The Four W's of Acting - What?

Being an actor gives you a precious opportunity to study the human being outside of standard ways of thinking. No matter the importance of your character within a film or stage production, having a solid understanding of this person is the only way to deliver an honest and sincere performance.

If you have enrolled in any form of acting training, then you've probably studied the Four W's of Acting. These are staples within any actor training program as it provides you the actor with tools necessary to develop a well-rounded character and performance.

Within this article, I'm going to be discussing the second "W" of acting - What? It is within this question you can help cultivate a character that spans the consciousness of a real-life human being.

What?

What? Ah, this four letter word is one of the most vital questions you as an actor can ask yourself about not only the character, but also a particular scene.

When you're asking yourself "what," you're not simply seeking the most obvious answer. For example, if you were to ask what your character was doing in a restaurant you could respond by saying, "He was hungry," "He needed to have an important conversation with a friend," or, "He was going on a date."

Rather, when you answer the "what" question, delve deeper into the psyche of your character. At this point, you've read the script numerous times, memorized your lines and have performed a detailed character biography; thus, preparing you to answer this question.

This question is designed to help locate the super-objective of a particular scene. Not most obvious objective, such as having a conversation with a friend or eating lunch, but the deep-rooted objective hidden under layers of personality and opinion.

A super-objective is one that drives the character to perform his actions. It is the root cause of his entire being, the very force that's pushing him forward. By asking this question, and truly delving as deep as you go, you will discover "what" your character desires, "what" he wants out of a particular scene and "what" he hopes to accomplish.