Acting @ soapcentral.com

I am going to tackle the dreaded taboo subject of soap acting, and I'm sure the rest of you are just dying to chime in with your own two cents, so go right ahead. I will admit before I begin that I am no expert at acting, nor do I have any experience or authority in the matter of casting, nor do act myself, so these are just my moderately formed opinions from being a giant consumer of audio-visual media.

What I expect
There is a very minimum level of soap acting for me that every actor has to pass, regardless of looks or otherwise. Firstly, the actor has to have some amount of screen presence, an animated way of moving or expressing themselves facially or talking that draws me into a scene. Very good actors know how to use all three. I think if you enjoy an actor, it's easy to pick up on the mannerisms or facial expressions, or their tone of voice and diction that you like, and it's virtually impossible to find something for those you hate.

Besides basic screen presence, there are also just plain acting beats in a scene, and this is where the suckiest of the sucky actors fail. Those who stare off into space instead of pretending to be engaged in what their screen partner is saying, or those who just can't seem to show an appreciation for the rhythm of playing off of another actor, or who can't seem to lend an emotional involvement from their character, those actors whose facial expression mainly states "I am trying to remember my lines".

So my basic expectations for any soap character no matter how minor consist of the following. 1. Be there. 2. Have something interesting about the way you move, or the way you talk, or your facial expressions 3. Act like you're feeling what you're saying, and 4. Act like you're feeling what your screen partners are saying.

Little Niches In Soap Acting That I Love
There are a bunch of little facets of soap acting that I love, that are endearing to me as a watcher. Not all soap actors are a master of all of them, but every long term soap actor should be at least a master of one of them.

1. The Romantic Gaze/ True Love / Smitten-ness
The foundation of soap operas is the couple, the romance, so it's very important that an actor be able to look into another actor's eyes and have an expression that reads "OMG! You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I have never seen someone so beautiful/handsome/intelligent/funny/virtuous/wonderful as you and this three inches between my face and yours feels like 17 miles and please let me take you home and make love to you and buy you a puppy because I think I'll die if I don't." A slightly less intense and angsty version of this can be used to express an overall smitten-ness with one's best friend, offspring, family members, etc. I find that usually, an actor who is good at one does both really well.

2. The Over The Top Bitchout / Temper Tantrum
Another staple of soaps is when a character has just HAD IT and goes on a 5 minute long verbal tirade that cuts every character in his or her path to absolute SHREDS. It is definitely something that is required from time to time on a soap and takes firstly tremendous diction, as well as body language and overall expression and tone. Some of my favorite bitchout artists: Nancy Lee Grahn, Victoria Rowell, Brad Maule, Jane Elliot

3. The Perfectly Sad/Touched Cry.
No angry sobs here. Just when the tears roll down the cheeks with no hint of anything violent or ugly, no twisting of the mouth, or red noses. They just go still and the tears fall. Bonus points if the actor or actress (usually, it's a woman, but big bonus if it's a guy) doesn't blink to get the tears to flow.

4. The Come Hither Look
Because sometimes soap operas aren't about love so much as...well...sex. It also helps if you can follow up the come hither look with an all out aggressive love scene. Sometimes, I think that the otherwise most accomplished actors have the most problems with this one. Of course, these days censors are so strict about what they let air that it's hard to tell.

5. Plotting/Scheming/Vengeance
Everyone on a soap opera should be capable of a really great shifty look. The "I'm up to no good and I'm a little tickled about it" look, or the "That's it, I'm normally a nice person but you're going down" look, depending on the character.

6. Guilt
Well-acted guilt is probably the most important ingredient in redeeming a character. No audience will forgive a character unless he truly looks guilty.

7. Physical Comedy
Definitely a dying art amongst the younger set, a well executed prat fall is a thing of beauty, as is that perfect chagrined look when one gets hit with a drink or a pie, or suddenly appears naked in public. It is a part of the "over the top" quality of soaps.

8. The Fight
The more aggressive and well choreographed the better. I've definitely seen some great male soap actors be hilariously bad at soap fighting, although, oddly, it doesn't seem to affect truly accomplished female actresses.

9. Drunken Antics
There are so many ways to play drunk: surly, slurry, giddy, aggressive, depressed, passing out, etc, but it's a staple of soaps. I don't think there's one correct way to play drunk, but I think that not all actors play drunk as well.

Other necessary emotions to soap acting: Intimidation, Cowering, Forgiveness, Relief, Fear, Pity, etc. Necessay consequences of soap storylines, but not uniquely soapy, and not usually niches where actors shine or drown.

Soap Acting Pet Peeves

1. The Acting Shtick /Tic
You know, the one facial expression that one actor uses so often that it goes past kitsch and just becomes a meaningless joke, and an embarassment. John Black's eyebrow raise? Jason Morgan's stare-blink-stare? Once or twice maybe it's effective. Every once and a while, maybe it's camp. But if it gets to the point where it's in almost every episode, if the reaction becomes meaningless because it happens so often?

2. Phoning It In / Throwing Scenes
It just saddens me when a much-heralded soap actor gives nothing to their scene partner when you know they're capable of doing so, just because they're unhappy with their storyline, or for whatever reason don't feel like putting their all into it.

So that's my piece on soap acting...what's yours?

Ok, so tomorrow I start governor's school for music. At this school I will be studying different genres of music and will be performing what I learn. I've been doing this summer school for the past two years and right now its really gotten me thinking about some things. I want to do musical theatre when I'm out of high school or college. I was just wondering if anyone out there knows the correct steps to take--has any experience on how to move foward in the field. Currently, I'm taking piano and voice lessons, sometimes I have an acting coach in my voice lessons. I do the plays in school but I don't have enough class space to take the drama and speech classes that are offered because if this all doesn't work out, I'll have my academic achievements to fall back on. What else can I do? I was thinking about doing a camp after I graduate to have a more specific focus on what I'm planning to major in. Also are dancing classes really necessary? The majority of dancers plan to dance on Broadway and I was wondering in theatre how does that affect the auditioning process. Do actors/singers slim their chances if they haven't studied dancing or are those in charge satisfied with the talent you have and are willing to have one learn the steps along the journey? Any insight is helpful.

OK so today's General Hospital episode was amazing. Everything was great. It started out with a really good montage and  it was fast paced, the direction was great, the acting was great by all but we have a shining star.

 

Jason Gerhardt who portrays Cooper Barret really shined in today's episode. There were many of us who doubted (Not Me for the record...but other folks)  his ability to really play amongst so many very experienced and talented actors; particulary Kirsten Storms who steals 95% of the scenes she is in and happens to be Cooper's love interest.

 

But alas today JG proved himself beyond a shadow of a doubt with a cool, heartfelt, and strong performance during a mob ambush in which his character, Cooper Barret finds himself in a posistion to save lives or take them.... and he did both FLAWLESSLY.

 

So bravo to Jason Gerhardt... I think you maybe a keeper my friend. *Prez starts chanting 'contract, contract, contract'*

 

A big thumbs up to the rest of the GH cast and a special thanks to Karen Harris for writing a real episode.