ACTING CLASS 101: WATCHING MOVIES FOR EXAMPLES OF NATURAL ACTING

An on-going study of actor’s work: Learn from the legends in these must see scenes

8/30/23

According to a news article from Express by GEORGE SIMPSON

15:23, Fri, Apr 22, 2022 | UPDATED: 15:23, Fri, Apr 22, 2022

“Wanting One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to be incredibly realistic, director Forman had his actors, who included Christopher Lloyd and Danny DeVito, in unscripted group therapy sessions.Here he would capture his cast both in and out of character, without telling them exactly when the cameras were rolling”.

My thoughts

Different directors use different tactics. (The director’s approach in OFOTCN is similar to the process behind the actor interviews we started doing in the last OGAC workshop). The cameras were rolling when the actors were being themselves and much of that material was used in the final cut.Based on the group of actors and what they were giving in the scene/session, (and actual residents of the mental ward that were in many of the scenes), there was a seamless segue into rolling/filming the scenes, so much of the material was real as the actors were living it. That movie was some of Christopher Lloyd & Danny Devito’s best work, not to mention Jack nicholson. Below are a few scenes that stood out to me. I will discuss them over the next few weeks in classes and teach how to apply what we learned to class scene work.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Scene 1

McMurphy Meets Dr Spivey

Jack Nicholson/Dean R. Brooks

Time code: 8:42 - 12:48

The person who played Dr. Spivey was the REAL institution’s ward doctor. His actual name was Dr. Dean R. Brooks. So his role was playing himself, which seemed easier for him than it is for most actors, unless you’re Jerry Lewis in the King of Comedy. (Think of how many times you’re asked to be yourself in an audition or talk about yourself and you freeze up or go blank). But Jerry was just a genius in all respects and a topic for another day.

The real magic in the scene is watching Jack play off Dr. Spivey, with what seemed to be ad libs like the reference to the chain in the photo of the marlin he caught.

Jack guided Dr. Spivey into a natural performance by sparking conversation about a detail in what came off as a real life event in the dr.’s life, putting Spivey at ease, and helped him settle in to himself, so that when he had dialogue that drove the scene he was able to easily navigate through it, AND keep up with Jack’s ad libs, because he was at ease in himself as he played himself. He felt safe speaking to Jack (McMurphy) and was able to match Jack’s tone naturally. Pretty brilliant work. I didn’t know he wasn’t a real actor. Kudos to Jack & Dean.

Scene 2

Poker game:

Danny Devito/Jack Nicholson/Christopher LLoyd

Time code: 25:29-27:25

Focus on Danny Devito’s character. He stays in the moment insisting he wants to bet his broken cigarette so well that Jack has a natural reaction to him and explodes in frustration.

Jack’s frustration is left over from the last time he tried to take a vote to watch the baseball game and was denied. What is on his mind in that poker game and why is he playing it?

The game. He is a baseball fanatic and knows the world series is on. The poker game is a distraction for his character. Danny’s inability to grasp how to play the game has nothing to do with Jack’s frustration. It only exasperates it. That scene ends with Jack’s character yelling out to ask what the score on the game is, knowing that no one knows because the game isn’t on the tv. Layers.

The Shining

Scene 3

Jack at the bar

1:04:09-1:04:33 moment before*

Jack Nicholson was the best part of that movie. His transformation was palpable.

There are 2 scenes that show his brilliance at natural acting, the interview scene & the scene at the hotel bar when he is speaking to the “ghost” bartender.

The first shows us who he is before he reaches the hotel and the second, the person he becomes after he’s there.

The opening of the scene at the 1:04:09, gives the PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS MEANT BY THE MOMENT BEFORE! Before he even says a word he opens in character and we can already feel his frustration and oncoming neurosis before he looks directly into the camera and delivers the first line. That is a thing of beauty.

Scene 4

Jack talks to ghost

1:04:33-1:09:03

The conversation with LLoyd is the first time we see into the subconscious of the character through his own words. It’s a profound moment. His physicalization by any other actor without his skill would feel overdone and fake, but Jack nails it.

Physicalization to that extreme is hard to gauge. Like everything else we do on camera it must be justified by our character’s traits and personality, and of course in tune with the scene. It must ADD to the audience's understanding of the character, not distract or confuse. Jack’s performance encompassed all of those things and more.

If you watch closely you will see the inspiration for every Joker from Heath Ledger to Joaquin Phoenix. Imitation being the best form of flattery, it’s undeniable that Jack’s character physicalization, and phrasing was present in the Joker characters that were so widely applauded many years later.

Jack Nicholson incidentally played his own version of the Joker in the early Batman movies. Further setting the bar for the actors to come. It is impossible to deny that Jack’s natural physicality was and is a source for other actors.

Learn from the best by looking for places where their personality stands out in their characters. It’s the nuances that can only be a part of the actor, not the character that make good actors stand out. Don’t imitate what they do on camera, identify their approach to creating their characters. That’s the good stuff. It’ll feed your creativity and help you create your own approach to your characters.