Is acting a physical or a mental process?

Question

What do you think - when you act is it physical or mental, i think it's physical is if it became mental, you would be living the emotions and lose control.....you wouldn't be acting. what do you think?

if i was playing a role then i would think how would this character walk then do it, thus it is a physical character as I do not mentally become that character.

Answer 1

i think its mental!!
you have to be able to become what you are acting!!
when i get on stage in the city... its beff. more of a mental thing!

xox
Lissa

Answer 2

It's both. You need the mental processing to remember your lines and you need the physical processing to show your emotions and be the character you are portraying.
In the case of 'high action' movies - an actor must have more physical stamina than mental process but the mental process is necessary to do the physical scenes.

Answer 3

It is both.

Physical activity creates a mental response and likewise emotions will determine the action.
In acting you can't slap a person without anger, thus emotions would play an important part in it. But here comes the tricky part, since in acting you know the action you have to do on cue, in this case, slapping, one can argue that the action (slap) brings out the emotion (anger). Therefore most of the time it's a 'chicken or egg' question. But definitely both exists.

As for the losing control part, acting is a disciplined act of allowing your emotions to run free while keeping a check on it. It's like having 2 'you' in 1 mind. One who is irrational and wild, the other rational and observant. Kinda like letting the id and superego surface (read on Sigmund Freud).

Answer 4

Its def both. i had acting training many years ago.
Its physically demanding, and mentally tiring. You have to put yourself in a individuals shoes and you do lose control but not as you but the part you are playing. But then, you shut off and become yourself again. But its hard work and requires a lot of brain work and intellect.

Answer 5

I think both, takes on a role both physically as well as mentally.

Answer 6

acting is physical, it is the result of thinking which is mental, which is the result of emotions and desires, which are spiritual. The mind is a tool for the spirit, the body a tool for the mind, to help your soul attain what it most desires.

Answer 7

acting is pretending to be someone you are not, and making people believe it
some are 'naturals' at this, (and you probably know at least one person who can imitate other people down to their gestures and facial expressions.)
On stage, the best actor is the one who pretends to be someone else and we forget that he is an actor, same goes for movies.
Is pretending to be someone else a physical or mental act? I think it is an emotional act, myself, at least I think the best actors are the ones who can make me believe their emotions

Answer 8

it is a physical process. result of a mental process of thinking.

Answer 9

Both

Answer 10

i guess both and beyond. it can also be emotional and therapeutic. think about a mentally challenged person. can s/he act mentally?