Eugene Buica, The Artistic Director of The Acting Corps, has published a series of motivational articles in Actors’ Ink Magazine. In “Why Act?,” Buica discusses the internal forces that drive an individual to a film or stage career.
The article begins with an overview of the acting school landscape of Los Angeles: every school claims that their particular method of acting forms the only true path to success. Buica then provides advice on choosing the right school for the student, and how to tell the real acting schools from the scams.
Essentially, Buica claims that the key to choosing the right approach depends on the individual and his or her motivations for wanting to act. He then enters into a philosophical discussion of why individuals act. There are many other meaningful and sometimes more practical ways to express oneself or contribute to society, so the answer to the question “why act?” varies from person to person. Buica explains how many individuals find their personal answers over time, sometimes choosing new career paths they might not have envisioned along the way.
Buica proposes a true test of whether or not acting is one’s true vocation: If you have nothing else in the world, is your work as an actor enough to keep you going? People that consistently respond affirmatively are true actors.
Drawing upon advice from Henry Miller, Buica then talks about the freedom that comes from this realization, the confident knowledge that one is an artist. Conversely, he also discusses the “trouble of creative responsibility,” which drives an artist to continue working, no matter what life brings. To read the complete article by Eugene Buica, as well as his other articles for Actor’s Ink Magazine, visit www.theactingcorps.com.
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