F-ups Are Good!

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Katt SheaIt’s inevitable that you are going to flub a line when you are auditioning. But did you know that that f-up can actually lead to your most shining moment? It all depends on how you react to it. Most actors are thrown when they mess up a line, but real pros know that the little mess up shocks them into reality and, if you utilize it, can make you much more authentic and in the moment.

Actors flub a line for various reasons; perhaps you’re not relaxed into the moment, you’re trying a little too hard, you’re a bit stressed about auditioning. The flub is a bit of a wakeup call and if you don’t freak out about it, it can slow you down and connect you much more deeply to yourself, your truth, your partner and the material.

I initially noticed this when I was directing my first movie, “Stripped To Kill”. I’d cast a number of non-actors and I told them that they couldn’t ‘cut’ themselves even if they made a mistake, even if a light fell, even if the roof was caving in; I told them I was the only one who could cut the scene. I noticed that if an actor made a small flub, the moment right after it would be much more genuine, alive and real. I could cut around it and use most of the take that had the little flub for that reason.

This seems to cross into other areas of the arts as well. I was coaching a musician who came to me because he wanted to expand into acting. I told him not to worry about flubbing his lines and explained how making a mistake grounds you in reality and can take you to another level; I see it all the time when I’m teaching class. He got excited saying that it was exactly the same for him as a guitarist. He plays in a band with a very famous singer and he noticed that when he made a mistake it immediately threw him into a higher gear so to speak and he would get into a zone where he was truly inspired.

I have even had the experience as a director. I was shooting a complicated series of shots for “Carrie 2” and early on I got lost in the continuity of it all. The DP and script supervisor were equally as disoriented. With over a hundred crew members waiting on me, rather than freaking out, I got very inspired and started shooting in an entirely unconventional way, breaking all the rules and it turned out to be one of most powerful and most artistically expressive segments in the movie. It also looked really cool.

F-ups are good, so embrace them, get real and see where it takes you. Not being thrown by it shows how confident you are. It also shows how trusting you are of your inner artist. F-up away!