Orson Welles
once told an interviewer that he considered the greatest screen actor of all
time to be Jimmy Cagney. The reason he gave for this was that Cagney always
played at the top of his range but was never fake or over-the-top.
The effect of
this full-on style of acting was magnetic. When somebody is pouring their all
into what they’re doing, you can’t help but watch. Most actors can do this when
the script requires. Cagney could do it all the time. Love scene, death scene,
action scene.
It doesn’t
matter how big you go if you can make it feel real. And because the audience
believes the actor cares, they care.
When it comes to
writing fiction you can use a similar approach to keep the reader engaged with
what’s happening in the story.
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