Falling in Love with Acting (and Advice for Young Actors)
Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 8:00AM The Film Experience is enormously proud to hand the site over to Ann Dowd (The Leftovers, Masters of Sex). She will be guest blogging all day. - Editor.
As Patti on "The Leftovers"
-by Ann Dowd
The awareness, the love story, for me began in high school. Acknowledging it came later. I’m talking about falling in love with acting and committing to the life with all its ups and downs.
You know, you do a play in high school and you think “Wow, this is kind of great.” For me it was playing Adelaide from Guys & Dolls -- it just about did me in with joy. But it never occurred to me, and I’m sure this is true for many others who didn’t grow up in a theater environment, that you could choose to be an actor. It just wasn’t an option.
I was in premed for four years in college. But I also took acting classes each year and that's where I found peace and some sense of fufillment. There it was, that feeling again, a deep love. The role that changed my perspective on whether or not I could really be an actress as a life choice was Sonya in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. It was that quiet voice again which said, "I want to live in her life."
It’s a simple thing, from my perspective now years later, about knowing whether you want to do this and whether you can commit for life. And that’s in this question:
Can I step into the life of another human being in an open and truthful way without judgment?
There’s a connection that happens when you’re acting that transcends just about anything. When that happens — and it doesn’t always — but if it’s deep and it happens enough there’s an awareness that you could really live this life with all its ups and downs. So I made the change in senior year of college, auditioned for an acting school, got in, and essentially never looked back. It was very hard, many ups and downs. But there was never a question of “can I do it?” It was that I had to do it. Plain and simple — it was the only thing that made sense to me.
Returning to Chekhov years later on Broadway in "The Seagull" with Kristin Scott Thomas and company
For Those Starting Out
Many young actors starting out want advice — “how do I get an agent?” is usually the question — and I'm afraid I don't have much advice on that issue. When I look back now 30 years, when I think of what a young actor needs to be successful in this business, for me it comes down to the following: a fierce energy, a single mindedness, a refusal to consider failure or giving up as an option, and an unshakable belief that you have a rightful place in this work. Youth has that in it's favor.
And I can offer this: stay deeply connected to your love of acting. Put your head down and keep going, even if there aren’t roles, or if they go well or don’t go well. In the moments when you’re alone, slow it all down. Step away from technology as much as you can, observe and listen to life as it unfolds. Live your life. Work on your relationships. You will need all of those things as actors. You need perspective. If you have personal issues, seek the help you need to get through them — you need an understanding of suffering and pain but you do not need to spend your life doing that to make the work good!
Attend to your life in other words. Know and believe that it’s going to work out. If you love what you’re going to do and you do the work to get better as an actor,then you’re going to get the support you need.
I know that sounds naive but I honestly believe it’s true.
Next: The Leftovers
Reader Comments (21)
Great great actress! One of those actors you're just glad to see when they appear onscreen!
Performance in Compliance remains a highlight.. perfection in every sense of the word. I have only seen it once but I can still see your face in that closing scene when I close my eyes.
Small shout out to Dottie in The Drop! That character moved me much more than it should have, which is credit to you.
I have been looking forward to your guest blogging all week, but even I didn't expect a small masterclass in acting via the written word. I don't want to be an actor but you almost motivated me to switch careers ;)
Bravo!!
Kevin -- right. Though I think this advice is good for anyone pursuing scary risky careers. It resonated with me and I can't act!
Ann Dowd is incredible in everything, really embodies the best of "actressing at the edges". But also, what a beautiful writer! I'm now even more excited to see what else she'll share!!
Beyond grateful for this.
She really is someone who, when I find out she's attached to a project, I become more excited to watch it.
"Step away from technology as much as you can, observe and listen to life as it unfolds."
I should really print those words out and place them next to my laptop (and phone!).
As someone who has always had a deep love of performing and was right on the cusp of shoving aside everything else to be an actor for quite a while, this article really resonated with me. What beautiful writing, Ann. It's easy to see how you make such memorable characters: there's an equal amount of head and heart, of gut instinct and technique. All of one or the other in either of these pairs can make for a good performance, but the combination of both is when things really start to get great. Thank you for this. It's made me even more of a fan.
Were there character actors who inspired you on your journey?
Nathaniel - absolutely agree that anyone can benefit from it. It seems Manuel has already started ;)
Ann - Looking at your IMDB page, it's like a trip down memory lane of 30 years of pop culture and highly influential movies AND TV. What was the most fun set you've been on, or the coolest job? Any favorites?
I have to say, Adelaide's Lament is one of my favorite songs in all of musical theater. Great starting place.
Lovely post. I'm going to share it with my theater students.
Thanks a lot for this Ann and Nat!
Truly inspiring and lovely words.
Dear Ann,
You elevate every scene and every project. You give meaning to our cult: actressexuality!
This is wonderful and generous.
Hi Ann!
Thank you for this, as well as for all your wonderful performances. I was attending a festival screening of "Wildlike" a few months ago and had no idea you were in it. When you showed up on screen I gasped a bit and I think everyone sitting around me could tell I was excited :) Happy to have you hear.
She is just wonderful. I was blown away by her performance "Compliance" and now I'm so happy to see her career thriving. Thank you Ann and Nathaniel!
This is as beautiful a statement on acting as I think I've ever read. I haven't seen nearly as much of your work as I'd have liked to - I'm so bad at keeping up with TV! - but what you've written here goes beyond admiring your talents onscreen, I'm in awe of your humanity.
that production of the seagull on broadway was probably one of my favorite productions of that show ever (carey mulligan is by far my favorite nina) - what a wonderful experience it must have been. and i adore hearing how actors first caught the acting bug and how it still never fades, that love of acting.
This is really, really great. Thank you!
You are literally everwhere. I also like you in Olive Kitteridge!
Nonetheless, I'm definitely happy I found it and I'll be bookmarking and checking back often!