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Few bosses encourage employees to appear drunk, but actors have a unique gig. So it makes sense Us Weekly Lori had to a reader from Houston Ask Us: “Is it hard for actors to play drunk characters and make it come off as believable?”
Viewers watching fruitless escapades unfold on screen (think: Friends‘ Maybe Ross and Rachel’s crowded night in Las Vegas) thought that a believable good thrill was effortless to pull off. But for Competitors a star Aidan Turnerwhose Declan O’Hara is revealed in episode 5 of the Hulu drama, playing drunk was a challenge.
“Our director, Elliot Hegartysays, ‘You have to do more. You’re at seven, and I need nine,’ and I said, ‘I can’t!'” Turner, 41, said exclusively. Us. Ultimately, Turner turned his performance up to 11 – and was surprised by the results. “I was like, ‘This is crazy. It’s never going to work.”
The Poldark alum said the key to creating a believable performance was trusting his director. “When I look back at that scene, I have mixed feelings because he was so very, very drunk,” Turner said. “I think because as a person (in real life), I’m not that wiped out or crazy drunk, so it always felt really big to me. But I suppose, tonally, it fits in the show and you have to trust your director at that point. He or she will give you what you want and guide you through it.”
Virginia Sherwood/NBC After so many marathon hours of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, viewers eventually begin to wonder: How do actors play bodies convincingly? And do they get breaks to breathe? Fortunately, Ask Us is here to find the answer. It turns out that it is not easy to control twitching eyelids, small breath or even, (…)
Overall, Turner considers a solid drunken performance a pretty impressive feat. “There are a lot of great drunken performances. I like to get drunk discreetly,” explained the Irish actor.
When not asked to turn his performance up to 11, Turner believes the key to playing drunk is for the actor to appear like he wants to be sober.
“It’s almost like any drunk person you meet – they’re trying not to be drunk,” he noted. “You’re trying to straighten yourself up. You try not to freak out and try to correct yourself. So that’s the moment there. You don’t lean into the drunk, you kind of try to lean away of it. So, in performances where I see that happen – where you can really see the (actor) working to not (be) drunk – I always find (a performance to be) the most interesting to watch.”
If you have a burning entertainment question for our team of experts, email us at [email protected].
Reporting by Yana Grebenyuk
