How the Stars of 6 Tony-Nominated Broadway Shows Get Into Character
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Actors arrive at the theater in casual or stylish attire, using various modes of transport, then spend one to two hours transforming physically and mentally into their characters through hair, makeup, costumes, and mindset shifts.
- The process involves adopting new accents, gaits, circumstances, and attitudes to fully embody their roles before the performance.
- In the production of Noël Coward’s "Fallen Angels," actress Kelli O’Hara uses a headstand to clear her mind and achieve a sense of emptiness, helping her reset mentally before performing.
- Rose Byrne, also in "Fallen Angels," prefers to reach a state of exhaustion as part of her mental preparation routine.
- These personalized rituals highlight the diverse methods actors use to transition from everyday life into storytelling on stage.