Using your eyes when acting?

Question

What ways are there of communicating anger and pure evil and darkness through your eyes when acting? Are there any techniques or ways which really show your eyes as very angry, evil, dark, upset?

Answer 1

Think of real life experiences, if your playing someone that is mad, remember a situation where you were super mad, and it will show on your face. Or, if your playing someone really dark, try thinking about how you could make the people on the set really miserable.

Answer 2

The best advice I ever got on this topic came from a book on camera acting technique. And, basically, the guy's point was:

Don't even worry about it.

There are dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of small and subtle muscles that control facial expression. The muscles in your brow and the muscles around your eyes would certainly have an effect on how people perceive your MOOD through your eyes, but...if you're fully connected to the scene you're playing, and if you're listening and responding naturally to what's going on around you, those things take care of themselves.

The point I'm trying to make is that it's an organic (inside-out) process, as opposed to something you want to impose from the outside-in.

Remember, "anger" and "pure evil" are CONCLUSIONS that an audience might draw from what they see an actor do...they're not (or, at least they shouldn't be) the actor's goal.

Answer 3

Are you acting for the camera or for the stage?

For the camera, just thinking about what motivates your feelings of anger/evil (oh, you haven't thought about this? Better get started-- it's step one!) will read on the camera. The camera sees all, and if you are "trying" too hard to "put" evil into your eyes, it's going to look bad, like Disney-channel acting.

For stage, you STILL need to be thinking more about what is behind your feelings of anger/evil --what makes you evil? Even the Devil has a reason-- he was cast out! He's power-hungry to the extreme! He wants to triumph at any cost! It's way more interesting to see an actor realizing these motivations than simply trying to "put evil in his eyes."

So try finding or making up reasons why your character is evil-- look at your favorite horror films and see why the evil characters became that way-- Jason, Dracula, Mike Myers, Freddy Krueger, the Candyman-- in every case, there is some compelling human story behind their descent into evil. It'll make your job a LOT easier, more realistic, and WAY more interesting to watch! Good luck!

Answer 4

So what you're asserting is, if he used his total physique, perhaps he could have a much wider variety than mafia types and Italian stereotypes that he has made his living from. no longer the final variety yet solid at what he does and greater efficient than Pacino besides. right here come the thumbs down for the 'De Niro' is the final actor of his era crowd.

Answer 5

I've learned that the best trick is not to TRY and bring the emotion across, but to let it come from your character, not you. So many teachers say that you need to use your own emotions, but then, are you truly acting? Do as much background research on your character as possible, so that you KNOW how THEY would use their eyes for that.

Answer 6

well... just bend your eyebrows downward and lock eyes with the people you looking at ! it always works trust me,, even though you dont know me Still trust me haha !