running to prove something

In continuing to better myself for my character I went running yesterday. The reasoning behind this is, I figure, that soldiers are in pretty good physical shape and that in playing a soldier that I should at least be in decent shape. It's not that I'm in bad shape, just that running would help a little more for the physicality of the role (and by physicality I mean sitting in a chair and reciting soliloquies). I did this once before for a role I thought I would be playing. We had been planing out our senior video project for an entire year before we had to do it. I was planing on playing Neely Crenshaw who is the greatest high school quarterback in Texas football history, from the novel Bleachers by John Grisham. To prepare for this role I started running about two miles almost everyday to "get in shape" for the role. Now that I think about it I was even trying to "become" the character back then, like I am now. I worked on passing a football even though the film probably would not have even included any football throwing. But there was going to be a running scene so the training for that was legitimate. For LOST Lit all I really had to do to get into character was put the shades on and change my voice and I was Captain Beatty. That's why if you noticed when I get my glasses knocked off and have to give my farewell address to Frederick, I drop my eyes and stuttered in a different voice (this could have also been due to only having one take). Having the sunglasses on really made a difference for me.

In other news, today we had another rehearsal for the one act. I had to yell my lines today to give an over the top performance, one of the girls and to read her lines in valley girl voice, anther girl had to do a really cheesy French accent, and another had to whisper her lines. It was really funny and hard for me because my character is playing it super serious, so I had a few breaks of character that Mr. Fallon may know a little something about from a few SNL skits. Overall though it was a very good rehearsal and tomorrow is the first read through in front of the directing teacher and all the other directors that passed on me. So let's just say I've got a little bit of a chip on my shoulder and something to prove.