Judith Weston, veteren acting coach of actors and directors has some sage advice. Her first rule is one I try and live by: “Acting is not pretending. To be in the moment, actors – and directors – must liberate themselves from doing it right.” But how do you do that? Unlike many others, Judith offers concrete tools to try and unearth the most interesting and truthful response. “One of my favorite problem solving techniques is this. When you can’t think of the right answer, think of three wrong answers. I promise it will “unstick” you whenever you are stuck.”
If you like what you Judith has to say, you should read her two books, Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television and Film Director’s Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques. They’re both filled with more advice that you can absorb in one reading. But watch this short interview with the woman herself and you’ll see what I mean. In less than 5 minutes she unveils some real gold nuggets of wisdom geared to make you a better actor and or director.