Acting – Martial Arts

Growing up, my dad’s biggest hero was Bruce Lee.  The man was amazing; and so is my father but that is another story.  Bruce Lee is known to be one of the best martial artists that ever lived.  His outlook on fighting, to me, was best explained in this quote:

If you had read that only thinking of it as an actor, it would hold deep meaning.  As a martial artist, it also holds deep meaning.  To be free, to flow, you can’t have a lot of limiting beliefs stopping your energy.  If your mind isn’t sure if you are fast enough, then you are becoming slow because your mind isn’t on task.   Bruce also took many different styles of martial arts and used what worked best for him.  Some fighters are punchers, some are kickers, and some are ground fighters.  We all have different body types so different tweeks and techniques will work better for certain fighters.

Acting is no different.
Bruce Lee spoke about having to clear your mind.  If the actor approaches a scene with a choreographed scene in his head ready to make that happen, then he has no freedom for his instincts to pick up on real life action and reaction.  He is constantly monitoring his own behavior.  Bruce Lee also believed in your instincts reacting and fighting without you knowing what you’re going to do next.  When they attack, you contract, and visa versa.  The body will naturally react once you have given it the tools, beliefs, and freedom.  The techniques of acting are only the foundation.  Just like martial arts, in acting, you have to develop your instrument then clear your mind and let go.  If we are thinking about when we are going to punch, we will get punched because we aren’t present in the fight.  If you are in your head thinking of what your next line is, you are not living in the moment.  You may miss something because you were in your head trying to decide how to live or react to what has not happened yet.

In Wing Chun, there is a lot of focus on body structure.  As a fighter, if we can break the structure, we can end the fight.  It is a point we aim for.

As an actor, our objectives differ from scene to scene but we are focused on a point.  We are focused on one singular want, not five.  In a fight, I am not punching with my hand and fingers spread wide.  I may be able to cover more area; but there is no strength behind it because I have no structure to hold it up.  I could poke you with one finger and hurt you worse than I ever could with all my fingers at one time.

You shouldn’t have 3 or 4 objectives you are after in the scene.  Focus it down to one.  You can understand it on multiple levels; but, over all, one singular point will sustain you through the scene.  For example, if my simple objective is “I want her to fall in love with me”, it’s positive to the character, it starts with “I need” or “I want”; and assuming there is a great obstacle, for instance, I am engaged to her sister, then I have a great little objective.

Now, I have to live in the moment.  To be present, you must listen.  That is the access to the moment.  Listening and observing.

In a fight, my senses are wide open.  I am listening to what is around me and to the other persons breath.  I am watching their body mechanics as to how they might move and, above all, I am feeling what or where their focus is going.  I can only react correctly if I am fully invested.

Make sure you are becoming fully invested in your work.  If it doesn’t matter much to you and the lines are only being said because that is what the lines are suppose to be, then you are probably going to get PUNCHED … if you know what I mean.

Find your point of focus and go get it.  There is no map to emotions or scenes.  You just have to show up.