If you mumble, run your words together, or are hard to understand you are going to make it difficult for a director to cast you. To tell the story of the script, actors have to be heard and understood. That doesn’t just happen. It is your job as an actor to insure that your body is sending the right message and that your voice and diction are communicating the language and your intentions.
For the theatre, you must a powerful voice and clear diction. While you don’t need to project when you are shooting a movie because the microphone will pick up every sound, you still need to control your diction. Pay attention to movies and television shows and you will notice how clearly everyone speaks. I don’t mean the volume; I mean the clarity of their diction. Words are not run together, sounds are clear and understandable. That is what you need to achieve.
If you have an accent you need to find a coach who can help you eliminate it. While you might want to use the accent for a character sometimes, if you can’t eliminate it, it will limit how people cast you. Think of all those English and Australian actors who learn to speak with an American accent so they can appear in movies. You need flexibility and range and being able to control how you sound will help you achieve those things.
This summer don’t just go to the gym and work on your body. Find a voice coach and work on your voice and diction. Doing this will give you more control over your acting and your career.
Patsy Rodenburg, Catherine Fitzmaurice, Kristin Linklater, Cecily Berry
Eric Barr. All rights reserved
