Notes to the actor: Acting is fundamentally relational

Acting is fundamentally relational.

It’s all relational. My performance is dependent on my having specific relationships (connections) with everything in the world of the character - both internal and external.

Acting is inherently about relationships and connections. As an actor, your performance is deeply influenced by and dependent on how your character relates to everything in their world - both internal and external elements.

Internally, this means having a clear sense of your character's relationship to their own thoughts, emotions, memories, beliefs, and physical sensations. How do they feel about themselves? What's their relationship to their fears, desires, and core values? Externally, it's about forging specific connections to other characters, the environment, objects, and even abstract concepts within the story world.

These relationships aren't static - they're dynamic, constantly shifting as the story unfolds. Each glance, word, or action either reinforces or alters these connections. The way your character relates to their surroundings shapes their behaviour, choices, and emotional landscape. Even seemingly insignificant elements can profoundly impact your performance if you establish a meaningful relationship to them.

If you ever find yourself unsure of what to do in a scene or how to approach it, return to this fundamental principle: discover how your character is relating to everyone and everything in that moment. What's their connection to the other characters present? How do they feel about themselves in this moment? How do they feel about the space they're in? What's their relationship to the topic being discussed? By exploring these relationships, you'll naturally uncover authentic behaviours that bring the scene to life.

By focusing on building and embodying these multifaceted relationships, you create a rich, nuanced performance grounded in the character's reality. This relational approach keeps you present, responsive, and authentically engaged in each moment. It allows for genuine discoveries and spontaneity within the framework of the script. Ultimately, it's through these authentic connections - to self, others, and the world around you - that you bring your character and the story vividly to life.

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My attitude towards the object is a part of who I am.

Our attitudes - the way we evaluate and relate to the people, objects, ideas, and experiences around us - are fundamental to our identity and behaviour. This is equally true for fictional characters as it is for real people.

For a character (or a person), these attitudes aren't just superficial opinions. They're deeply ingrained evaluations that shape how we interact with the world. If a character has a positive attitude towards nature, for instance, this isn't just a preference - it's likely a core part of their identity that influences many aspects of their life, from their career choices to their daily habits.

These attitudes are predictors of behaviour because they form the basis for our decision-making processes. A character who values loyalty above all else will make very different choices than one who prioritises personal gain. These attitudes create a framework through which the character interprets events and decides how to act.

If you're unsure 'who' your character is, uncover their operative attitudes. This approach can be a powerful tool for actors and writers struggling to grasp a character's essence. By examining how the character relates to key elements in their world - family, work, money, power, love, death - you can begin to paint a vivid picture of who they are at their core. These attitudes will inform their actions, reactions, and overall arc in the story.

Moreover, these attitudes are key building blocks of self-concept. We often define ourselves by our relationships to external things - "I'm an animal lover," "I'm a city person," "I'm someone who stands up for the underdog." These attitudes become integral parts of how we see ourselves and how we present ourselves to the world.

For actors and writers, understanding a character's attitudes is crucial for creating depth and consistency. It allows for a more nuanced portrayal that goes beyond mere actions and dialogue. By knowing how a character fundamentally relates to the world around them, you can inform every aspect of their behaviour, from the subtlest expression to how they look at someone to life-altering decisions.

In essence, we are not just what we do or what we think, but also how we relate to the world around us. Our attitudes and relationships to external elements are not separate from us - they are us, forming the very fabric of our identities and driving our actions in the world. By uncovering and embodying these attitudes, actors can bring characters to life with authenticity and depth.