What is stage presence? Is it even important? Should an actor bother giving it thought? Presence IS important as it determines whether an audience will be captivated by your performance or not. Take Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Christopher Walken, Brando, Viola Davis, Tom Hardy to name but a few – they all have presence – they all captivate their audiences in one way or another. It’s this presence that keeps their audiences and fans coming back time and again to see their work.
I firmly believe there are two types of presence – 1. charisma, and 2. the ability to be fully immersed in the life of the script. Some actors naturally have charisma whilst others find their presence through the latter and some have both. I’m going to share with you how to develop magnetic stage and screen presence in 4 practical tips so your audiences – whether that be a casting director at an audition or a member of the public – are so engrossed they don’t want your performance to end. That’s got to be a good thing right?
CHARISMA –
noun
1. compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.
2. a divinely conferred power or talent.
PRESENCE –
noun
1. the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present.
HOW TO DEVELOP MAGNETIC STAGE AND SCREEN PRESENCE
AUTHENTIC IDENTITY – Some actors have natural charm and charisma, it’s as though it’s inbuilt into their DNA, but what are they doing differently to those that don’t? Psychologically they’re fine with who they are; they own the good, the bad and the ugly parts of themselves and are unapologetically authentic. This authenticity and ownership of their identity instantly captivates their audience. Now if you’re not 100% comfortable with yourself, don’t worry – you can find this authenticity, this honesty via your character’s identity instead. Be ok with everything about them, own it and don’t shrivel away – as the late acting coach Stella Adler said “you have the right to be who you are, where you are, how you are”. Isn’t that empowering?
RELAX – Relaxation is the foundation of creativity, nothing of value is rarely created whilst feeling mentally or physically tense. Personal and/or creative tension take you away from the present moment plaguing your ability to immerse in each moment of the character’s life. Those actors who are relaxed and fully existing through each moment of their stage or screen life have a magnetic presence and are fascinating to watch. Start adopting relaxation into your creative process.
CLARITY – Following on from being relaxed and fully existing, everything you do on stage or screen must be done intentionally; every action or re-action must have a purpose, which will give you clarity of expression. When you are intentional with your actions the magic starts to happen and you pull your audience in, just like a magnet.
ORIGINALITY – Never try and imitate another actor’s work, be original with your own. How do you do this? Go back to the step about authentic identity. Take all of your clues from the script to create a unique character that no other actor could copy. This in itself will make your acting much more magnetising to your audience. You don’t need to copy another actor because your own work is just as valuable as the last actors. What you have to share with the world is so important it must be heard and seen.
These tips work like magic if you put them to use and yes, they take practice, but the time you invest in them is nothing compared to the rewards you reap afterwards.
So which one will you start using right away? Let me know in the comments below and let’s have a conversation. You can also share this with your acting friends by clicking the social media icons below.
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Thanks For That Reminder Louise! Definitely will apply my presence more, rather than being so caught up in the dialogue. Your reminder took me back to the freshness of when I allowed my presence ‘the lead’.. Got into a bit of a box with it lately. Feel back on track again, Thanks to your blog. Cheers!☆
I’m so happy it’s been a good reminder for you and that you feel back on track! Louise 🙂
Screen magnetism a fine combination of charm, personality and physical attributes like high cheek bones, intense,expressive eyes
Not enough on its own but a very handy thing to have