Anger as a Motivation
From an actor’s point of view, let’s discover how we can go beyond this big emotion.
Written by Sydney Collet
I learned a great deal in my acting classes back when I was a high school senior. Most lessons were implemented for the particular scenes I was working on, then got absorbed, wordlessly, within the body. But the words of my instructor reverberate in my head whenever I see a performance that breaks this one particular cardinal rule: “Never use anger as your motivation.” It’s a lesson I learned ten years ago, and it has stuck with me to this day.
Anger is a strong emotion. It’s loud, it’s powerful. We’ve all felt it and can relate to it. But under a microscope, anger masks deeper, more impactful emotions.
By using anger as your character’s motivation, you’re only scratching the surface. Instead, ask yourself, “why is my character angry?” and you will always get another emotion as your answer. And this new emotion will communicate even more to your audience, given that anger masks more vulnerable emotions, such as humiliation, frustration, rejection, pain, or fear.
Vulnerable emotions are far more powerful than anger. They transcend the stage or screen and permeate the audience. They provide depth and allow for growth: by rooting in a vulnerable emotion, an actor can grow and flourish throughout the scene and go places that anger cannot.
When I watch an actor using anger as their motivation, I feel personally attacked and uncomfortably targeted by their negative energy. But when there is that extra layer of emotion behind their performance, that’s when I can really feel for the character; I feel their pain, their heartbreak, their frustration, and can connect with them on a deeper, more emotional level. By exploring the true reason for one’s anger, even an antagonist can garner sympathy from the audience.
So next time you come across a scene where your instinct is to portray anger, think twice. Anger is only the tip of the iceberg; so much more lies below the surface.
Citation: https://creducation.net/resources/anger_management/anger__a_secondary_emotion.html