On Naturalism

03 Aug

”It’s fun to watch someone like John Goodman, and yet it takes work. People say ‘he’s not acting, he’s being himself.’ Well it’s hard to be yourself, it’s the hardest job there is.”
– Bill Murray

I used to think the best actors were the ones that transformed themselves into something completely other. To be something so foreign from the self, seemed like such an enormous task. But now, I think the most talented actors are the ones that find in themselves, some form of connective tissue to the characters that they are inhabiting. They find the things inside themselves, maybe deep down that relate to their character’s point of view, fears, desires, etc. 

Writer’s do the same thing. It is this almost unconscious connection to the humanity of their characters, that makes a character relatable. Thats why it sometimes feels like the characters are “writing themselves.” There are times when you plan for them to take a certain tack, perform a given action, but they rebel. They resist it because their very nature resists it. Like a magnetic repulsion or attraction, both writers and readers have an innate sensibility of what seems right or wrong for them. Its our humanity that divines this. The deeper our understanding of our own humanity, the deeper our understanding of our character’s. This is true, even in the villains, the cowards, the otherwise repugnant characters that we wish to be nothing like. The more human they are, the more we identify with them.

The anti-hero is popular these days for that reason. In a world where we have sanitized and safety checked everything, we are drawn to danger in our literature, and film. As we polish our social identities, we long for the roughness of a truly human protagonist, complete with flaws. There is a precedence for this in the turn toward existentialist heroes in the westerns of the 60s. We now see this in character’s such as Walter White from Breaking Bad. 

Beyond the screen, as we live our lives, it’s important to explore our souls, to really find what it means to be ourselves. As I continue to seek to do this, I find that Mr. Murray’s statement, counter-intuitive as it may be, holds true. One of the scariest things to do, is to push through your fears, and simply be yourself. No posturing. No comparing. Just you. But that is where the magic happens. As much as we are tempted to think that if we present ourselves a little more polished, or in a slightly different light, we may be more liked, the opposite is true. People are drawn most to those that are comfortable in their own skin. The best thing you can be is you. And it’s enough. You are enough. 

Someone recently had to tell me that. And even repeat it to me. Just be you…you are enough. It was hard for me to accept. I’ve spent so much time comparing myself to others, that I had forgotten that simple truth. I needed someone to look me in the eyes and tell it to me plainly. Then when I sat in that realization, things became much clearer. I was able to begin to peel away the fears and distractions that keep me from doing my best work, and from being who my family and friends need me to be.

So maybe you need someone to tell you as plainly as I was told. Just be you. You are enough. You are enough.

I feel like I’ve been entrusted with a talent. It’s my job to take care of it, to do my best. To give the audience my best. And by best it means I’m myself. I’m as close to myself as possible. I’m as close to my genuine self.
– Bobby McFerrin