out this goal setting method today.
00:58:48.200 --> 00:58:49.800
I mean, right now, everybody, test that out.
00:58:49.880 --> 00:58:57.080
And I'm I'm gonna be thinking of everybody booking jobs out there, and that's how I'm gonna retrain my brain today because I wish that for you all.
00:58:57.160 --> 00:59:00.280
I wish that for you, Faith, and on this beautiful journey.
00:59:00.440 --> 00:59:02.760
And I'm just grateful to call you a friend.
00:59:02.920 --> 00:59:04.200
So thanks for being here.
00:59:04.440 --> 00:59:05.800
Oh, likewise.
00:59:05.960 --> 00:59:06.600
Thank you.
00:59:06.840 --> 00:59:07.240
Yay!
00:59:07.400 --> 00:59:08.920
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.