Can a person learn to become a good actor, or are people just born with acting talent?
The answer is yes to both the questions:
Being a natural with acting talent gives the person a head start in acting training. Training is what will improve the person’s abilities eventually.
Let’s just assume talent here is the ability to pretend well. If a person can easily pretend that they are in different situations, express different emotions, or memories lines quickly, wouldn’t training and practice improve their ability to do this even better?
For instance, let’s look at another field of career instead of acting. An athlete perhaps - he or she is born with the genetics and a body that’s fit for it. But that doesn't mean the person can win a gold straight away. Their natural ability can give them a head start, but only consistent training and rigorous practice can refine their skills.
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An actor may not necessarily have the best natural instincts, but can he or she learn? Jack Prabhu, the founder and director of Raging Bull Actors studio says “Anyone can act,” He trains his students to be “actors” and not “heroes”, to “react and not act”, the foremost principle of method acting.
“If a person wants to become a doctor or engineer, he can simply enroll himself in a college. But if he wants to be an actor, there are no proper channels he can go by,” feels Jack.
All we have to do is train them to behave the way they would when they are in a situation similar to the character they play.” Jack explains that he follows Stella Adler’s acting technique. “But I touch upon only 10 percent of method acting,” he feels, adding that the technique is like an ocean which will take a lifetime to master.
What about the motivation?
We’re only really good at the things we enjoy.
If we enjoy something, we’ll spend a lot of time on it. A naturally gifted, but lazy actor may not get the right opportunities or become successful. On the other hand, an actor with lesser ability but with a great deal of hard work and motivation could become very successful.
At Raging Bull Actors Studio, it’s the love for acting and a unified dream that brings the members together - they hope to master the art of cinematic acting, and one day see themselves on the big screen.
For admission, enquiries, or auditions, feel free to contact us at +91-9790767771, or ragingbullactors@gmail.com ,
*Jack Prabhu’s quotes taken from his interview for The Hindu newspaper.