I absolutely Love Trevor Noah!
In this clip he refers to Kanye West and says something interesting: "You cannot experience yourself because you are being yourself." As an Actor I wonder what people think about that? Presumably his point is that you cannot experience yourself as a second party. My Wife, (poor girl), experiences me every day! But I cannot share that because I'm too busy being myself. What then do I experience? Actors and Actresses (especially in the Meisner Technique), are taught to place great emphasis on being 'In The Moment', and Sanford Meisner himself said: "Don't be an Actor, be a human being who works off what exists under imaginary circumstances."
And yet just recently, I have been thinking deeply about the words of the American Comedian, George Carlin, who said: "There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past."
I see great wisdom in that. There exists what is about to happen, but you can only EXPERIENCE the happening AFTER it has happened. 'The Moment' is actually an illusion which becomes a reality once it has passed.
I think the answer is that the experience of being and the experience of watching are two different things. Both are past tense. By the time the audience are experiencing the moment on screen, it's already happened.
I have always said that the truly great Actors and Actresses are the ones who can tell me what their character is THINKING. Perhaps that could also mean giving me the experience of BEING that character.
And it's late. And I'm waffling.
Good Night, and I Love You All...
In this clip he refers to Kanye West and says something interesting: "You cannot experience yourself because you are being yourself." As an Actor I wonder what people think about that? Presumably his point is that you cannot experience yourself as a second party. My Wife, (poor girl), experiences me every day! But I cannot share that because I'm too busy being myself. What then do I experience? Actors and Actresses (especially in the Meisner Technique), are taught to place great emphasis on being 'In The Moment', and Sanford Meisner himself said: "Don't be an Actor, be a human being who works off what exists under imaginary circumstances."
And yet just recently, I have been thinking deeply about the words of the American Comedian, George Carlin, who said: "There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past."
I see great wisdom in that. There exists what is about to happen, but you can only EXPERIENCE the happening AFTER it has happened. 'The Moment' is actually an illusion which becomes a reality once it has passed.
I think the answer is that the experience of being and the experience of watching are two different things. Both are past tense. By the time the audience are experiencing the moment on screen, it's already happened.
I have always said that the truly great Actors and Actresses are the ones who can tell me what their character is THINKING. Perhaps that could also mean giving me the experience of BEING that character.
And it's late. And I'm waffling.
Good Night, and I Love You All...
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