by Tim
(NY)
QUESTION:
I have a short career as a mostly ensemble actor but now got one of the leads in a comedy. I need to do scenes where i fall madly in love with a character played by an actress for whom I have had a (safe and secret) crush on for years. I’m a happily married family guy but this makes me both thrilled and scared to do simple scenes with her! How can I get past this so that i can get into character and do justice to these funny scenes?
ANSWER:
Congratulations on your first lead role!
Just because it’s comedy doesn’t mean things can’t be intense. You can probably channel that energy of being excited and scared at the same time and have it serve the character. Just take the energy from your feelings and attribute it to your character. Then ask questions as your character like… “Why do I feel so excited or so scared?” and rationalize it with the given circumstances, this way you can serve the play while at the same time finding an output for your emotions so they don’t interfere with your happily married life.
I hope this makes sense. Good luck!
One last note… I think it’s normal to be a little in love with our scene partners. It’s part of the heightened reality we live in when we act. I think once we take it for what it is, it’s easier to deal with and not let ourselves be worried by emotions that often will last only the time of the project.