Individuality is one of the most important things an actor can bring to their work. But what does that even mean? Why is it so important? Why is this the thing that will take your work from good to great?

What Does It Mean When People Tell You To “Be Yourself” As An Actor?

I always used to hear people say, “Be yourself” as an actor and that the most important thing we could bring to our acting was ourselves. It never made any sense to me. I mean, come on, the whole point is to become someone else as convincingly as possible, isn’t it?

After spending years as an actor, puzzling the whole thing out, I think it makes sense now. It’s all about your personal perspective on the character. The opinions you have and the way you connect to them are entirely unique.

While we are trying to portray a character who is different from ourselves, that character is still always going to be filtered through our personal view of them. Our upbringing, our experiences, cause us to have our own specific way of seeing things. They influence our own opinions, ways of seeing and doing things.

The problem is, we are often filled with self-doubt. We are bombarded with messages that there is a correct way of doing things, that we need to be better, that we need to improve ourselves. It all makes us belive that our way of doing things, of thinking, is wrong.

So, we end up suppressing ourselves. We start trying to act like our favourite actors would act. We start doubting our opinions on the character, not wanting to look stupid for getting it wrong. Mostly, we are not ourselves in the work because we get busy pushing away our instincts and start trying to be someone else.

So, being yourself in your acting, is partially about owning your opinions on the character, and being bold enough to do things the way you think they should be done.

The other part is reflecting on how you relate to the character. How can you connect to them, and how can they be a vehicle for the point that you want to make?

When you make a personal connection to character and start actually seeing yourself in them too – that is also when you are yourself in your acting.

But why does all this matter?

Why Your Individuality As An Actor Is Important

Okay see we’ve established what our individuality is. But who cares, really? What if no one’s actually interested in who you are as a person? What if who you are isn’t good enough, original enough, interesting enough? Robert De Niro, see, he’s a fascinating person, but you…

Steady on. Who told you you’re not interesting, original, or good enough?

The thing is, we only think those things because we are ourselves. We live in our heads all the time, we’ve lived our lives. Of course, they’re not original – to us. But to someone else, we could be the most fascinating person they’ve ever met. They may not have met anyone like us in their entire lives!

Not only that but often, the most unique and interesting parts of ourselves are shoved away, out of sight. We live in a society that tells us to conform. So, all of us, all the time, are trying to cover up our quirks, our embarrassments, the things we’re ashamed about – our individuality.

In The History Boys by Alan Bennett, there is a quote I come back to often;

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.”

When you put your hidden-away quirks into your work, there are bound to be people in the audience who have those exact same hidden-away quirks. And here you are, owning those exact same quirks for all to see. Suddenly, they’re not so embarrassing and shameful anymore.

Embrace your individuality and be the hand that reaches out and takes that of the audience.

Individuality In The Age Of AI

Humanity has long been plagued by questions such as “What is art?” and “What’s the purpose of art?” and “What’s the meaning behind art?”. Even, “What’s the value of art?”

With the invention of AI, and AI-generated art, these questions have been popping up with more and more frequency. Why pay a person to slave away over an art piece when you could get a robot to make the same thing in 10 seconds.

It’s a depressing prospect. Luckily, I think the rise of AI has also brought many people to a sudden realisation – “Ah! That’s what art’s all about.”

The thing that makes art art, is that is expresses something human. It is not cold or logical or scientific. It is warm, and alive and messy. That’s what makes us love it so much – because so are we.

So, in the age of AI, allow yourself to be pushed towards something more. You are not a robot, and you cannot be expected to be perfect. You are a messy, imperfect, whole human being. That is what we want to see in your work.

Wabi Sabi And Imperfect Perfection

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese concept that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence. It’s all about appreciating things that are a bit rough around the edges, like cracked pottery or weathered wood.

Instead of seeing flaws, wabi-sabi encourages us to value the uniqueness and history behind these objects. It teaches us to embrace life’s natural cycle of growth and decay, finding beauty in simplicity and the passage of time.

You may have seen images of cracked items repaired with gold? This is called kintsui and is part of wabi-sabi – emphasising and valuing the imperfections in objects.

Think of yourself the same way. Your flaws and imperfections are part of what makes you perfect. They make you real, experienced, alive and human.

Just like a mended bowl, your cracks are where the gold lies. Those are the parts of you that you must bring to the work to make it excellent. Your character is not perfect, and neither should you be.

Those imperfects are what the audience will connect to and what will make your performance alive, human and complex.

How To Bring Yourself To The Work

Learning to be yourself and accept your imperfections is, I think, a lifelong process. The more you can learn to practice this your day-to-day life, the easier it will get. Soon enough, you will get sick and tired of having to pretend to be someone you’re not.

The best thing about it that is that is often the impetus for us having something to say. It helps us to understand our own perspective and value it as important. If you feel that a part of you is being suppressed, ignored or shamed unfairly, it makes you want to raise your voice about it.

Once you’ve started seeing your so-called ‘imperfections’ as gold dust, then you can start bringing them to the character.

You should definitely go and check out my post on How To Form A Personal Connection To Your Character.

In this post I detail exercises to help you find personal meaning in your lines, consider your own point of view, and understand why you want to play this character at all.

You should also check out my post on Forming An Emotional Connection To Characters.

This can help you find a way to bring whatever you’re experiencing at the moment to your character with full honesty.

Conclusion On Individuality As An Actor

Do you believe me yet? Have you accepted that the truth of who you are is your most powerful secret weapon as an actor?

It’s okay if not. For some of us, it can be really difficult to go on that journey and feel as though we are enough just as we are. I can only hope that the way I’ve laid it out here can help you see why it’s helpful to our work to find self-acceptance.

Start small. Give your character your insecurities to cope with, and let them help you understand them further. The more you do it the easier it will become and the more cathartic it will feel.

Break a leg on bringing your individuality to your roles and, as always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send me an email.