Breaking character

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In theatre (especially in the illusionistic Western tradition) and film, breaking character occurs when an actor fails to maintain the illusion that they are the character they are supposedly portraying. This is considered unprofessional while performing in front of an audience or camera (except when the act is a deliberate breaking of the fourth wall). British English uses a slang term, corpsing, to specifically describe one of the most common ways of breaking character—when an actor loses their composure and laughs or giggles inappropriately during a scene. [1] [2] [3] [4] The British slang term is derived from an actor laughing when their character is supposed to be a corpse. [4] From the American critical perspective, the British slang term can also carry a deeper secondary meaning: by breaking character, the actor has pulled the audience out of the dramatic work and back to reality, effectively killed the character they are attempting to portray, and figuratively turned the character into a corpse. [1] Thus, corpsing is "the worst thing" that an actor can do on stage. [1] An actor's breaking character often results in an abandonment of a take in recorded or filmed drama.

Contents

Famous breaks in film

The advent of DVD players, with the use of their precise pause and slow-motion functions, has made it far easier to spot breaks in character in motion pictures, and many internet sites collect such examples. [5]

Example:

On television

Examples of actors breaking character on television include:

Virtual and gaming environments

Breaking character or corpsing is also being used more frequently to describe a participant-player who, having assumed the role of a virtual character or avatar and is acting within a virtual or gaming environment, then breaks out of that character. [25] For example, this could be a player-character behaving inappropriately within the social-cultural environment depicted by the virtual or gaming environment or the participant-player ceasing to interact-play (momentarily or entirely) leaving the character suspended and/or lifeless.

Professional wrestling

Breaking character is not solely limited to performances in traditional theater, television, and film; the phenomenon is not unheard of in professional wrestling, which is normally highly scripted.

Fictional depictions of breaking character

In Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci , commedia dell'arte actor Canio kills his real-life wife and her lover onstage.

See also

Notes

  1. As The Feast of Steven was a one-off filler episode, and now only survives as a home-made audio recording, it's possible that the episode contains other instances of actors visually breaking character.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kohl, Herbert R. (1988). Making Theater: Developing Plays with Young People. New York: Teachers & Writers Collaborative. p. 25. ISBN   9780915924172.
  2. Clayton, Alex (2020). Funny How?: Sketch Comedy and the Art of Humor. Albany: State University of New York Press. p. 132. ISBN   9781438478296.
  3. Stewart, Patrick (2023). Making It So: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 327. ISBN   9781982167752.
  4. 1 2 Tropiano, Stephen; Ginsberg, Steven (2024). The SNL Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Seasons, Sketches, and Stars of Saturday Night Live. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 148. ISBN   9781493072613.
  5. Abraham (June 6, 2013). "Actors Breaking Character to Laugh With Each Other Between Takes". twentytwowords.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  6. Varley, John (2013). "Movie Reviews: The Return of the Pink Panther". John Varley. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  7. Brown, Ciaran. "Ciaran Meets the Stars". Ciaran Brown. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  8. Frank Castelluccio & Alvin Walker (1998). The Other Side of Ethel Mertz . Knowledge, Ideas & Trends. p.  270. ISBN   1-879198-26-6.
  9. 1 2 "The 'SNL' mistake that Will Ferrell loved most". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  10. "Matt Foley: Van Down by the River - SNL". YouTube . 25 September 2013.
  11. Reiher, Andrea (Mar 15, 2014). "Jimmy Fallon and James Franco laugh about 'more cowbell' sketch from 'SNL' on 'Tonight Show'". Zap2it. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015. 'You always cracked up!' says Franco.
  12. Lifton, Dave (June 27, 2012). "Jimmy Fallon Recalls Famous Blue Oyster Cult / 'More Cowbell' Saturday Night Live Skit". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved September 7, 2015. ...Fallon ... often had difficulty keeping a straight face. In a new interview, Fallon recalls why he broke up in the middle of the famous 'More Cowbell' sketch...
  13. Winter, Jessica (July 25, 2013). "When Is It OK to Crack Up? Some Ground Rules for the Cast of SNL". Slate . Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  14. "Debbie Downer: A History of Rachel Dratch's Iconic SNL Character". NBC Insider Official Site. 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  15. Ivie, Devon (2024-04-15). "Heidi Gardner Couldn't Prepare for What She Saw". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  16. Perez, Lexy (2024-04-16). "Heidi Gardner Reacts to Breaking Character During 'SNL' 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch: "I Lost It"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  17. Sharf, Zack (2024-04-16). "'SNL' Star Heidi Gardner Says 'Anxiety Set in' After Breaking So Hard During 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch: 'I'll Never Be Able to Shake' What I Saw". Variety. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  18. "'SNL' Star Heidi Gardner Feels Terrible She Broke Character During 'Beavis And Butt-Head' Skit". HuffPost. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  19. Ortiz, Andi (2024-04-16). "SNL: Heidi Gardner Explains Why She Lost It in 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  20. "'SNL' shows behind-the-scenes footage of 'Beavis and Butt-Head' skit that broke Heidi Gardner". TODAY.com. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  21. Evans, Greg (2024-04-16). "Heidi Gardner Explains Butt-Head Crack-Up On Last Saturday's 'SNL'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  22. Prince Charles Scandal - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 2003-11-11. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved 2024-04-30 via www.cc.com.
  23. "The Dentist from the Carol Burnett Show (Full sketch)". YouTube . 9 May 2019.
  24. "Carol Burnett Outtakes - the Hysterical Elephant Story by Tim Conway!". YouTube . March 2023.
  25. Tim Marsh. 2006. Vicarious experience: staying there connected with and through our own and other characters. Chapter, In: Gaming As Culture: Essays on Reality, Identity And Experience in Fantasy Games. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, pp. 196-214.