When the body speaks

I’m going through my email, and I was read the following question. What started out as a simple answer has turned into a new entry:

Oh, my girlfriend…wanted me to mention that she was completely and totally infatuated with Wesley and Gordie 🙂
Do you consider yourself a part of these characters? Or were they just roles?

That’s a good question…
When I am working on a show, that character that I am portraying takes on certain aspects of me, and I take on certain aspects of him. Sometimes, it is very hard to determine where one ends, and the other begins. There are some characters that I can’t wait to let go of, and others that I am sad to put to rest…it really depends on how good the script is, and how much I have invested in the project, emotionally. I feel that it’s my job to realize the vision of the screenwriter, so I always endeavor to do what the writer is asking. When the writing is very clear, it is easy, and fun. When the writing is unclear (as it was, sometimes, on TNG), it can be like teaching a pig to play poker.
I start out every project full of hope and excitement. Sometimes, that hope and excitement fades to resignation, when I realize that the director is an complete moron, and he’s going to ruin the project, or when one of the main actors is an unprofessional jackass, who thinks he can just do his own thing, and not what the script is asking for. Other times, that hope and excitement endures, and is justified with a terrific final cut.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.