Act Better: Lessons From Great Actors
I love awards season. Everything about it. From the overly long speeches to the overly long dresses.
When I was little I used to beg my parents to let me stay up and watch the Oscars. It was always on a school night, Sunday or Monday and the answer was always no. They must have forgotten the television in my room. I’d sit so close, lower the volume, and completely defy them and watch anyway.
One year I yelped so loud I gave myself away. It was the famous moment when the most aristocratic, debonair actor of the time David Niven was about to give the award for Best Picture and a streaker decided to strip down and run across the stage naked for the whole world to see. You can see Niven’s cool, cool response here.
But ultimately it wasn’t about the award show, no matter how entertaining. My 12-year-old self was dreaming about doing the work that great actors get to do.
And now, after so many years I can’t believe I get to vote for awards for my fellow actors as a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild.
The acting work that is being recognized is all about the performances that elevate storytelling - with the focus on the storyteller. The best performances help the audience go on a transcendent journey. We immerse ourselves in the world of the character and push away our every days, to be in the world that the actors are creating.
To reach those heights, some actors transform themselves physically like Brendan Fraser in The Whale.
Others transform themselves vocally - like the curious case of Austin Butler and the Elvis that has stuck with him.
Other transformations are more subtle, like Michelle Williams performance in the Fabelmans
Whether they do the work from the outside in or the inside out, the work that is being recognized this year and every year is actually not about the actor’s process but the way their performances impacted their audiences and transformed the audience.
The metaphor for how this can work for leaders is exactly the work I love to do. I help leaders present themselves and their stories with passion. I remind them that the messenger matters as much as the message. And when you believe yourself in the role you play that’s when you can get your audience to believe in you too. And when you bridge what I call the believability gap, your audiences will follow you, not just with their heads but with their hearts as well.
Remember that feeling of sitting in the dark crying at a heart-stirring performance or laughing out loud at a hilarious one? That’s what creates life-long fans. That’s what ultimately puts butts in seats. That’s what wins awards and accolades at the end of a season. And in real life that’s what creates great leaders too.
Oh, and who am I voting for this year? My favorite performance this year that made me laugh, made me cry, and changed my perspective was Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once. What a story – and what a storyteller. In this interview, she talks about her process and the discipline she brings to every performance.
Outlaw Leaders are always great actors, embracing their roles and leading their audiences on an impactful and transformative journey.