An actor must keep his mind and body vital and alert He has no time for boredom. A bored person is a tired one, and a tired person is dull and unexciting. An actor must be an exciting personality.

All normal people have within them an almost unlimited supply of energy, dammed up and choked off by mental and emotional barriers—most of which they are not even aware of. Whether you realize it or not, the energy is there—more of it than you know what to do with.

Dynamic, creative men and women in all walks of life have learned to tear out the barriers that hold back their great store of energy. Once you have learned to tap the immense reservoir of energy that lies latent within you—you will be amazed at the vitality, power, creativeness and drive you possess.

There are many psychological reasons for the barricades we build up which stifle our energy. But for our purposes, you only need to focus your awareness on two of these barriers: FEAR OF ABSURDITY and BOREDOM.

To be a good actor, you must get rid of the fear of absurdity, just as you would get rid of a bad tooth. The fear of absurdity is largely a fear of ridicule. Although a fear of this kind is usually called an inferiority complex, the honest person is likely to find that his inferiority complex is really a superiority complex.

Sooner or later, he realizes that it is his swollen ego which nags him to always be the best, or first, in life's struggle for recognition. This swollen ego cannot stand the fear of being laughed at—if he is not the best or does not come in first.

For the person with an inferiority complex, I can suggest one quick way to get rid of it. Best or worst, first or last, say to yourself: "So what!"

An actor must be a daring individual. He must take a chance.

If you think you're being asked to make a fool of yourself in anything you have been told to do in the preparation or performance of a role—do it just the same—as long as you keep within the bounds of good taste.

Take a chance. Risk ridicule. You'll probably find that, instead of being absurd, you are being a convincing performer—a good entertainer. Far from laughing at you, your audience will laugh with you. They will be filled with admiration—perhaps envy.

The actor must be an individualist Perhaps more than the creative artist in any other field. It is this individualism which makes him stand out from the average man and woman.

But while you are giving expression to your individualism as an actor, don't forget to be humbly grateful. Thank your lucky stars that the world is populated for the most part by average people, because they are your audience.

They have the same unexpressed desires, unattained goals and unrelieved scales of feelings that exist in the characters of plays, films and novels. Through empathy, created between the actor and the audience, they are able to vicariously express their desires, attain their goals and relieve their feelings.

When I first gave you the "smiling exercise," the chances are you felt pretty silly doing it But since you have acquired an under-Standing of its purpose and experienced its usefulness, I doubt if you feel that way about it any longer. You will find that a friend watching you do the exercises will not think you absurd at all. In fact, he's likely not to be able to take his eyes away. You will have created fascination.

An actor must fascinate his audience.

During the process of developing individualism and daring, it is important to use good taste as a control.

I'm not encouraging you to become a "character." Hollywood, New York and other theatrical centers are full of "characters" who have a false opinion of their own importance. They give away their exaggerated, distorted evaluation of themselves by voices that are a little too loud, hair worn a little too long or too short— or too brassy blond—shoulders a little too padded or too narrow —T-shirts a little too torn—or skirts a bit too tight—and wisecracks that are not quite funny. They are indeed characters, but not individualists. They're just poor copyists.

Balance, polarity and poise must come into play.

John Barrymore, who for a long time had a brilliant career, was an individualist His individualism stemmed from originality unhampered by inhibitions. But in his prime he was a serious student and practitioner of his art One of the greatest actors of his time and completely aware of his talents, he approached his art with a combination of great daring and deep humility. He had no fear of being ridiculed when, as a top-ranking star of the Broadway stage, he went to his coach, Margaret Carrington, to work for many months perfecting the voice most people thought already perfect.

Never be afraid to take a chance. Tear down your fear of absurdity every time you can and in every way you can. If you're asked to make a speech at a local club, accept the honor and prepare your speech. Good, bad, or indifferent—make the speech. Next time it will be easier and better.

There is always one comforting thought to cling to while you're up there speaking. Ninety-nine per cent of the people listening to you can't do so well. If they could, one of them would be in your spot on the platform, and you would be sitting down in the audience.

When my brother and I found ourselves faced with an ordeal like junior speechmaking, our mother used to tell us: "Your friends will be proud of you and you don't know the other people anyway, so what difference does it make?"

We had faith in her theory, and its principle worked successfully for both of us.

Consider boredom now—the second, previously mentioned, barrier which holds back your great reservoir of energy.

I repeat. Bored people are tired people. Tired people lack vitality. And people without vitality are never very interesting. If an actor is interesting and exciting, he cannot be bored—or boring.

I asked you to practice the various exercises for a few minutes at a time. My purpose was to keep you from becoming bored. By giving you new and different trains of thought to follow at properly spaced intervals, I have tried to help you retain enthusiasm in your approach to a very complex subject.

Extending this principle into general living, it's important to give yourself a variety of diversions and interests. They rest your mind and stimulate your imagination so you can return to your vocation—the building of an acting career—with constantly renewed enthusiasm.

Cultivate any number of outside interests. Find yourself an interesting hobby. You can retain your singleness of purpose in working toward the construction of a solid career as an actor, and still not be confined by a single-track mind.

When you get tired of whatever you are doing, ask yourself if you're really exhausted or just bored. More often than not, if you do something to divert and excite your interest for a few minutes, you'll find that you're not tired at all. You just needed a fresh approach to your reservoir of energy. Then, having tapped the reservoir, you will return to your original task almost magically revitalized.

Most of the stimulating individualists I have come into contact with are people with at least one, and sometimes two or three, hobbies.

It's part of my responsibility to make my clients aware of the many exciting activities and ideas going on in the world around them. I encourage and keep several projects in motion all the time. The result is that they have neither cause nor opportunity to get bored—or fatigued.

My own outside interests are cultivated with the definite aim of spanning a widely assorted range of activities.

When I get tired I sometimes head out for a yacht anchorage. I might go for a sail or just look at boats. If time doesn't permit me to leave the studio, I'm happy to look through a yachting magazine. Before long I'm ready to get back to work.

I find it interesting to browse around in antique shops. A big hardware store, with all its new gadgets, stimulates my imagination in many directions. I enjoy visiting the Mexican district and talking Spanish with the congenial people I find there. I like to drop in at a favorite camera store. Visiting art galleries is as diverting for me as spending a couple of hours exploring an unknown part of the city.

I may search for a certain recording, which might mean making several stops at various music stores.

Learning to paint in oils, developing film, studying a foreign language, rebuilding a bookcase, trying to play a guitar and binding books are other projects on my list of hobbies.

My enthusiasm for all these things has many times inspired others to find hobbies of their own.

Almost every day I do something which has little, if anything, to do with my actual work as a teacher of actors. And I find invariably that these unrelated activities, far from interfering with my career, help me do a full day's work at my top level of efficiency.

A well-educated man is one who is widely informed. Through a variety of activities, you can become aware of, or have your aware-beam focused on, a number of things which you may have thought very little about before. When you get several projects going, your scope will broaden. You will be more interesting to people. You will find yourself becoming an educated person—you will find yourself developing enthusiasm.

Interest creates enthusiasm. Enthusiasm releases energy.

Whether you become an actor, a day laborer, or president of "Atomic Energy, Incorporated," your life will be much more exciting if you can train yourself to use that formula as one of your musts in practicing the art of living.

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