Tips for Working With Bad Actors?

[Denis Haineault]

The way I see it, it comes down to a few basic things:

1- Does this person have the ability to act at all?
2- If yes, will it work for that role?
3- Regardless of the answers of #1 and #2, is this person your only option?
4- Can you make a compromise?

Then go over the list and make a decision.

 

[Angelshare1]

I must say, you describe a bad director not a bad actor. If they are showing up to the set unprepared then it means you didn't have rehearsal.

However some fixes that I've done. If your actor is "reading" their lines one activity is that I'd sit them down and pretend they were on a speeddate. We chat about our interests for about 2 minutes and then we'd play the scene in speeddate form. This teaches them to be a little more conversationalist with their dialogue rather then memorize and recite. Also as they are speaking, ask them questions as if you are interested. For example from Forrest Gump.

Forest: You died on a Saturday morning.

Me: Really?

Forrest: Yes, and I had you placed here under our tree.

Me: Whatever happened to that house?

Forrest: I had that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Momma always said dyin' was a part of life.

Me: That sucks doesn't it?

Forrest: I sure wish it wasn't.

This isn't to get the right performance mind you, just get them out of the memorize recite high school play acting. And they should be "listening" to the other actor. This teaches them that as well.

Another exercise I do is put them in a chair and tell them it's an electric chair. They are strapped to it including their head. They can only move their eyes. I tell them that I am the Warden and I'm walking around them. They have to want to kill me and they have to do it with their lines from the script. This forces them to not use a lot of hand jestures and really use their voice as their power source.

Also try having them play it opposite. Have them play it as gay. The sharp contrast helps them define the character I find.