Monday, August 06, 2012
Are Actors More Emotionally Vulnerable?
backstage.com: Can theater be therapy? Does an ability to "get into character" and portray other people help actors resolve their own internal conflicts offstage? Or will the pursuit of a career that values emotional vulnerability, but at the same time involves frequent rejection, inevitably lead to poor mental health and instability?
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6 comments:
I found this article an interesting read. It made me think of The Dark Knight, and the rumors I heard just after its release, connecting Heath Ledger's instability to his movie role as the Joker. I thought a lot about how actors may be worse at dealing with their own stress and depression due to their roles. This article answered a few of the questions that I couldn't about the subject and changed a few of my own opinions. I really liked this article because it gave me more facts and were not bias conclusions.
I have to say that I am surprised by the results of this test. While it is obvious that any good actor should be able to recognize emotions in their life, I'm slightly shocked that an actor doesn't know what to do about their problems. I would think that acting would be a good way to channel those emotions and to help with the resolution of any issues or "trauma." If not that, then I would think that some scene would be able to guide the actor about how to solve problems based upon the actions of the character.
I agree with the content of this article very much so. Having been around actors a lot, I have found that people in performing arts are much more under control of their emotions and also show a wider range of emotion. I find this to be because of the reasons that are stated in the article. Actors, especially those who have had a lot of experience and in a large variety of roles, have been exposed to characters with different personalities, and therefore are more experienced in controlling their personalities on stage.
I think that this issue depends so much on the person. It can be very helpful to get out of your head and take on another persona. Having an outlet for self expression and stress relief can be a lifesaver in some cases. On the other hand, it could be detrimental to take on and invest in so many different personalities. Not only will this life become confusing, but a person could lose sight of who they, as an individual, are. Acting is a difficult craft, but if an actor can mentally maintain their being, then adopting and developing new ones shouldn't be a problem. People put themselves into their work, but where should the line be drawn?
Actors are very much trained to deal with constant emotion, which allows them to get down to the core of certain feelings and events which I definitely believe creates a more vulnerable side to them. Actors are all able to assess emotions more efficiently and therefore could very well overanalyze certain events.
This theory makes absolutely perfect sense. The life of an actor involves constant rejection coupled with the ability to act out sometimes obscene and emotionally scarring acts in front of a group of judging eyes. Growing a tough skin is a good way to cope with the stresses and sleep deprivation of theatre, and the emotionally vulnerable are either toughened up or weeded out in the beginning.
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