merely acting?
I don’t *know* Maura Tierney.
But I wish I did.
I love her body of work….from Liar, Liar to ER and everything in between.
She’s an amazing actor and I was really looking forward to seeing her in NBC’s adaptation of Parenthood as a series this fall.
image by tygustus
I’m a big fan of her career, and she has that down-to-earth approachability that makes her one of those people I’d like to know in real life. Especially now…I could use my powers of the dork side for the ultimate good: to try to spread some laughs and cheer.
I’m also a very empathetic type, and hearing about her breast cancer treatment was a blow…that has to be one of my worst fears. I think all women must have that fear somewhere, and I’m sure we all know people who have had it. I know I do. A few of my readers may have even experienced it themselves. My heart goes out to all of those people.
I’m not going to get into all the devastation of cancer itself, because that will just turn this into a whole other type of blog, and I don’t want to be a downer. We all know. Some of us more than others.
Suffice it to say that I wish Maura the very best, and sincerely hope she recovers completely and quickly. Parenthood won’t be the same without her.
But it got me thinking….about an actor’s point of view. Her character on the show was a single mom, trying to raise two teenagers. From previews, it seemed to be a stressful role.
I know that actors know they are acting. But do their bodies?
I’m not saying that a stressful role can cause cancer. But stress can cause all sorts of things..up to and including cancer. I can’t help but wonder what the effects are from sometimes working 12-18+ hour days in challenging roles. Can the physiological effects be much different, between acting stressed and being stressed?
You hear about ‘method acting’ too…total immersion into a character…how different can that be from *real* stress? Isn’t it beyond reasonable to expect that, say, losing 30 pounds and hanging out with druggies to prepare for a role as an addict doesn’t have adverse physical effects on an actor, beyond the psychological?
How well do our bodies differentiate between real stress and role-playing stress?
Maybe I’m just over-thinking things as usual. Even so…the mind/body connection is irrefutable.
What say you, gentle readers?
I close by wishing Maura all the very best and sincere hopes for a speedy recovery. I also never underestimate the power of positive thinking. So I’m adding my good vibes in with all the rest. Get well soon.
September 19th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Definitely a connection in my not-so-humble opinion. If stress begins with our mind perceiving a threat and emotions generate a physical response in our bodies that cause us to ‘feel’ the emotion…well actors who fully immerse themselves in a role would need some pretty serious coping mechanisms to deal with generating all of that emotion/perceived threat. I believe that the truly ‘professional’ ones do just that.
September 19th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Agreed. And I don’t mean in any way to imply great actors aren’t professionals. Still, when you’re in a highly-charged scene, whether or not you find ‘coping’ mechanisms psychologically…your blood pressure goes up, heart pounds, you perspire, all the same physical reactions occur…know what I mean? I just think that has to take its toll somehow…doesn’t it?
September 20th, 2009 at 12:50 am
I agree with you 110%. The body in fact does not know the difference between “pretend” stress and real stress, it’s all the same. I never actually thought about how that work stress could affect an actor’s real life, but it’s totally logical that it would. Bjork said she would never appear in a film again after “Dancer In The Dark” because the methods employed by the director were incredibly stressful physically and more importantly psychologically.
I also adore Maura Tierney and I’ll be putting out good vibes her way, too. Thanks for this insightful post!
September 20th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Thanks for reading and for your thoughts. I just think there has to be a connection. And yes, I can’t think of a better example than “Dancer in the Dark”….wow was that ever an intense performance…I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
September 20th, 2009 at 7:55 am
It’s true. After all, Christian Bale starred in “American Psycho,” didn’t he?
🙁
September 20th, 2009 at 8:42 am
True. I tend to feel that the stress, regardless of the type is hard on the body. Acting or not. But one could look at it from a different perspective and think that if an actor truly loves to act, would the stress of not working on that perfect project be just as harmful? Something to think about.
I wish her the best.
September 20th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I read an article where Jack Nicholson was talking about having to play a role where he has a heart attack. (Don’t remember what movie) He says he told the director he was only going to do the scene one time because he didn’t think his body would know the difference.
The mind/body connection is powerful. This article talks a little bit about your bodies responses to how you feel, act, think. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/mental/782.html
I agree with you Mary. Maura is one of my favorites and does seem like someone I’d want to be friends with also. I pray that she conquers the nasty beast that is cancer.
September 20th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Mary’s question goes to the link between pretend lifestyle and the result in reality. Do actors who continually portray Hitler eventually become Jew haters? Will Joe Pesci eventually become a cocky little homicidal ass-hole who is almost certain to rip out your throat if you look at him wrong? Will Tommy Chong inevitably become a middle aged stoner… okay, skip that one.
I think it was Immanuel Kant who wrote that no person can be called moral without first being presented with the opportunity to be immoral. A line of developmental psychology opines that none of us can know ourselves fully – that is to say know what we want, what we fear, what we wish to become – without first undergoing crises which act as an acid bath, washing away the non-existential elements of ourselves to reveal our true kernel of self.
I don’t think the types of roles matter except in how they affect the actor in preparation for the role. A good case in point is how playing the Joker affected Heath Ledger. Apparently he had to turn himself inside-out to create that warped and twisted depiction and in doing so damaged himself in ways he did not anticipate. Yet there seems to have been no residual ill effects from his role as a flocking cowboy. The fact remains he created both characters out of pieces of himself. My guess is he was far more comfortable in the role of a man living with contradictions kept bottled up than as the maniac who killed people on whim in furtherance of an unseen goal. Perhaps the elements of himself he brought into light to create Joker were too disturbing for him to accept as being part of his own psyche and by rejecting those bits he found himself rejecting his totality and that put him into a spiral of self-destruction.
Therefore I suggest that stress – the body’s reaction to change in its environment – is intensified as the actor’s role causes that actor to stretch further afield from pre-existing experience or self-knowledge. Accordingly, I expect Ben Stiller experiences very little, if any, stress caused by the roles he takes as they seem to be pretty much the same guy in different situations. However, what would happen to a woman who thought of herself as a good, decent person who then took the role of a slutty drug user and found herself not just attracted, but compulsively drawn to the seamy elements of that character? Would we not expect some kind of life changing implosion?
Maury Tierny is finding out for herself who she is and what really matters as she fights her cancer. I wish self-definition could have been done in another way, but her disease is beatable. Her cauldron is private even if within public view, but once she has come through the trial she will be even more admirable.
September 20th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Toasty…aye. My point exactly and also a well-known ‘method actor.’
Cassi….certainly not meaning to suggest actors not do their jobs. It’s their passion, and what they do. Merely suggesting perhaps it’s time to look a little more closely at adverse physical reactions they are subjected to due to their craft, and look for ways to counter-act (no pun or all pun?) them. 😉 We have enough stress from everyday life…imagine adding to that so much more for your job, ya know? (not that regular jobs aren’t stressful…you know what I mean) 😛
Becka…yes, great article and stuff we learned a lot about in college..the mind/body connection, and how even GOOD events cause stress on your body. As do any big life changes.
JD…thank you for your thoughtful insights. Exactly what I was hoping for. 😉 Peppered with a few laughs as usual. 😉
You summed if up better than I could. Huzzah!
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:46 am
I like Marua too, she’s a phenomenal actress.
I think that even role-playing can have an adverse effect on your body. There is a definite mind/body connection, and even if it’s not your stress, the stress of playing the role of another person, especially a stressed out person, must have it’s effects on an actor.
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:36 am
That’s what I’m thinking. 🙁
Thanks for reading!
By the way…did you get my calling card? 😉
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Great post. Great comments. Well done.
October 4th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Why thank you! And welcome 🙂