Well I’m back. Happy to be blogging for all of you out there and I’m proud to say I did not witness anyone getting hit by any form of motorized vehicle. This past weekend was the provincial touch football tournament. Nice weather but I was under the weather so it was not the best weekend. I had the opportunity to watch the beginning of the film Due Date with one of my favorite actors Robert Downey JR. It made me reflect on my favorite aspect of acting. It is easy to judge a good actor once you have watched a big scene with powerful dialogue moving situations but for me to judge a good actor is to watch for the subtle nuances in the performance. The slight turn of the head or how little the actor can do with body language to make you feel what he is feeling. To just tense up the right way to make you know he is stressed. To watch their faces as they try to control the emotion bubbling underneath in the scene.
I have been trying to master this art. I like to say I’m pretty good. It is so much more difficult than anyone would ever believe. The camera picks up everything and your movements have to be so small otherwise you will look like you are making clown faces. Look at Morgan Freeman in any film. Or look at Phillip Seymour Hoffman. These are actors who can say so much, without saying a word. Robert Downey JR has been doing this from a very young age and has always been ahead of his time.
The next time you watch a movie, I invite you to watch for all the little things. See what you can read without hearing a word.
