134
I like to have certain essential information, of course: voca-
tion, looks, general personality type, a bit of background.
But from there, I want to hear and see the character, which
is why I choose a visual (there are many sources of images
on the Web) and use the voice journal.
The Spencer Tracy secret is another way of getting
into your characters, viscerally. Think about being you
as the character.
This may remind you of the famous “method school”
of acting, popularized by Marlon Brando. The method is
just a way of getting at the same thing. How can actors be-
come the characters they play so as to achieve emotional
immediacy?
There’s been a lot of ink spilled on the method, but
I think it is best summed up by what the Russian di-
rector Constantin Stanislavski called the “Magic If.” It
simply means to act as if you were that character. In all
rehearsals, that’s what you go for, until you begin to feel
the part.
So if you are loathe to approach those long question-
naires about your characters, the Spencer Tracy secret
may be for you.
Robert Gregory Browne says:
If my lead character is a divorced father of three
who fi nds himself unwittingly involved in a conspir-
acy to overthrow the government, the fi rst thing I ask
myself when approaching a scene (even though I’m
Z4273i_127-159.indd 134Z4273i_127-159.indd 134 9/24/09 11:21:06 AM9/24/09 11:21:06 AM