Anatomy of Performance: QL Edition
Director Ark Saroj reposted this acting technique infographic from shaanema on instagram and I thought it could be fun and informative to connect the different styles with QL. Acting is not a one-size fits all method. Different methods fit different actors. There's not one method that's inherently better than others, although some might be more appropriate for the direction and tone of a work than others. This isn't a battle of who's better. It's a look an appreciation for different approaches to the craft. Most actors don't even rely on a single method, anyways. Everyone listed and plenty who are not listed are incredible performers who commit lots of time and effort to the art of acting.
Seiyo Uchino: He's played both Hamlet and King Lear in major productions, and the linked interview with the director of his Hamlet production really gets at the heart of the classical approach: use your technique to elevate the text and don't get in the way or distract from it. No real feelings necessary, and certainly no improv.
Side note: For another side of classical performance training Um Apasiri was trained in Likay, traditional Thai theater and dance, and I'm sure some of the Japanese actors have some training in Noh or Kabuki.
Apo Nattawin: he describes perfectly Stanislavski's approach that acting involves recalling, understanding, and "experiencing feelings analogous" to the characters in one's own life to reduce the performativity. It's not becoming the character, it's appreciating that the character is a reflection of real feelings and actions that anyone can experience and drawing from those connections.
Tay Tawan: On the promo tour for A Dog and A Plane, Tay Tawan discussed switching back and forth between that series and A Scarlet Heart, using a specific pose to get him into character for both, and then tiktok clips of Mark Pakin and walking around like he had "big balls" for ADAAP in particular. Getting in character was outer work.
Krist Perawat in Wu: This is an approach rarely being utilized in QL. Even the darkness of BoC tends to remain in the realms of realism. But Wu's fantasy allows for Krist to go to extremes, and boy does he commit in one of the most out-there unnerving performances in the genre.
Tor Thanapob: Nanon is well-known for method acting and you can see him discuss it in the clip with Ohm Pawat below, but adding Tor here for people who want another reference. He describes how he uses method, living out as his characters, for developing them.
Off Jumpol in Burnout Syndrome: Discussed for the public as if Off just needed to look sexy, but Koh's extremely lean body (to my eyes at least) also conveyed his obsessiveness and depression. Other than general muscle-building and weight loss to appear generically attractive, though, physical transformation is a rare thing in the QL industry.
Ohm Pawat: Ohm doesn't use the term Meisner, but his description here (in comparison to Nanon's method approach), and Aof Noppharnach's descriptions of Ohm having to do multiple takes because what he felt in the moment of the scene didn't match the direction of the scene seem very much in line with Meisner technique. He's also known to try to make his partners break character to create more authentic moments of interaction.
Tanaka Kei in Ossan’s Love: Briefly discussed in this interview--and to be fair most comedic actors don't spend much time articulating some specific technique of comedic acting when it really tends to be in-the-moment sense of timing and exaggeration--but here Tanaka touches on both the elements of taking the character seriously and the ability to react and play with your castmates.
Billkin: I couldn't find an example of him describing the above perfectly, but he talks about how the process involved developing performance through improv and adapting the script to his own story with PP, both of which are more aligned with naturalistic approaches. Plus, just watch the awkwardness and even ugliness he brings out in his movement choices, speaking, and those famous snotty sobs. Boss Kuno, in general, aims for naturalistic performances from his actors.
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