I first learned about this book when I read Truth by Susan Batson. She makes studying this slim little journey in auto-psychoanalysis a pre-requisite to her working with any actor. It was brought up again as a valuable tool for actors by Giles Foreman in his Instinct & Intimacy Masterclass. The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller is only 136 pages long but its truly profound in its revelations about what drives us as individuals. Since we as actors have to first imagine how we would feel as another human being, we have to begin with an understanding of what our own motivations are and that’s what this book gives you. It is invaluable when it comes to understanding yourself and the person you are trying to create. It also helps with creating a backstory, understanding objectives and super objectives and even shadow movements, those little ticks and gestures we all make that reveal our inner life. Its a very readable little book that I highly recommend available in English or German.
