Since we began Twelfth Night I was instantly interested in Violas character and felt something just clicked with me, and I felt like I wanted to play her from the beginning. I did also want to play Olivia, but after reading the play,watching performances of the play and taking part in rehearsals I realised that Olivia was not really the right character for me and I did not find her as interesting or challenging as Viola. I feel Olivia would of been quite type cast for me, and I definitely was given a challenge with Viola but I loved playing her.
She is a very contrasting character as her gender changes and she deceives all the characters as they believe she is Cesario throughout until the end.
She is a very strong character and I feel I interpreted her well and portrayed her very honestly and I am proud of my characterisation choices.
Typically, I could of portrayed her in a very comical and silly way, as it is funny, a woman pretending to be a man to everyone, but after research and really thinking about her as a person/character I felt it was not right to make her very comical, as she has deep rooted emotions and raw feelings, she has lost her father and mother, AND believes to have lost her twin brother, so as a character she has experienced very serious and moving issues,and she is quite a young age, I would imagine only around 20. So I looked deeper into Viola, and also her feelings for Orsino I really made sure were VERY clear to the audience as this is another important aspect to her. Some times I thought WHY does she love Orsino? He almost does not seem like her type, as she is so mischievous and courageous, you would typically think she would go for a more rough and raw man, and not Orsino who is very romantic and pretty predictable. But I feel Viola wants and needs stability, and love which her life lacks as she has lost her family, so I realised that Viola is quite vulnerable and feels she does not belong anywhere, she feels lost, and I believe that when she met Orsino she felt a connection to him as he is so open and loving, and invited her straight in, even though he believed her to be a man, she could see as a partner he would be loving and caring.
So I wanted to show the audience, YES Viola is very witty and brave, and likes to make fun of Olivia and flirt with her, but she is lost and vulnerable, and wants stability and a home from Orsino, and I wanted to show the genuine love she has for her twin, and in the end scene when Chloe and I meet, I really felt that we showed the connection when we came together and embraced.
Viola was a complex character to play, as she almost had an alter ego, Cesario, and then Viola herself. Which was exposed at times when she was playing Cesario. I realised in mine and Sav's scene, that when Olivia asks, "Why what would you?" Viola begins to think about Orsino and how much she loves him, and in the monologue, Viola forgets she is Cesario and acts as Viola, and Olivia sees this in her, and feels the love and compassion Viola has, which ultimately makes Olivia fall in love with her.
I enjoyed playing Viola so much and felt a connection to her, the casting was definitely the right thing to do, even though I did not agree when I received the casting, I quickly came to love Viola and I became more confident with my abilities to play her and really had fun playing her and trying out new methods with my acting. Playing Viola has been a big step for me as an actor and I am really grateful that I got to play her as I have learned and gained so much from it as an actor. I learned how to let go and not to think into things too much and to just do what feels right. And I can honestly feel and see a change in the way I act, Shakespeare has pushed me to become a stronger actor, and I do feel proud of myself, which is a very rewarding feeling as an actor as I want to feel good about myself, and to also make others feel good, whether they be audience, directors or other actors. I feel I thrive off of making others think and feel like they have learned something new, my main drive as an actor is to make a difference to make the audience think and feel like they have gained something.
She is a very strong character and I feel I interpreted her well and portrayed her very honestly and I am proud of my characterisation choices.
Typically, I could of portrayed her in a very comical and silly way, as it is funny, a woman pretending to be a man to everyone, but after research and really thinking about her as a person/character I felt it was not right to make her very comical, as she has deep rooted emotions and raw feelings, she has lost her father and mother, AND believes to have lost her twin brother, so as a character she has experienced very serious and moving issues,and she is quite a young age, I would imagine only around 20. So I looked deeper into Viola, and also her feelings for Orsino I really made sure were VERY clear to the audience as this is another important aspect to her. Some times I thought WHY does she love Orsino? He almost does not seem like her type, as she is so mischievous and courageous, you would typically think she would go for a more rough and raw man, and not Orsino who is very romantic and pretty predictable. But I feel Viola wants and needs stability, and love which her life lacks as she has lost her family, so I realised that Viola is quite vulnerable and feels she does not belong anywhere, she feels lost, and I believe that when she met Orsino she felt a connection to him as he is so open and loving, and invited her straight in, even though he believed her to be a man, she could see as a partner he would be loving and caring.
So I wanted to show the audience, YES Viola is very witty and brave, and likes to make fun of Olivia and flirt with her, but she is lost and vulnerable, and wants stability and a home from Orsino, and I wanted to show the genuine love she has for her twin, and in the end scene when Chloe and I meet, I really felt that we showed the connection when we came together and embraced.
Viola was a complex character to play, as she almost had an alter ego, Cesario, and then Viola herself. Which was exposed at times when she was playing Cesario. I realised in mine and Sav's scene, that when Olivia asks, "Why what would you?" Viola begins to think about Orsino and how much she loves him, and in the monologue, Viola forgets she is Cesario and acts as Viola, and Olivia sees this in her, and feels the love and compassion Viola has, which ultimately makes Olivia fall in love with her.
I enjoyed playing Viola so much and felt a connection to her, the casting was definitely the right thing to do, even though I did not agree when I received the casting, I quickly came to love Viola and I became more confident with my abilities to play her and really had fun playing her and trying out new methods with my acting. Playing Viola has been a big step for me as an actor and I am really grateful that I got to play her as I have learned and gained so much from it as an actor. I learned how to let go and not to think into things too much and to just do what feels right. And I can honestly feel and see a change in the way I act, Shakespeare has pushed me to become a stronger actor, and I do feel proud of myself, which is a very rewarding feeling as an actor as I want to feel good about myself, and to also make others feel good, whether they be audience, directors or other actors. I feel I thrive off of making others think and feel like they have learned something new, my main drive as an actor is to make a difference to make the audience think and feel like they have gained something.
No comments:
Post a Comment