10 Tips for Bringing Authenticity and Depth to Your Acting Performances

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 19 June 2023 9 min read

2. Master the Art of Listening

4. Develop a Strong Character Backstory

5. Immerse Yourself in Your Role

6. Train with Experienced Acting Coaches

7. Learn from Actors You Admire

10. Reflect on Your Performances

Acting is a challenging and rewarding craft that requires dedication, passion, and skill. One of the most important aspects of acting is bringing authenticity and depth to your performances. In this blog, we'll explore 10 acting best practices for achieving this goal and truly connecting with your audience. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, these tips will help you develop a greater understanding of your craft and deliver performances that truly resonate.

1. Embrace Vulnerability

To bring authenticity and depth to your acting performances, it's crucial to embrace vulnerability. This means allowing yourself to be open and honest in your portrayal of emotions, even when it feels uncomfortable. Here are some ways to practice vulnerability in your acting:

Accept your emotions: Recognize that all emotions, even the difficult ones, are a natural part of the human experience. Embracing your emotions will allow you to portray them more authentically on stage or screen.
Take risks: Challenge yourself to explore new emotions, characters, and situations in your acting. This can help you break down personal barriers and access deeper emotional depths.
Trust yourself: Believe in your ability to convey genuine emotions and trust that your audience will respond to your authenticity. Remember, vulnerability is a strength in acting, not a weakness.

By embracing vulnerability, you'll be better equipped to bring authenticity and depth to your performances, creating a more powerful connection with your audience.

2. Master the Art of Listening

Listening is a vital skill in acting, as it allows you to truly connect with your fellow actors and respond to their emotions and actions in real time. By mastering the art of listening, you'll be able to bring greater authenticity and depth to your performances. Here are some tips for honing your listening skills:

Stay present: Focus on being fully present in the moment during a scene, rather than anticipating what will happen next. This will help you truly hear and respond to your scene partner's words and actions.
Observe body language: Pay attention to the non-verbal cues your fellow actors are giving, such as facial expressions, posture, and gestures. This can provide valuable insight into their character's emotions and intentions.
React naturally: As you listen to your scene partner, allow your own emotions and reactions to develop organically. This will make your performance feel more authentic and true to life.

By mastering the art of listening, you'll not only improve your own acting best practices for bringing authenticity and depth to your performances but also create a more dynamic and engaging experience for your audience.

3. Study Human Behavior

One of the most effective ways to bring authenticity and depth to your acting performances is to study human behavior. By observing and understanding how people interact, communicate, and express their emotions, you can incorporate these insights into your character portrayals. Here are some ways to study human behavior:

People-watching: Take time to observe people in public spaces, such as parks, cafes, and shopping centers. Pay attention to their body language, facial expressions, and the way they speak. This can help you develop a better understanding of how people express themselves in various situations.
Study psychology: Familiarize yourself with basic principles of psychology, such as emotional intelligence, body language, and social dynamics. This knowledge can help you create more complex and nuanced characters.
Reflect on personal experiences: Think about your own emotions and experiences, and consider how you might use these insights to inform your acting choices. This can help you connect more deeply with your character and deliver a more authentic performance.

By studying human behavior, you'll be well-equipped to develop your acting best practices for bringing authenticity and depth to your performances. The more you understand the complexities of human emotions and interactions, the more believable and engaging your characters will be.

4. Develop a Strong Character Backstory

Creating a rich and detailed backstory for your character is an important step in bringing authenticity and depth to your acting performances. Having a clear understanding of your character's history and motivations will help you make more informed acting choices, resulting in a more believable portrayal. Here are some tips for developing a strong character backstory:

Ask questions: Consider your character's past experiences and upbringing. What events shaped their personality? What are their goals, dreams, and fears? Asking these questions will help you gain a better understanding of your character's motivations and desires.
Use your imagination: Feel free to invent details that may not be explicitly mentioned in the script. By adding your own creative touches, you can create a more unique and interesting character.
Explore relationships: Consider your character's connections with other characters in the story. How do these relationships influence your character's actions and emotions? Developing a clear understanding of these dynamics can help you create more nuanced and believable interactions on stage or screen.

By crafting a well-rounded character backstory, you'll be better prepared to deliver an authentic and engaging performance. Remember, the more you know about your character, the more effectively you can embody their emotions and motivations, ultimately enhancing your acting best practices for bringing authenticity and depth to your performances.

5. Immerse Yourself in Your Role

One key aspect of acting best practices for bringing authenticity and depth to your performances is fully immersing yourself in your role. By truly inhabiting your character, you'll be able to deliver a more genuine and believable performance. Here are some suggestions on how to immerse yourself in your role:

Research: If your character has a specific occupation, background, or lifestyle, conduct thorough research on those topics. This will help you gain a deeper understanding of your character's world and inform your portrayal.
Physicality: Pay attention to how your character moves, speaks, and interacts with their environment. By adopting your character's physical traits, you'll be able to embody their persona more fully.
Emotional connection: Identify the emotions your character experiences throughout the story and connect with those feelings on a personal level. By understanding and empathizing with your character's emotional journey, you'll be able to convey those emotions more convincingly.
Stay in character: Practice staying in character, even during breaks or when you're not on stage or camera. This will help you maintain your connection to the character and make it easier to slip back into the role when needed.

Immersing yourself in your role is essential for bringing authenticity and depth to your acting performances. By fully committing to your character, you'll be able to create a more engaging and believable portrayal that resonates with audiences.

