Dear beloved actors: one of the biggest “mistakes” we see in the room or virtually is actors either not understanding our note or just not taking it.
So today, let’s dive in to one of the most common notes we give: “throw it away.” Sometimes we’ll even just say to “simplify.”
I know I’ve had actors look at me like I have 3 heads when I’ve told them to “simplify” the dialogue and realized that maybe, for some reason, it’s not being taught.
So here we are.
What exactly does it mean when a CD tells you to “throw it away?”
Everyone will have a different definition. But what most of us are telling you is to 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
Stop overthinking the dialogue, “throw away” the repetitive work you’ve done, and just listen & react.
More simply?
𝘿𝙊 𝙇𝙀𝙎𝙎.
An example of this could be you playing a waiter in a restaurant.
Maybe the line is “Oh, I’m so sorry, we’re all out of the pesto tonight.”
We might encounter an actor who tries to make a meal out of that (pun intended): they take longer-than-necessary pauses and truly apologize for the lack of pesto. Quite a moment.
But here’s the hard truth:
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪.
Actors, we love & adore you but it’s important to know when a scene is and isn’t about you.
In this instance, it isn’t.
And if we tell you to “throw it away,” we went you to do less, lose the pauses and just get the line out.”
We only needed the line about the pesto to further the narrative that our lead is having a shitty date (for example).
Most importantly: please don’t take offensive to these notes. We know you put in a lot of work, effort & thought.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵.
But remember, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯. And our direction is based on that fact alone.
What are some of the most common notes you’ve gotten?
#themoreyouknow#TheCastingDirectorsCut#terminologytuesday #actorslife
Well said! I’ve found the “throw it away” note can be confusing sometimes because very rarely is it tied with the specifics on *what* exactly to throw away…? ie What aspect of my prep, choices, interpretation of this character/scene needs to change in this redirect? So I love the clarity that your “do less” translation gives to the ambiguous “throw it away” expression, and how you placed emphasis on the ‘just react and listen.’ = Simplify.
Perhaps it’s also a reminder to relax more into the moment by just being & feeling the truth of the present circumstance, trusting that this vulnerable openness and the raw reaction birthed from that place, co-expressing with the text, is enough to reach and hit the audience emotionally. No forced need to ‘show’ what is happening in order to convey the story. I think the pressure for an audition to “stand out” shuts down possibility for a grounded performance. So “throw it away” could refer to throwing away any expectation for a planned outcome and just let loose & PLAY.
Great topic. Thank you, Ramani!