Comedy Acting Tips - Identifying Your Movement Ticks and Learning How to Be Still

When I was first starting out in the business as an actor, I thought I had a solid foundation, and well, talent. As actors, we all have one thing in common - we think we have the necessary amount of talent to make it in this industry; however, while talent is natural, it is like a diamond that must be cut, polished and placed in a proper set to truly shine. This is where acting classes come in. Even the most talented Hollywood actors undergo training, and some of the most awe-inspiring performances are the result of carefully crafted training.

As a comedic actor, you must learn how to control your body. Of course, this statement can be interpreted a million different ways; however, one thing that has stuck with me throughout the past decade of working as an actor is unscripted movement, also referred to as physical static, can ruin a scene.

Comedic actors are typically hyperactive. We like to move, we like to talk and we like to do it all funny; however, physical static such as tapping your fingers, waiving your hands, scratching your face or adjusting your shirt/pants can ruin a perfectly good scene.

While we all have our own personal ticks, or own brand of physical static, it is your job as an actor to become hyper-aware of your body and identify these ticks.

Below are several tips and techniques you may use to help identify and eliminate your movement ticks.

Record Yourself

This may sound a little silly, but when you're memorizing your lines or rehearsing with other actors, set up a camera to capture your movements. Review this footage and take notes of all your physical ticks that are not associated with the character or in the script. Documenting these ticks will help bring them to the foreground of your mind.

Identify and Refuse

Once you have identified your personal physical static, you must then refuse your body from making these actions. When I was first starting out, my personal static was curling my fingers. I would almost bunch my fingers into a fist while performing a line - I actually had little idea I was doing this, and when I saw myself on camera I realized how much this small movement takes away from a scene. From that point forward, I became aware of my "tick" and had to mentally refuse this subconscious action from happening. Your tick may be to rise your shoulders, move your arms too much or blink uncontrollably - once you identify your tick, make a mental note to refuse this action from occurring.

Become a Statue

One of my acting coaches helped teach me to get over my personal ticks by making me recite a monologue or perform an entire scene completely still. He told me, "Stand, like a statue, and perform your scene. Only move your mouth." After doing this several times, he would then instruct me to only make movements that are needed for the scene. These purposeful movements added a great deal of realism to my acting, and it will do the same for you.