If we can learn anything from our canine friends is that there is a reason why they stick their heads out of car windows – they would rather be riding motorcycles. Me too, I find. I also would rather be acting rather than watching from the safety of my couch.
If there is anything the world of motorcycling has affirmed for me is that I am happy only when engaged, in the moment, full of purpose, with something to win or lose. To wit, this is also true of acting. If when I act I am present and engaged, with everything I bring to the table on the line, I have not lived this day in vain. And today’s courage echoes into tomorrow and beyond.
But if I let my mind wander, take my bike for granted and ignore the texting motorists all around me, the consequences can be devastating and lasting. And it follows that if I do not stay present and open to my acting partner and do not treat her as if she means the world to me, I will suffer even more horrid consequences – the slow death of half effort and lifelong mediocrity.
So why do some actors not take acting seriously? It’s beyond me. How do they figure that while life has consequences, bad acting does not? And how is a shattered body different from a broken spirit, physical incapacitation different from an unlived life? I don’t know about you, but I want no part of either.
