Comedy Acting - Identifying Your Comedy Character

I remember sitting with my first acting coach, Alan Dysert, in Nashville, Tennessee. After reviewing an audition side for an upcoming comedy film audition, he turned to me and asked, "What is the identifying qualities of this character." I took a moment, really dissolving this question, and looked at him, "I'm not really sure."

I hated having this as an answer. I was always the kid who had an answer for everything, and most of the time the answer was correct. However, I couldn't accurately answer this query as I truly didn't know what he meant, or how to go about "identifying the character."

In comedy, every character has a specific identity. Now, I'm not talking about the physical appearance of the character, but the characters identity that makes him/her interesting, endearing and ultimately, funny. When trying to identify your comedic character, you must ask yourself several questions regarding the character:

"Is my character quirky or shameless?"

"Does my character view life in a lighthearted manner, or is he just plain silly?"

"Is this character's sense of humor sarcastic or dry?"

Along with asking these questions, you must also take into consideration how your own brand of funny will integrate into the character. A great example of this is Jim Carey. While he has a very specific style of acting, and his funny is unlike any others, he alters his funny for each role, which allows the individual character to shine through while simultaneously being true to his own unique form of comedy. The same can be said for all successful comedic actors.

You must learn how to integrate your own unique personality, the reason why you're funny, and somehow twist and bend this humor to match that of the character. And when you are able to fully integrate yourself into your character, you will then truly identify your comedy character.

This process should not be rushed, and you should take time to first uncover this character. I remember one of the most important tips I ever received while in training, "You are not your character. You are in no way, shape or form this character. He is not you. Yet, you are what makes him unique, real and vivid."