Method Acting & the Art of Becoming

Your dream role has arrived.

I’ve been fascinated by the craft of acting for quite some time.

The actors I’ve enjoyed observing most are the method actors.

Lewis. Phoenix. Brando.

Those who embody the character.

Those who attempt to understand the minds and feel the emotions of the characters they represent.

For these actors, their character is not a part they play. It’s someone they become.

If the character walks with a limp and has a tick and is angry. They walk with a limp and have the same tick and are angry, on and off the set.

Depending on the character, this can be quite detrimental to one’s well-being. The most troubling characters have negatively impacted the mental, emotional, and physical health of these dedicated actors for long after production is complete. Of course, these troubling characters tend to be the most entertaining.

But what if the character was not troubling?

What if the character was a generous, loving, calm and confident human being?

If the character was at peace, for example, would the method actor not become peaceful themselves?

If the character were healthy, would health be the byproduct of playing such a role?

What if the character was the ultimate version of oneself?

What if the character represented the upper limits of one’s potential?

What would it be like to play… no, become that character?

There is a phrase that is often shared in therapeutic and change-centric circles: “Act your way into right thinking.”

I don’t care for it much.

I believe it’s far more effective to think or, better yet, feel your way into right acting—acting in alignment with your intentions, values, and goals.

Rather than the beginning, I believe that actions are the end of the chain, stemming from one’s thoughts and emotions.

Nonetheless, I understand the utility of this phrase. “Act your way into right thinking.” This whole change thing can go both ways. Sometimes the best thing you can do is not wrestle with your internal world and simply take the next step. And sometimes that next step changes your chemistry. It changes the way you feel. It changes the way you think.

For example, if you don’t feel like going to the gym and you just go anyway, you’ll usually feel a lot better. In fact, when you’re done, you’ll probably be glad you went. You’ll be thinking entirely differently about the experience. That’s quite the turn of events. Thank you, action.

I’ve found, however, that this strategy is better used on occasion for overriding internal resistance to something that we know is for our good. I don’t believe acting your way into anything is a very sustainable or enjoyable path to self-transformation.

Unless, of course, we are talking about method acting.

Acting implies that we are performing. We are displaying something to the world that doesn’t necessarily correspond to our thoughts and feelings.

Method acting, however, is more than acting. It’s becoming.

It calls for a shift in our internal world of thought and feeling.

We can become anyone we wish to become. As creative beings, we get to choose who we are in this life. We get to shape our reality and direct our life experience.

Here’s a fun little game that leverages that creative power. Method act your way into whoever it is you wish to become.

Pretend you are preparing for your dream role.

The character is your ideal self.

The movie is your life.

You get to decide who the main character—your ideal self—is. What qualities do they have? How do they dress? What do they like? How do they treat people? What emotions do they experience most often? What do they eat? What are their values? How do they handle stress? How do they handle challenge? How do they handle success? What do they say? How do they wake up? How do they go to sleep? What books do they read? How do they carry themselves?

This is all for you to decide.

Create the role you wish to play in this life.

Then prepare for that role. Iterate as you wish. And play that role.

But don’t act. Become.

Think as though you are that character. Feel as though you are that character. Not someday. Right now.

You already are that character. That character is already you.

The more you think and feel as that character of your ideal self, the more you will attract similar thoughts and feelings. This will show up in your actions and behaviors, gradually crystallizing into your lifestyle. Your vibration will align with who you wish to be and your world will begin to reflect that as you attract opportunities, circumstances, and situations that are an energetic match to the frequency you embody.

This is attunement.

Just as your tune an instrument to the sound you want it to play, you’re tuning your vibration to the life you want to create.

This is how you can create your life by playing your dream role.

And it’s not just your role. It’s your movie.

The best part is that you’re more than the actor.

My mother used to tell me that I was the director of my life. She was right.

We are the director and the actor.

None of us are trapped inside a role. We create the role. We decide it. We iterate. We can decide if the role is serving the movie (our life) or not. We can change accordingly.

So try this for a week. Let me know how it goes.

Decide on the character you wish to be. Assign yourself that role.

Then play it.

Play it as though you were a method actor and this was your breakout role.

Perhaps it will be.