What Is Acting?

Well, I am a certified hypnotherapist, who recently joined an acting class, really a wonderful group of actors and actresses, some experienced and some no, let me tell you, I am so fascinated, especially being in a situation where I am interacting with different backgrounds and ethnicity.

I am a white Caucasian Israeli/Persian sales person/body, mind and soul educator…
And, I see myself as being articulate and flexible expressing my thoughts clearly. Wanting to act seems to me, as it was something that came to me easily, not like others that have many challenges around it.

Don't you look at yourself and life path at times and say to yourself, wows, I could be a great actor or actress, doing this part or that part... I bed you had this feeling too, didn't you?

And this is what got me even more fascinated about acting, and other actors and actress’s behavior or thoughts.

Some have amassing accents, some are amusing characters, and some are paranoid or too worried of what other people think of them… This trade of veracity is in somewhat disturbing that need to be addressed to each and every one of the actors society....

I have noticed around me, that if someone was complimented, they were having a hard time excepting that, and some loved it to a point that they have forgotten who they were… and decided OK, now I am the expert, and, I bet, I can deliver more then someone else…

And those who looked at others performance, being surprised that they were so good to a point that one individual would actually feel that the performer can be as conductive and manipulate or dangerous as the character they were playing…

And here I am, observing what everyone else has on their mind and wonder, If they are serious in their observation or not? How fascinating is our mind?

And in other hand, I am hearing the other person who was acting an extreme wonderful roll, and at the same token, they were wondering “What Other People Think Of Me”, This is not who I am, maybe I should quit acting like this, or maybe I am sending out the wrong message that I am a bad person, a mean person, a scary person, a deceitful person, an angry person, or even a depressed person….

And I am thinking again, wow… Ladies and gentlemen let me remind you, acting is performing, acting is acting, and please, STOP Thinking for others, It is about time that you trust your talent, and If you want to be hard on yourself, go ahead, keep doing what you know best, and It is making your acting career, a negative experience...

Acting is about a person who tells a story by showing someone’s behavior or personality, by speaking, singing, dancing and playing… Acting is to do an act… pretending he or she is someone else… In my opinion this is precisely what acting is.

In acting, one challenges part of a unique personality to represent someone else... and that is why the others are known as the audience.

The audience doesn’t go to a play or a movie thinking oh my god, the actor was so good, what about if this is part of his personality? And now he may or could be capable to come into my home late at night and hurt me, because I am afraid of him… I was so convinced when he played the role of the killer so well.... Hello... wakes up... and let me remind you again, the person in the scene was an actor, acting... OK...

Well, this is what I have observed from being among actors, and I hope the meaning of “What is an actor” or “What Is acting”, is much clearer now…

Feel free to share your view and understanding of what actor’s means to you…

Take Julia Roberts for example, she is down to earth, and she has demonstrated a mastery of acting, with complex roles, she acted as the victim, the prostitute, the lover, her roll were from tragic to an inspirational and powerful successful woman... and I don't think she was too concerned how her performance will make people think this is her in real life, she just deliver the best of her ability to act...

Also if you take Will Smith, he is a wonderful actor who demonstrated many personality's in his acting...

I am just exploring.....

Doreen Cohanim