These eight tips below can assist you if you’re playing a character who is torn apart and shows their pain through tears.
The ability to cry on demand is a crucial and highly prized skill for actors. So, you should regularly practice your ability to start crying if you’re an actor. Or at the very least, you should be prepared with a few quick fixes you can use when the going gets tough.
In general, actors cry by accessing tear-producing memories (although this can have unintended consequences), using their imaginations while performing crying-related actions (such as irregular breathing), performing handstands and other actions to produce a puffy, red face and watery eyes, and using fake tears and eye irritants.
We’ll go over two methods for tearing up on cue in this blog post. Let’s get started!
Search Your Memory
Straight from Method Acting 101, this technique invites you to draw from your own personal memories; in particular, ones that resonate with you on a deep emotional level. Before your scene, we advise you to set aside some time to reflect on the specifics of one particular moment from your past.
Of course, the memory you select may be precisely in line with the scene’s setting. Consider connecting with a time when you may have experienced heartbreak, for instance, if the scene makes you cry because of a breakup.
Try the Substitution Method
The “substitution method” involves replacing key characters in a script or scene with real people from your own life. The best results come from replacing important characters with specific friends or family members.
For instance, you can use the substitution technique to imagine how it would feel if your real-life brother had been ill and died if your character is required to cry after their brother passes away from cancer. You’ll probably be able to access powerful emotions that you couldn’t otherwise.
WARNING: This is a strong tool that can be very mentally taxing. Therefore, it needs to be used cautiously and sparingly.
Pretending (being in Touch With Their Feelings)
Actors who are “in touch with their feelings” can learn to access those feelings when acting without having to think of any specific moment. Julianne Moore, for instance, has always been able to access her emotions and feel things right away.
This may be due to her innate talent, her emotional nature (we all know those types of people), or the extensive work she puts into trying to channel various emotions so she can recall them more readily when called upon to perform. Mark Wahlberg always says that as well; he says it’s easy for him to cry because he can just get himself to an emotional place where the tears come.
Physiological Tricks
Some actors also use methods to create red, swollen faces and watery eyes to make pretending easier. For example,
- Some actors might hold their breath and force a lot of pressure upward towards the top of their head and their eyes
- Other actors might try not blinking for a really long time to make their eyes irritated and therefore watery
- Other actors have done handstands to make blood rush to their faces to give them that puffy look
Explore Trigger Objects
Consider using a “trigger object” to help you tear up. Any tangible object with which you have an emotional bond, such as a picture or a piece of jewelry, can serve as a trigger. Bring this object to the set with you, and as you get comfortable with your scene, try to concentrate on the distinct feeling that it makes you feel. Then lean really into them.
Start Mood Swingin’
Force yourself to “mood swing” in the lead-up to your scene. Using both painful and happy memories, this technique involves swinging back and forth between opposing emotions. Essentially, the idea here is to get yourself all worked up right before it’s time to shoot.
Use Media
Similar to a trigger object, you can also use a sad song, movie scene, book chapter, or YouTube video to trigger your emotions. Similar to trigger objects, it’s essential to use this piece of media just before the shot so that the emotions it evokes are current and powerful.
Fake Crying Prep Exercise
- A neutral emotional starting point is the first step. Focus on relaxing your body and mind.
- Step 2: Place your hands over your heart and start breathing more deeply.
- Step 3: Start breathing irregularly or “catching” your breath artificially.
- Step 4: Call upon the “trigger memory” and visualize it taking place in your direct line of sight while you helplessly watch helplessly.
- Step 5: Permit yourself to become emotionally involved and experience any emotions that may arise.
Conclusion: Cry on Cue
One of the biggest traps that a lot of new actors fall into is they try to add tears to every scene and make things hyperemotional. You can see it coming, which is a sign of overly dramatic or corny acting. You can see the person trying to cry and, as a result, it leads to a lackluster performance. Instead, think about attempting to communicate the emotions you should be experiencing in the same way that you, the actor, do in real life.
With any luck, these pointers and tricks will enable you to master your upcoming dramatic acting scene and add a few tears to it.
