The Vs. Studio Blog

“I would walk the streets of Manhattan, bellowing out the monologues as I rambled. I’d do it by the factories, at the edges of town, where no one was around. What else was I going to do? Where could I emote? That’s what you do when you’re obsessed.” -Al Pacino, Sonny Boy, a memoir

“Actors always want to know how I come up with interesting and creative takes on characters, characters that aren’t like me as I appear in daily life and that aren’t like each other. It’s simple: I let the lines and images connect with my imagination. I don’t worry about consistency; I let myself respond moment by moment, piecemeal, to the character’s dialogue and actions. Then I let my responses take me wherever they go, making mistakes and discarding them until choices start repeating themselves on their own no matter how arbitrary they seem at first. Then I know I’m on to something. But I don’t try to put the character together. I leave it in pieces. The script and story put the character together so my moment by moment performance seems like a creative take on the whole character.” -Harold Guskin, book How To Stop Acting

For the actor…

One of the most difficult things about this profession is the difficulty in practicing your craft. Because it is such a highly collaborative medium, there is some truth in the fact that you need to get the job in order to practice doing the job. Or at the very least, you need other actors and audience. Not easy to assemble. (That’s why classes and training are vital.)

But one deliberate thing you can do, on your own, no matter what, is to just find monologues from great plays, memorize them (exactly as written), imagine yourself saying them, and then roam the streets speaking them out loud.

No doubt all that work that went into selecting, memorizing, imagining and speaking will keep you sharp. It’s also much of the same work you will need to do when you actually get the job. (Or better yet, create the job for yourself and others.)

“Trust is one of the greatest economic forces on Earth.” -Charlie Munger

“Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the rest.” -Seth Godin

“Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love. Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.” -Simone Weil

“Attention is the most basic form of love. By paying attention we let ourselves be touched by life, and our hearts naturally become more open and engaged.” -Tara Brach

If someone trusts you enough to give you their full attention, then (a) please recognize what a big deal that is. It is a sacred gift. And (b) do everything in your power to never, ever, lose their trust.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” -Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning

“Everything has two handles, one by which it may be borne, another by which it cannot. If your brother acts unjustly, do not lay hold of the action by the handle of his injustice, for by that handle the matter cannot be borne; but rather lay hold of the other,—that he is your brother, that he was brought up with you; and thus you will lay hold of the matter by the handle by which it can be borne.” -Epictetus, Enchiridion

“I wasn’t called to audition because I was meant to get the role. I was called to audition because I was meant to audition…Because I suddenly understood that I wasn’t called there because the part was mine. I was called there because the process was mine.” -Robyn Cohen

“Your inner monologue determines your outer actions. The most powerful story in the world is the one you tell yourself.” -Shane Parrish

“The best advice for fellow actors is this: know what your job is. About 18 years ago I had this cognition that I realized I was going into auditions trying to get a job. And that simply wasn’t what I was doing, wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing. An actor is supposed to create a compelling, interesting character that serves the text, presented in the environment where your audition happens, and then you walk away. And that’s it. Everything else is out of your control, so don’t think of it, don’t focus on that. You’re not going there to get a job. You’re going there to present what you do. You act. And there it is; you walk away. There’s power in that. There’s confidence in that. And it’s also saying: I can only do so much. The decision of who gets a job is so out of your control that really when you analyze it, it makes no sense. That to me was a break-through. Once I adapted that philosophy, I never looked back. And I’ve never been so busy in my life. That’s it. Good luck.” -Bryan Cranston

We have the ability to reframe any situation, anything that happens to us, in a way that empowers us. Something that affirms our hopes, dreams and desires, rather than conflicting with them.

Just like Epictetus tells us above, there are always two handles. So it goes with stories. There are always two sides to every story. Two ways of looking at them. And you get to choose. Why not every time out, pick the handle, the story, that most empowers you?

P.S. – My friend and phenomenal actor/teacher Robyn Cohen, has a great post about reframing her recent audition experience. You can read it Here.

“Have something in your life that’s more important to you than acting. Something that’s creative. Something that gives you a goal …that doesn’t depend on somebody calling you up and hiring you. Write! If you want to play a role, produce it for yourself…You’re in charge of your own creative life.” -John Lithgow

You’re in charge of your own creative life and your happiness within it. Not anyone else. Isn’t it cool and empowering to know this?

So take charge!

Go make your art.

P.S. – An anchor project is a great way to start.

P.P.S. – This post from my friend and phenomenal actor/teacher, Stef Tovar.

The best feedback you can give someone on their work is the simplest.

