Core Response #4: The Stage Performer Vs. the Film Actor

Barry King writes that “through the performance…the ‘text’ is fully realized” (King, 169). Film and Broadway actors have different methods of “getting into character”. The mediums require different skills and abilities to emote a characters physical and mental state. To discuss these two different styles of performing, one must consider their differences. King believes the greatest difference lies in the construction of a character, and he is correct, but not in the way he would believe.

King states: “[t]he construction of character in a film is not usually a linear temporal process…the actor as character must play to a character he has never seen or act out the aftermath of an affair that has yet to be enacted.” (King 170-171). Thus, acting in a film segments a performance, whereas the theater allows for a more natural momentum of exploration of growth to develop onstage. While it is true that there is less stop-and-go in the theater, it is questionable if the actor still possesses as much “control” as King suggests in his writings.

In film (short or long form), an actor can explore different manners in which to interpret the ‘text’. Between the use of multiple takes and the opportunity to experience long-term growth with the use of serialization in television, film series, and online videos, one can no longer claim that an actor does not have control. An opportunity to revisit and experience a character’s growth allows for a fresh take on a performance that can often be more naturalistic. King correctly states that a “re-skilling” is necessary between scenes; however, he incorrectly places responsibility of this talent on the shoulders of the director.

A director does guide the tone and ambiance of the performance, but it is the actor that will have to emotionally portray the character with their body. Only the screen actor can achieve this feat, and do so without the benefit of “linear” performances.  Yes, the stage performer can perform uninterrupted, but with the repetition of a story over multiple shows, one might argue that this “control” can hinder the potency of the performance.  In fact, many actors have become so lost in the repetition that they forget lines and sometimes skip to different scenes entirely because of the familiarity of the scenes over a long period of time.

In conclusion, while filmmaking does require fragmentation of a performance, it is hardly fair to say the actor is in less control of the performance than a stage actor that only receives the one chance to get a scene right.

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