Yeah it’s really incredible what can happen in acting classes. People normally only see the end result on stage or screen and have no idea of the craziness that gets people to that skill level. If you can ever get to a Meisner class even just to watch I highly recommend it!

There’s a couple of big reasons for not showing emotion. One is if people were bullied or mocked or laughed at at home for doing it as a kid, and then learn to cover it up very early so it becomes just a way of being later on. The other is if someone is just very introverted and feels intensely inside but shows little on the outside.

I’m a case of the latter and I have to make sure I emote on camera or it looks like I’m just standing there. Even if we don’t hugely emote, emotions still lead to impulses which we can act on. Again this is a bit more difficult at first for someone who feels self conscious, but that’s fixed by the idea of having your attention on the outside as you can’t also then have it on the inside which is where the self conscious feelings are.

It can take a while because it can feel unnatural to start with but it works amazingly well once you get the hang of it.

Thanks for the comment!