Acting Without the Drama

July 26, 2008. I can’t wake board.

I went out to the lake, being told endlessly how much better than water-skiing this whole wake boarding thing was. I love water-skiing and do pretty well at it, so I figure…

I can’t even make it up past my knees. I either get the handle mercilessly ripped out of my hands, or I do a complete face plant in the water and then get the handle mercilessly ripped out of my hands.

I’m watching everyone else effortlessly float to the surface, seeming to defy gravity with their bodies and boards. Punks.

To add insult to injury, while I’m telling the story of my multiple flops, I get the comment, “Oh, it’s just ’cause you’re forty and out of shape.” OUCH! Right in the feel-bads.

First off, I’m not forty. I’m thirty-seven. Huge difference. And b, I’m not out of shape. Well, let’s say that I’m in much better shape than I was several years ago.

So, why am I sharing? Well, to be honest, the part about forty and out of shape was just for your amusement. It’s the least I can do for you, after you’ve taken the time to read my blog.

The part about being completely unable to get up on a wake board has to do with something else entirely. As artists, we are sometimes too afraid to fail.

Typically, home-run hitters in major league baseball don’t have the best stats in terms of their batting average. When you are swinging for a home run, you often miss.

And that’s ok.

If we aren’t hitting our failure point, we probably aren’t giving ourselves the best opportunities to really hit that ball out of the park.  Safe swings don’t make it past the wall. You can tell a lot about a ball player by their swing.

The same could be said for actors. When I see an actor really swing and miss, whether it’s in class, an audition or a rehearsal, I get excited. That’s the kind of actor I seek out. I know that I will get something real, something personal, something risky. What more can I ask from them?

So…swing hard. Aim for the bleachers. And don’t be afraid to hit nothing but air from time to time.

Or to inhale way too much water while trying fruitlessly to master a wake board.

Next time, that puppy is MINE!!

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