Anyone watching Game of Thrones? THAR BE SPOILERS HERE

[blues]

As best I understand it, the job of an actor is to continuously (during work) feel and express emotions that aren't their own, after all acting isn't about reasoning out a character's actions but embodying them. It probably creates quite a psychological weight and perhaps even makes it quite difficult to separate what is emotionally real from what is just acting. Success at a job where emotion is central to doing the job (and rewarded with money and publicity) is not an incentive for the use of reason in life outside of work.

Early in my career I worked undercover on the mob in NYC / Long Island and outlaw motorcycle gangs for a period of nine months. I know what it's like to play a role where at the end of the day the bad guys might win. (And even located my residence and left a bribe under the door to let me know they knew where to find me.)

And believe me, there was a lot of real emotional topsy-turvy involved, especially when you began identifying more with the bad guys you were investigating than the agents assigned as your backup...and feeling a bit guilty about being a rat. (Of course this has been well documented over the years in various situations.)

Then, when it came to trial, I had to justify the act I put on as a tough guy not to be trifled with for the court and the jurors, while the defense tried to make me out as Svengali who lured otherwise innocent individuals into perpetrating their crimes.

So, while I can feel for anyone experiencing mental and emotional trauma, I'm a little less sympathetic when it's all make believe to begin with.

That said, T, I take your point...ever thoughtful as always, my friend.

[Wondering Beard]

I'm a little less sympathetic when it's all make believe to begin with.

Actually, I think that's why actors get themselves so messed up.

If their lives were on the line, like yours was, we'd probably see a whole lot less idiocy.

The tl;dr for my original post should have read: actor's job is emoting, not thinking.

[JAD]

As best I understand it, the job of an actor is to continuously (during work) feel and express emotions that aren't their own, after all acting isn't about reasoning out a character's actions but embodying them. It probably creates quite a psychological weight and perhaps even makes it quite difficult to separate what is emotionally real from what is just acting. Success at a job where emotion is central to doing the job (and rewarded with money and publicity) is not an incentive for the use of reason in life outside of work.

https://youtu.be/7DtlTeheCjk

[Trukinjp13]

Heath Ledger as Joker comes to mind when I think of roles affecting actors.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NEPAKevin]

If you take away the "acting" part and look at it as some young dude had a very successful, lucrative and fulfilling job for ten years and even though he knew it was not going to last forever is now having to face the reality that that part of his life is done and may never happen again... Hopefully he has good people managing his financials as well his career. And, he did marry Rose Leslie, (Ygritte and the cute redhead from Downton Abbey). So yea, harden the fuck up, Jon Snowflake.

[Bart Carter]

As best I understand it, the job of an actor is to continuously (during work) feel and express emotions that aren't their own, after all acting isn't about reasoning out a character's actions but embodying them. It probably creates quite a psychological weight and perhaps even makes it quite difficult to separate what is emotionally real from what is just acting. Success at a job where emotion is central to doing the job (and rewarded with money and publicity) is not an incentive for the use of reason in life outside of work.

Maybe Robert De Niro should play some roles as a rational human being instead of a psychopath.

[blues]

Maybe Robert De Niro should play some roles as a rational human being instead of a psychopath.