Think Real Thoughts

Have you ever been in an audition and start zoning out – you feel like you’re just saying the words and you’re not really connecting with the other person?

 

What you need to do is Think Real Thoughts.

 

These real thoughts do NOT need to have anything to do with the script. The thought only needs to involve you and the person that you’re reading with.

 

When you’re acting, what are you REALLY thinking?

 

If you’re in the middle of a scene and you feel like you’re not connecting, do this:

 

1. Take a breath and look away.

 

2. Look back at your partner and think a Real Thought.

This thought is usually a question. Look your partner in the eye and think to yourself, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

3. Begin searching them for the answer. That’s the key – find the answer on your partner. Notice specific things about your partner. Do they have an eyebrow raised? What are they doing with their mouth? Why is their hand doing that? What does that mean? Think those thoughts.

*On camera or onstage, those real thoughts that you’re having are readable to the Casting Directors, Directors, and Producers. They see that – they see you actually thinking and connecting with your partner.

     

4. When you find the answer to your questions, let the answer motivate your next line.

 

 

 

 

The thought process could go like this:

 

1. Why are you looking at me like that?

 

2. Why is your eyebrow raised?

 

3. Why are you half smiling while I’m talking?

 

4. What’s going on with you?

 

5. REALIZATION: Oh, you’re looking at me like that because you’re jealous of what I’m saying.

 

6. You’re jealous of what I have.

 

7. Let them being jealous motivate your next line.

 

The answer does not have to be justified in the script.

It can be totally made up.

 

In a Cold Reading situation, you’re going to have to make stuff up because you don’t know the entire script.

 

You may only have one scene from a script.

 

1. Think a real thought. Let that thought be a question.
2.  Find the answer to that question on your partner’s face (or on their body). 
3. Let the answer motivate your next line.

 

This automatically injects thoughts (that the decision makers will read as choices) into your performance!

 

That’s one human being connecting with another human being. This will lead to some of the best auditioning that you will ever do.

In a cold reading situation, you’re going to blow them away.