First, depending on the medium, truly listen and take in (read/watch/listen) what they’ve chosen to share with you. You taking the time is a gift.

Second, find out what they’re going for. This should have nothing to do with your taste and preference. It’s all about them and what they want. Ask a few questions in this direction. You might find that they’re not exactly sure, with which case this inquiry will help them clarify.

Finally, if there were moments you really loved, point those out. And if there were moments where your attention or focus drifted or you felt lost, point those out too. The contrast of moments will prove instructive.

And that’s it. You’ve now given plenty.

Unless they specifically ask for you to help brainstorm possible solutions, don’t offer. That won’t help. Trust that they will solve it all by themselves. And they will.

“It’s always better just to do work that you’re really proud of and work that you enjoy because really all you have are the choices you make and that’s it and who knows after that. I think that’s what I love in acting.” -Emily Blunt

Regardless of what you think of Disclosure Day as a film (I really dug it), one thing is undeniable…Emily Blunt is phenomenal in it. I was totally invested and deeply moved by her character. Dare I say one of the best acting performances of all time in a big budget action movie. Certainly right up there and worthy of an Academy Award nomination.

If you see it for no other reason, see it for her performance.

P,S. – This NYT Spielberg interview is terrific and inspiring. Especially his love of the theatre.

“Be the caretaker of your vision. Make it famous. And above all, remember, that art is risk made visible.” -photographer, Arno Rafael Minkkinen

“Staying on the bus isn’t about gritting your teeth down a line that isn’t for you. It’s about recognizing that the feelings of sameness are normal and not to be feared. That the boring, derivative work is where the beautiful, singular work begins.

The thing to check is not how unoriginal the ride feels, but whether the platform you chose is sending your bus somewhere you actually want to arrive.

Focus on direction, not speed. Choose the platform that sends buses in the general direction of the life you want, but worry less about the specific line being the “right” one. Really, there’s no such thing.

The line is yours to shape, but only if you’re still on it.

So, stay on the bus. Stay on the f*cking bus.” -Sahil Bloom

The 2024 speech: “The Helsinki Bus Station Theory: Finding Your Own Vision in Photography” by Finnish American photographer, Arno Minkkinen, is worth reading for any artist. You can read it in full Here.

No matter what happens, no matter how far back you feel, as long as you are pursuing excellence, you are doing right. Just stick with it. Stay on the bus. Stay on the f*cking bus.

For the director…

Assuming you’ve earned your actor’s trust, there are times where the best note you can give the actor is to simply say “I don’t believe you here.”

It might seem harsh on the surface, but if that’s how you feel, then tell them. Don’t over-explain. Don’t try to solve. Just tell them.

If it’s a trained and talented actor who truly cares about the work and not their ego, then they will make the fix all on their own. And at some point, even if they never tell you, they’ll be grateful you gave them this note.

P.S. – Speaking of “I don’t believe you”, this video captures one of the most iconic moments in Rock & Roll history. Imagine getting that note from Bob!

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams

Act for the people’s benefit. Trust them; leave them alone….If you don’t trust the people, you make them untrustworthy.

The Master doesn’t talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, “Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!” –Tao Te Ching by Lao– tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)

“Authentic leadership, I think, implies people who can spot, affirm, train, support, finance, and validate gifts and leadership wherever they see them in actual practice (think multipliers instead of monarchs). Then we are not all striving toward the top but striving toward supporting the supreme work of love flowing into the world.” -Richard Rohr

The true test of your leadership is whether people get to where they want to go in life, and feel they did it all by themselves.

And then those people turn around and do the same thing for others.

And so on and so on.

Be a multiplier. Not a monarch.

P.S. – Happy Juneteenth. This post.

“I realized the other day that most people grow up thinking in terms of professional affiliations. ‘I’m going to be an accountant…I’m going to work for General Dynamics.’

Somehow, I always thought of my career as a series of projects, not jobs. Projects… things to be invented, funded and shipped. Sometimes they take on a life of their own and last, other times, they flare and fade. But projects, one after the other, mark my career. Lucky for me, the world cooperated and our entire culture shifted from one based on long-term affiliations (you know, ‘jobs’) to projects.” -Seth Godin

Whatever you’re thinking about doing, whatever goals you have for yourself (big or small)…why not turn it into a project? Design a work plan complete with tasks and micro-tasks. Set deadlines. Figure out how much money you need. Make a financial plan. Create a budget.. And go.

Everything becomes real once it’s a project.

Or better yet, nothing gets real until it’s a project.

P.S. – This post and this post.