Auditioning for Romeo & Juliet

[Premmy]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

No, the first and second paragraphs were unrelated. In clearer response to method acting, method acting is where you remember that time you were six and your hamster died when you need to be sad. Sorry if that's not what you were talking about.

Most layman view "method acting" to be the

"Spend extended amounts of time trying to understand the emotions of their character, heath ledger in a room alone with Killing joke for a month" idea.

I could very well be wrong, but these days the "Remember when your hamster died so you can cry" method
Is pretty much the standard, or at least so very common that people who go the extra, Heath Ledger, mile are called "method actors" by other actors using what is technically method acting.

Originally Posted by the wiki

Method actors are often characterized as immersing themselves in their characters to the extent that they continue to portray them even offstage or off-camera for the duration of a project.

To explain the second part, method acting is not always the best choice depending on the production.

No disagreement here.

For the current concern, I don't think normal people can flip their emotions like a switch. You need to work yourself into it somehow,

I can remember all the times I've felt X emotion and get there in about five minutes max, in ideal situations.

My point was more addressed to the idea that someone might need longer ala Token's "Use your nervousness leading up to the audition" idea, because that sounds like

"Be stressed out for the hour/ few days up until the audition/show so you can be convincingly stressed" which to me,

1: Just seems extreme and probably not healthy, as well as a hindrance to your non-acting life
2: Is not gonna work when you play a happy, stress-free character

I generally find it easier to get people worked up then to calm then down, so from my perspective it's better to learn to be calm before and then emote later than to prep yourself hours beforehand.
Granted, Token MIGHT have been saying use that feeling you had this time for later performances, could have gone either way, honestly.

and if you can just snap your fingers and go from happy to sad, you're probably a sociopath.

I think you misunderstand sociopathy.

To put it this way, a sociopath has no understanding of human empathy and what it is. Sociopathy is severe enough that treatment isn't liable to help much. It's similar to Antisocial Personality Disorder in a way. An antisocial person doesn't care about the rights or desires of others, to the point they just do whatever they want. A sociopath doesn't know waht other people are thinking and feeling.