Essence Part I
What is essence and why does it matter?
Essence is the actor’s best tool for clarifying your approach to craft and channeling your creative direction.
In the video, I discuss my personal revelation about essence and how it changed my casting/job opportunities from feeling like lucky shots to something I had more choice and control over.
Erica Arnold, a wonderful casting director I met in graduate school, said this was one thing that casting directors and creative teams rely on more than talent. She says essence is, “Just who someone is. It’s who they are.”
In the article, “Casting Directors Say Acting Talent Doesn’t Really Matter,” one casting director states that “Acting talent...may only account for 7% of the reason a particular actor would be cast in a role.” So, as talented and as versatile as you might be, underestimating and downplaying your intrinsically unique qualities might cost you more time and energy than necessary.
So, is essence only important in the context of the acting business? No. Knowing yourself and who you are is important no matter what you do. But is it part of the acting business? Absolutely.
Essentially, essence is the actor’s authentic self represented within the acting business context.
Essence is not something you can craft in and of itself. Yet, you can begin to understand who you are and how to leverage your distinctive qualities to deepen your acting work and expand your work opportunities.
Sources
Project Casting. “Casting Director Say Acting Talent Doesn’t Really Matter”.
www.projectcasting.com/news/casting-director-acting-tip/. March 16, 2015.