HI, I'm Leila I'm an actress who is currently studying psychology. I am in my second year but for my final year we get to run our own experiment and my idea is an investigation in to why do actors act.
I really want to do this investigation and frankly I think it could produce really interesting results.
The basic format who be a questionaire where the participants would have to circle a number which best corresponded to the statement above such as:
I act because I want to have no regrets when I am old.
From the answers I should I think be able to run a statical anaylsis and one or a couple of reasons should come out on top. Basically I need reasons why actors act or if considering a career in acting might want to act. So far I have:
I want to be happy
I want to enjoy my life
I want to have no regrets at the end of my life/ I wanted to try it.
I enjoy hard work
I enjoy a challenge
I want to be famous/ I want to be a household name
I want to be rich
I want to be remembered when I die
I want to be on TV/ I want to be in a Film
I want to be like X or Y.
I wanted to do something from my parents
It is accepted that in the modern world generally you have to work in order to survive and that is probably for the majority of your given life.Why not do something you are truly passion about and possibly be paid for it as well.
The Actors Dream!!!
Unity. That moment where you forget you're an actor on a stage and are just one with the audience. That moment where the audience member forgets they had a crap day and they are in a theatre fighting with the guy next to them for the arm of the chair. That moment of absorption where everyone just becomes one with the movement of the play or film and forgets they exist as a seperate entity. That's why I do it.
And I think that huge desire to act, to be the element that provides this unity, to be the one that interprets one persons thought and embodies it and gives it to another as part of a whole ensemble who make that magic is indescribable and profound. That's why I do it. Because I'm a damaged individual who needs that deeper level of communication to feel just the tiniest bit whole.
Hi Leila, what a great subject to probe into and how wonderful that you can mix your two passions. I have a massive interest in psychology but have never been as brave as you to take time out of one career to focus on another. From reading your statements though, I immediately agree with the first 'I want to be happy' but believe that this statement is in fact a consequence of the all of the following statements you have written.
I want to enjoy my life - to be happy.
I want to have no regrets at the end of my life/ I wanted to try it - to be happy.
I enjoy hard work - it makes me happy.
I enjoy a challenge - it makes me happy.
In a nutshell, I think this statement may obscure your results as an unrepresentative sample.
Everyone's search for happiness makes us all psychologists I think and I'm with Lee on the fact that acting keeps me sane, because if I don't act, I become clinically depressed! I am not a very 'showy' person and having to get up in a group audition, for example, and speak about myself, tell a joke, or generally be me, terrifies me. But you give me a script and a short character breakdown and tell me to get up and perform, and then I'm the most confident person in the room. Perhaps it's to do with the masks we wear, unhappiness in my self maybe, or a desire to escape into another realm. Any which way, I'd be very happy to help and contribute to your final questionnaire, it's a fascinating subject. Good luck xx
P.s. sorry for the epic novel, you've touched on a subject close to my heart!!
I want to communicate.
I want to explore 'truth'.
I want to explore different aspects of the world.
I want to explore different concepts of reality.
I want to understand people.
I want to understand myself.
And I think Shelly is right, you do need some negative ones. Maybe some others:
I want to be wanted.
I'm not good at being me so I want to spend my time being someone else.
I can't deal with real life so I want to deal with fantasy.
I'm trying to escape something.
I do hope you're going to contact us so we can get involved with this, I'd love to be involved. I think it would be really interesting to see the results.
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