Actor 's Tears: how to cry on command

Is it difficult to cry out of necessity? This question is answered daily by hundreds of actors who have to play sadness, fear, despair, grief, resentment, disappointment and other strong emotions. And to do it as naturally as possible: so that the viewer can put himself in the place of the hero and experience similar feelings.

In the "baggage" of a professional actor there are many tricks and tricks. What is offered for tears? 

Technical methods

The easiest way, which is often abused by novice stars, is a special pencil stick. Caustic menthol, which is part of its composition, irritates the eyes, and tears flow like a stream. In the absence of a pencil, onion juice will also do: only the most persistent will not cry here!

A slightly more complicated, but natural way is not to blink for a while. It is this tool that actress Jennifer Lawrence uses if she fails to "catch" the right mood. And her colleague, actress Bryce Dallas Howard yawns several times, which eventually leads to tears.

Psychological methods

However, most professionals still prefer psychological methods. There are several of them, and the first one is a sad memory. The method recommended by Stanislavsky himself! You must agree that almost every person in his life had an event, thoughts about which still bring him to tears. The method is effective, but very difficult – after all, it is very painful to force yourself to mentally return to difficult life moments. But in order to achieve the goal, it is recommended to imagine a sad event in the smallest detail. But what you won't do for the success of the project. It is a well-known fact: Gary Oldman, who had just parted with Uma Thurman, viewed joint photos before filming in the film "Dracula" directed by Coppola. It helped him to create the right mood.

Some actors recommend empathizing with their character, putting themselves in his place and presenting in the proposed circumstances. So, for example, does the star of the films “Away” and “Black Mirror” David Kaluuya.

Directing methods

If the desired emotion is still not reached, the director comes to the rescue. And what tricks the creators do not go to in order to achieve the desired effect! Techniques can be extremely harsh. The famous Alfred Hitchcock on the set of the movie "Birds" threw seagulls in the face of the performer of the main role Tippi Hedren. He achieved his goal, but in the end, the actress became hysterical from the strain and had to be taken to the hospital. Stanley Kubrick deliberately brought Shelly Duvall, the performer of the role of Wendy in The Shining, to tears with rude attacks.

It goes to the children actors on the set. Without any discounts on age, directors can find a painful point – so that the child cries sincerely. On the set of the film "Orphan Kazan", young actor Misha Filipchuk cried when a newly donated car was broken in front of his eyes. However, immediately after a successful shot, he was handed a new one. And the performer of the role of Ivan in "Ivanov's Childhood" Nikolai Burlyaev cried after Tarkovsky's proposal to cancel the shooting altogether.

However, real professionals often do not need any "technical means", sad memories, or a shout from the director. They simply "turn on" the right emotion at the right moment, perfecting their acting skills. This is exactly what the Oscar-winning Meryl Streep and the leading Russian director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov do. And Margarita Terekhova once specially demonstrated her ability to play any emotion on camera: in a matter of seconds she went from loud cheerful laughter to sobbing. But such skills are sometimes achieved through years of training and constant improvement of this skill.

    Автор - Ника Терентьева