Work vs. Life

So, I'm kind of new to the whole blog thing. And I'm not exactly the most tech savy net connoisseur, so do bear with me as my page formats catch up to speed. In short, I'm an actor, an author, a poet, (Northwestern University, Go CATS!) and overall artist just making my path through the entertainment industry. I wanted a blog that would give me an outlet to tell my random industry stories, talk a little philosophy, and share a little poetry along the way. Now, does that sound like something you'd be interested in? 

My approach to acting is probably overall closer to a Lao-Tzu, or Ryokan style of study. On the road of life, treat everyone you meet as a master, and you can learn from all things. This is the way that I approach my training, and it seems to be pretty effective. I call it method living, rather than method acting because its not so much that I'll need to be 'in character' for days on end to get a real pulse on a role. Rather, I need to be in observer mode in order to adequately be the kind of artist I'm reaching to become. Its more of a lifestyle choice. People watching, situational humor, taking mental notes on conversations for later script dialogue, or even having a random conversation with a homeless guy on the long walk home, its all part of the actor's journey. 

"One may move so well that a footprint never shows,

     Speak so well that the tongue never slips,

     Reckon so well that no counter is needed"

                                              --Tao Te Ching

The concept of Creative Quietude, or Wu Wei, or "action without action" is to me the most fundamental of principles when it comes to acting and actual scene study. So much of the prep work is aimed at showing in an external manner that which is churning and longing inside the mind and heart of a character. Its the difference between "acting" an emotion, and "allowing something to happen" in that genuine, honest manner. A good example of this was my very first day on the set of 'The Year After Infection' (coming soon, courtesy of Vertice Films, llc) and the first couple of hours were basically me walking around in the snow, and approaching an abandoned house. My director Tony Greco couldn't believe that we were able to get through the shots so quickly, and I couldn't believe that shots with no dialogue could ever be such a burden on a film crew. Long story short, I had gotten the role after another actor had been released from the project, and apparently they had wasted way too much time on the sequence the first time around. What I needed to be able to accomplish, in essence, was to "do nothing" but to still make it look interesting. Walking up a hill of snow, walking down a hill, I might have even stumbled in the snow at a few points, but we breezed through that part of the day. There was never a moment where I was trying to be interesting in my doing nothing. That part has to happen on its own. Even though there was no dialogue, and not much happening other than walking through the snow, the bottom line is there's still a way to make it interesting. To make it real. Infinitely supple, yet incomparably strong...like a stream of water, or the iconic willow tree. The person who embodies Wu Wei acts without strain, persuades without argument, and is eloquent without flourish.