Acting Training Tips - Internal Acting Technique

When I think back on my experience working as an actor on film, TV shows and in stage productions, some of the most powerful performances delivered by my fellow actors were those that did not yell and scream, but rather internalize their emotions. Internal acting is just that; taking emotions and instead of exposing them physically or verbally, utilizing these emotions to give power behind your words. When you think about your everyday life, you are continually internalizing your feelings.

For example, you are having a heated discussion with a friend. Instead of lashing out, you take your raw emotions and keep them inside. This action causes your voice to change, your body language to stiffen and your entire being emulate aggravation and hurt. This is by far more powerful and effective than screaming, and the same is true when you're delivering lines in a scene.

While the process of internal acting can be different for every actor, there are several tips you can follow to help streamline this journey into your subconscious.

Underlying Emotions

The primary first step when engaging in internal acting is to discover the underlying emotions behind a scene. When your character says, "I feel that I don't belong." The underlying emotion behind this sentence may include: isolation, insecurity, abandonment, etc.

By discovering the underlying emotions of a scene, or a piece of dialogue, you can use these emotions to fuel the energy behind your voice and body language. Of course, when discovering the underlying emotions of a scene, you must take the entire dialogue from the scene in order to obtain a clear picture of the character's internal drama.

Internalizing

According to Merriam-Webster, internalizing is defined as "incorporating the patterns or values of a culture within the self as conscious or subconscious guiding principles through learning or socialization." (Source) I find that this definition clearly sums what internalizing means, and how you as an actor should utilize this transitive verb when incorporating internal acting techniques.

Throughout our entire live, the culture we surround ourselves by is continually playing a primary role in the formation of our conscious and subconscious actions. For example, if you go to church your entire life, the morals and values delivered to you from the pulpit have been internalized, thus you carry out your actions based on these principles.

It is important to determine what values, morals or emotions have been internalized by your character throughout his life. These identifiers will help shape how your character responds to dialogue and carries himself throughout a scene. However, it can also play an important role if the character begins to separate himself from the values/morals/principles he's been raised with. This separation of internalized emotions can be dramatic and visually dynamic when fully understood by the actor.