Jonathan appears to be someone who has dealt with the good and the bad surrounding the entertainment industry. Our discussion at the beginning of class centered around mental health and how we can more effectively navigate this journey. He made a poignant sentiment about how we can always "feel poorly" but not "poor me." I love this statement because Jonathan is not telling us to push down our feelings or invalidate our situations; rather he wants to empower us to take control of the things we can.
Things out of our control are bound to happen, and taking the time to address those moments should take precedence. However, we can control the positive spaces in our lives, and this craft should be one of them. Acting, in my humble opinion, should be a place of liberation. Somewhere we can be present with ourselves and live fully.
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Have you ever played a sport and had an off night? You were not sick; in fact, you were extremely well prepared to go above and beyond, yet nothing could go right for you. I hope so because it would make me feel a lot better about my own performance in class. Now, it wasn't my worst effort, but for some reason, I struggled with taking in Jonahtan's notes and giving a strong performance. I think it was a case of being too in my own head. This distraction led to my failure to listen appropriately, which is something Jonathan believes many young actors struggle with. I've mentioned this notion of being able to adjust to your scene partner's performance before, but it was on full display in this class.
A good takeaway from my rough performance is that I know I am being properly challenged to improve. If you are in an acting class currently, and you feel as though you are having too easy of a time, it may be a sign that something needs to change. It could be something as simple as the material you are working with. Certain scenes may feel easy as the performance comes off as too natural. If you are normally a quiet and reserved person, then a character who behaves that way in a scene will not present as much of a challenge as one that involves yelling and dominating a room.
Before I head into my final class with Jonathan, I can't help but think about all he has done for my confidence in acting. No matter how much I prepare, there is still some anxiety about my ability before I perform. Truly, the only way to put those thoughts at ease is to outwork that doubt or anxiety. Finding scripts and scenes online to work on areas where you feel you are lacking will give you the confidence to tackle any kind of work. I personally plan on trying to improve my listening by practicing the same scene several times while my scene partner throws