Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2024 January 29

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January 29

Acting jargon

Actor David Krumholtz explains:[1]

Maggie Gyllenhaal taught me how to act,” he says plainly of his Deuce costar. “The way she taught me to approach our scenes together—to live in it.… Maggie just said, ‘Hey, no choices.’ She said, ‘I won’t make any choices if you don’t.’ And now to me, it’s the only way to do it. Watching my own work from before The Deuce, I could see myself playing towards the camera—indicating is the acting term for it. And I just wanted to stop doing that. I credit Maggie with giving me the confidence to do that.”

I've heard of the concept of actors' choices but don't know exactly what they are, and now there is some kind of TV show with that name ruining search results. I hadn't heard of "indicating". Wikipedia doesn't have articles about either of these. Maybe it should.

Can anyone explain what they are? Thanks. 2601:644:8501:AAF0:0:0:0:2034 (talk) 10:39, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Choices are decisions regarding how your lines should be read. Non-RS ref. Some actors are famous for providing the director with a wide range of "choices" during takes so that the director can select which one to use during post-production. Others try to home in on just the "right" choice. Matt Deres (talk) 14:54, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Thanks but then what did Maggie Gyllenhaal mean by "no choices"? Just perform everything without interpretation? Is that even possible? 2601:644:8501:AAF0:262A:2381:24CE:5477 (talk) 16:08, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

Someone interacting in real life with other people, unless they are a con artist or something, are not acting and do not let their behaviour be guided by conscious choices of how to reach any specific effects. The choice is made unconsciously, by how the person feels. An actor who is immersed in their role, who "got into the skin" of their character, can (at least, that is the theory) go on automatic pilot and let their delivery be directed by how they, identifying with their character, feel in the moment of the scene. See also Method acting.  --Lambiam 19:32, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

And Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski is his name, hey! Thanks ;). 2601:644:8501:AAF0:0:0:0:2034 (talk) 19:53, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Courtesy link: Konstantin Stanislavski. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:14, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

and Lobachevsky (song) Doug butler (talk) 20:41, 30 January 2024 (UTC)