10.07.07
The Animals
Yesterday was my first blocking rehearsal for the new movie I’m working on called, “The Animals”, by Saij.
When I did Hexagenesis, it was mostly comedic and fairly fast shooting. We didn’t rehearse and my part didn’t really call for a lot of emotional output. So I’d forgotten that when you pull up a lot of emotion for a character – you need to either use it in the scene or get rid of it some other way. Walk it off, or shake it out or whatever. Working at the conservatory we did most everything barefoot to help stay grounded and interrupted scene practices with small bouts of physical exercise.
I’d forgotten that until yesterday when I played a woman who is in an unhealthy marriage, they fight a lot and she’s very emotional as well as starting to have an affair. We hit all the major emotional scenes for blocking and testing and after four hours of pulling up emotion, and not eating all day – I started to shake really bad and then I got cranky and snappish and then even after we broke for the night, I ran and scarffed food only to feel hung-over and strung out – so I went home and tried to sleep it off.
I still feel a little dislocated today. Probably not from rehearsal but the combination of all things. I’m excited about the movie and the script. Really pleased with what we accomplished in groundwork yesterday, but I need to get back in the swing of practicing good theatrical habits.
When I did a film class and I hit a really hard emotional and turbulent scene a couple of years ago, my teacher called cut and I went to get a glass of water but I couldn’t hold the cup to my lips because my hands were shaking so bad and I spilled water down my chest.
I apologized; feeling totally ridiculous and he sighed and said, “That just means you had a lot there. Why do you think so many actors and actresses become alcoholics? They pull up emotions and then they can’t come back down again so they drink to put some of that fire.”
After yesterday, I now see the importance of practicing better habits. It’s interesting. One of those things you know – but then when you make the connection and you don’t just know it as theory, but actually understand it. I love when that happens.
