Konstantin Stanislavski once said, “The person you are is a hundred times more interesting than the best actor you could ever become.”
Actors are often told to “be authentic” in their performances. Meisner-trained actors can bring their characters to life is by tapping into their own personality, emotions, quirks and experiences. This is just one acting technique that method actors use, but there are other ways to find a character’s authenticity to give a memorable performance.
It can also be believed that giving an authentic performance may have something to do with being an authentic person in general.
That being said, how exactly does someone grow in their authenticity?
In the TED Talk Saying YES! to Your Weirdness, emotional healing coach and YouTuber JP Sears shines light on the unique and perhaps strange impulses, beliefs, mannerisms and personal qualities people have.
Sears encourages individuals to embrace, rather than hide, their weirdness. “When you look at what’s most weird about you, please consider that what you’re really looking at is the real you,” says Sears. “Then the real question is: Are you willing to risk saying yes to being you?”
Sears discusses the reasons people learn to conceal their true natures over time, finding ways to weave humor into his otherwise serious talk.
Why is Bring Authentic Important?
“I do believe that the most dangerous liability in our world today is being yourself,” Sears says. “Think about it: If you’re being yourself, someone might actually find out who you really are. They might actually see you … They might make fun of you. They might reject you. They might actually accept you too.”
Sears argues that when people attempt to blend in and be regarded as “normal,” what they are really doing is rejecting their true selves and treating themselves as an enemy.
“We reject ourselves because that ensures that nobody else is going to reject us,” Sears says. “If I reject me first, then you don’t get any of me because I don’t bring me to the table. So, you can never reject me as long as I’m rejecting myself.”
For this reason, Sears believes that being normal is “the most pervasive disease in our world today.” He also contends the cure for this quest for normalcy is innate weirdness; specifically, “the traits, the tendencies, the behaviors, the perspectives that help make you unique.”
Sears suggests that embracing our weirdness leads us to become “not who we think we are, not even who we want to be, but something far more significant —it leads us to who we actually are.” He also believes that people taking risks while being true to themselves can inspire others to take risks as well. “I guarantee nobody has ever inspired other people by excelling at normalcy,” he says.
By embracing your weirdness, you will be able to create a deeper understanding of your characters, creating a consistency in performances as well as unleashing a more powerful performance that will resonate with your audience.
Achieving Maximum Authenticity for Compelling Performances
Finding your authenticity is another aspect of actor training. To achieve this kind of authenticity, Sears says to follow these three steps:
1. Embrace discomfort: Exhibiting a willingness to embrace discomfort is essential to being yourself. You might feel afraid, embarrassed or face rejection, but you will come out of this a much better actor than before. Your authentic emotions on display to enhance your character portrayal.
2. Find purpose in your pain: “Would you be willing to bring purpose to your pain?” Sears asks. Look for the blessings within your curse to help discover your true authentic self. It will also help you understand how to play complex characters.
3. Amuse thyself: Part of the purpose of life is to find ways to amuse yourself. If you are interested in what you are doing, Sears says that it will “help posture you better to embody the yes to your weirdness.” This can also help create believable characters and amazing performances.
Turning on your weirdness is not like turning on a light switch. Sears sees it more as a moment-by-moment choice. It starts with being aware that a choice exists in the first place — an option to break out of what is considered “normal” and become a more authentic individual.
Understanding how to tap into your authenticity in performance requires spending time with and committing to yourself, but it will help you on your acting journey as you discover your true weird nature.
“I think we’re all thirsty to experience ourselves,” Sears says.
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