6. Train with Experienced Acting Coaches

Another important aspect of acting best practices for bringing authenticity and depth to your performances is training with experienced acting coaches. These professionals can provide invaluable guidance and insights to help you hone your skills and expand your range as an actor. Here are some reasons why training with acting coaches is essential:

Technique development: Acting coaches can teach you various techniques and methods to help you improve your acting abilities, such as breath control, emotional expression, and character development.
Constructive feedback: Receiving honest and constructive feedback from a knowledgeable coach can help you identify areas for improvement and work towards becoming a better actor.
Personalized training: Every actor has unique strengths and weaknesses, so working with an experienced coach allows you to receive personalized instruction tailored to your specific needs and goals.
Networking opportunities: Acting coaches often have connections within the industry, which can open doors for auditions, workshops, and other opportunities to gain experience and further your career.

By training with experienced acting coaches, you'll be better equipped to bring authenticity and depth to your performances, making you a more versatile and well-rounded actor in the process.

7. Learn from Actors You Admire

One of the most effective ways to elevate your acting abilities and follow the best practices for bringing authenticity and depth to your performances is by learning from actors you admire. Observing the work of talented actors can offer valuable insights into their techniques and approaches, which you can then apply to your own craft. Here's how you can learn from your favorite actors:

Watch their performances closely: Study the acting choices they make, such as body language, facial expressions, and vocal inflections. Take note of how these choices contribute to the authenticity and depth of their characters.
Analyze their career choices: Identify the roles and projects they've taken on, and try to understand what drew them to these parts. This can help you make more informed decisions about the roles you choose to pursue.
Read or watch interviews: Many actors discuss their acting methods and experiences in interviews. Listening to their stories and advice can provide you with valuable insights into the acting process and how to approach your own performances.
Attend workshops or masterclasses: If you have the opportunity to attend a workshop or masterclass led by an actor you admire, seize it. This hands-on experience can be incredibly informative and inspiring, helping you refine your acting skills even further.

By learning from actors you admire, you can incorporate their techniques and wisdom into your own acting best practices, ultimately bringing greater authenticity and depth to your performances.

8. Practice Improvisation

Improvisation is a powerful skill that can help you bring authenticity and depth to your acting performances. By practicing improvisation, you can learn to think on your feet, react naturally, and adapt to unexpected situations in a scene. Here are some tips for incorporating improvisation into your acting best practices:

Take improv classes: Enroll in an improvisation class or workshop to learn the fundamentals of improv and practice with others in a supportive environment.
Practice with a partner: Find a fellow actor or friend who's interested in improvisation, and take turns setting up scenes and reacting to each other's choices. This can help you become more comfortable with thinking on your feet and responding in the moment.
Use improvisation exercises: There are many improv exercises available that can help you sharpen your skills. For example, try the "Yes, and..." exercise, where you and a partner take turns building a story by agreeing with and adding to each other's statements.
Apply improv techniques to scripted scenes: Even when working with a script, you can use improvisation to explore different ways to approach a scene or character. This can help you discover new perspectives and deepen your understanding of the material.

By practicing improvisation regularly, you can become more adaptable and responsive in your acting, ultimately bringing more authenticity and depth to your performances.

9. Engage Your Body and Voice

Acting is more than just delivering lines—it's also about how you use your body and voice to express emotions, thoughts, and intentions. To bring authenticity and depth to your performances, it's essential to fully engage both your body and voice. Here are some acting best practices for developing these skills:

Physical warm-ups: Before each performance or rehearsal, take some time to warm up your body with stretches, yoga, or simple movement exercises. This helps to release tension and make you more aware of your body.
Explore body language: Study how people express themselves through body language, and practice incorporating these expressions into your acting. For example, try conveying various emotions using only your posture, facial expressions, or gestures.
Vocal exercises: Just like your body, your voice needs to be warmed up and trained for optimal performance. Practice vocal exercises to improve your breath control, range, and articulation.
Experiment with vocal choices: Don't be afraid to play with different vocal qualities, such as pitch, pace, and tone, to find the most authentic and engaging way to deliver your lines.

By focusing on your body and voice, you can create more dynamic, believable performances that truly connect with your audience and enhance the depth of your acting.

10. Reflect on Your Performances

One of the most valuable acting best practices for bringing authenticity and depth to your performances is to reflect on your work. By taking the time to analyze and learn from your experiences, you can continue to grow and develop as an actor. Here are some ways to reflect on your performances:

Self-assessment: After a performance, take a moment to think about what went well and what could be improved. Be honest with yourself, and consider specific aspects of your acting, such as your emotional connection, physicality, and vocal choices.
Seek feedback: Ask your fellow actors, director, or acting coach for their thoughts on your performance. They can offer valuable insights and suggestions for improvement that you may not have considered.
Watch recordings: If possible, watch recordings of your performances to see yourself from an audience's perspective. This can help you identify areas where you may need to make adjustments or further develop your skills.
Journaling: Keep a journal to document your thoughts, feelings, and discoveries as you work on a project. This can serve as a helpful record of your growth as an actor and provide insights for future performances.

Remember, acting is a continual learning process, and reflecting on your performances is an essential step in enhancing your authenticity and depth on stage or screen.

If you're passionate about pursuing a career in acting and looking for expert advice, don't miss the workshop 'Breaking Into Acting: 9 Tips for Aspiring Actors' by Jessy Moussallem. This workshop will equip you with valuable tips and insights on how to break into the industry and make your mark as an actor.