My friend Mark asked if I could write a little more about how I prepare for various roles. Luckily, contrary to what any ex-girlfriend tells you, I’m a giver.Last night, in a casting director workshop, I was faced with a bitch of a task: a scene featuring a couple who were both hooked on heroin. I, the husband, confront my wife, who took money earmarked for baby formula and used it to get high.
The obstacle for me, as an actor, was that I’ve never ingested a drug stronger than Metamucil. And trying to get into that frame of mind in ten minutes was gonna be as difficult as dragging William Shatner away from a craft service table.
With the clock ticking, I picked up on a stage direction that described my character’s mind as “cloudy”. So I figured I had one possibility: hyperventilation. Right before my turn to perform, I took deep, heavy breaths, and by the time I got to my fiftieth, I was on the brink of passing out.
It completely worked. Rather than acting like I was slightly incoherent, all I had to do was fight my real dizziness, and focus on expressing my anger and disappointment in my wife.
One of these days, maybe I’ll get a scene about a guy addicted to TV, or marshmallow Peeps. Then I’ll be a Viking.
