A budding actor must study very deeply human interaction, the way we act and react to each other in the conversation of all arts and in different situations. Do a study of how you react to the person you are conversing with in real life, especially when exchanging dialogue. Of course, it can't be done in real time, but you can review it after the conversation.

Acting in front of camera

Everything you learn from this seemingly inconsequential event will teach you how to be natural in front of a camera. Acting in front of a camera requires that you don't “act” like your character, but rather “become” the character. Your facial expressions, timing of gestures, etc., must be very convincing, because acting on camera is trying to convince whoever is watching you that you are not acting. Sure, they know it's action, but you have to get them to "suspend their belief" for a very short time. That magical moment when you're "in the moment" as we say in show business.

Samuel Goldwyn once said; "The best thing about acting is honesty, once you learn to pretend you're in."

Go out to places where people gather: nightclubs, cafes, restaurants. Observe and study how people react to each other during a conversation. Really study them. Because that's how you learn to act in front of a camera.

The camera, director and audience are always whispering to you or daring you to convince them. Make them believe that you are not actually acting, that your display of emotions and actions or reactions are real.

I remember when I started to be an actor. I had the pleasure of studying with Agnes Moorehead and Anthony Quinn; I learned something different from each of them.

From Agnès I learned the art of reacting instead of acting. Let me explain. Responding is what we naturally do all our lives. We react when a friend greets us with a smile and a hug. We return the favor with our actions.

We react when we feel pain or sadness, our minds and bodies control this. So reacting should be very easy for all of us. The hard part of acting is, of course, acting and reacting naturally.

Become a character

From Anthony I learn to become the character the moment you accept the role.Anthony took his role too seriously at the time and got into trouble with his wife from time to time.

However, lessons learned. React and become the character.

But how do you learn to become so many different characters? The simple answer is "learn from life itself", from the people around you. The people we see every day.

But how is this done?

For me, I would ride the bus lines for three to four hours a day to go to school with each person who was on the bus for that particular line. Once a week he would spend 65 cents and take the bus to the end of the line, turn around and come back.

All the while he noted mannerisms, dialects, body movements and speech patterns; anything I could imitate that was different from me. Those three or four hours and 65 cents turn out to be the best investment I've ever made in my career.

Theater and films 

My little book was full of character information that I could read and apply to my craft. Today you can go to the mall, sit and people watch all day. When you find someone who catches your eye, study them from a distance; so you don't look like a driver.

Acting for theater and film are quite different. Insofar as the acting is very physical; big body movements, exaggerations, even a whisper is shouted. In cinema, the opposite happens, movements and subtle expressions are more noticeable due to the proximity of the camera.