My Bookshelf Extra Edition | 4 Must-Read Books That an Active Actor Reads Repeatedly | Stories About Books I Couldn't Let Go of That They Don't Teach You in Workshops
When you work as an actor, you are often asked, "What kind of books do you read?"
Today, I will honestly introduce the "actor books" that I have read over and over again.
"I want to study acting" "I am aiming to be an actor"
Of course, for those people, this also includes books I want people who are bad at speaking in public or who struggle with communication to read, so please take a look!
Well then, let's go👇
(This article uses Amazon affiliate links)
📚Book 1 | Oriza Hirata "Acting and Directing"
This is the book I want you to read first.
Of course for aspiring actors, but also "I'm bad at speaking in public," "I'm troubled by being inarticulate," "My mind goes blank when I'm in front of people"
I want everyone like that to read this.
Oriza Hirata is someone who uses very unique directing methods in the theater world.
He doesn't tell actors to "act with emotion." He just has them read the lines flatly and nonchalantly.
With just that, the work is completed.
I once watched one of Hirata's plays with a friend from overseas, and after watching it, that friend said this.
"It was like looking at a painting"
It wasn't that the actor was forcefully appealing for something, but it was a valuable experience of reading the "message that faintly emerges" from the situation, the era, and the relationships between the family.
The training that Hirata talks about in the book is this.
"Before reading the lines, please continue to speak the words written in the newspaper as emotionlessly, flatly, and sluggishly as possible"
This is incredibly effective.
When I first started acting, the more I thought, 'This line requires this kind of emotion,' the more forced the line became.
I used to think that the stronger the line, the more it would move the other person's heart.
But that was a misconception.
Sometimes, saying things casually gets through to the other person. Sometimes, speaking weakly and naturally is what reaches them.
For those who have just started acting, and those who have anxiety about speaking in front of others, I recommend this as your first book.
📚Book 2 | Stella Adler's 'The Art of Acting'
This is a book I read over and over again.
The author, Stella Adler, is a passionate and deeply human person, which you can tell just from the book's cover.
This book is about Method acting, and while it focuses primarily on stage acting, I believe it can be fully applied to acting for the screen as well.
The structure is like this.
It starts with the mindset of 'what an actor is,' teaching us the vastness of the world of stage and theater. The sense that acting begins with observation. Exercises to enhance imagination. Control of the body and voice. The process and training leading up to entering an action (acting).
A concept in this book that I particularly value is
'Acting is action'
that.
The preparation before entering an action, the connection to the action, and the method of making it more complex from there.
It explains the magnitude of the acting profession and the complexity of what we do, one step at a time.
I always reread it before standing on stage.
I strongly recommend it as a motivational book.
It is a precious book that taught me the 'greatness of the actor's profession'.
📚Book 3 | Jules Weston, 'The Actor's Guide to Film Acting: A Director's Approach'
This is especially recommended for those who want to be as active as I am in video, commercials, dramas, movies, and streaming platforms like Netflix.
Click here for the new edition👇
This was the first book I bought when I moved to Tokyo, and it's still full of sticky notes.
If Stella Adler's books lean toward the stage, this book is a volume specialized in acting for the screen.
The most important thing I learned here is,
'In front of the camera, be honest. Act honestly.'
Anything artificial is immediately seen through.
Isn't it the same in your real life?
Sometimes when talking to someone, you notice, 'This person is lying.' The nuances in their words, the inflection of their voice, the number of times they blink, the way they move their eyes. People detect lies from such subtle things.
The camera picks that up even more accurately.
Don't do anything unnecessary. Just by being honest, the camera will pick it up. The world of screen acting is what expands that imagination.
It's a thick book of over 350 pages, but I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to act in videos, dramas, or movies from now on.
You can learn 'acting for the screen' from both the director's and the actor's perspective.
In this book, verbs suitable for direction are called 'action verbs'. 'Use verbs instead of <emotions>, <attitudes>, <assumptions>, or <intonation>.' What is written seems simple but is difficult. I want to be able to make good use of the list of action verbs at the end of this book. Although it is a book for directors, the items for actors are marked with 'ACTOR' in this book. Honestly, when I bought it a few years ago, I only read the parts marked 'ACTOR'. I think I will try reading it again, including the 'DIRECTOR' items.
📚Extra Edition | Are you reading scripts?
The topic changes slightly, but please let me write this because it is important.
Are you reading scripts?
Stage, film, short films, dramas. Since there are so many media outlets to appear in now, I think many people are busy every day just chasing scripts and memorizing lines to prepare for their acting.
I'll be honest.
Good scripts are hard to come by.
And the thing that surprised me most when talking to actors in their 20s was that many of them didn't know that past movie scripts are published monthly or annually.
In "Bessatsu Scenario" and "Gekkan Scenario," you can read the scripts of movies released or dramas broadcast that month.
It is no exaggeration to say that the script determines almost everything about a movie. I really want you to read a lot of them!
Also, you can dig up back issues at used bookstores like those in Jimbocho and discover scripts from past movies. It's like a treasure hunt and it's a lot of fun.
You can also find some of them on Amazon now.👇
There are also "Yearbooks."👇
Back in the day, when I would dig through back issues at the library, I would find so many masterpieces that I would get excited, thinking, "I can read this script!?"
How is the script for a movie you love written, and what is its structure?
If you want to study screen acting and film, I want you to read a lot of scripts to learn for yourself what makes a great script.
You can cultivate your imagination for character development regarding things not written in the script, and even with scripts you think are "incomplete," you will gain the ability to propose how you, as an actor, can "flesh out the film." I really want you to read a lot of scripts as study material.
Bonus: When I discovered this book, which combines the script and production diary of Juzo Itami's film "The Funeral," I jumped for joy👇 It's a treasure.
Even now, when I see a good movie, whether it's new or old, I think, "I want to read the script," and I go looking for it.
Next Time Preview | My Bookshelf Extra Edition 2
Next time, I plan to introduce books like these.
Tsutomu Yamazaki's "Actor's Notebook"
Shinobu Hashimoto's "Compound Eye Images: Akira Kurosawa and I"
Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "Acting in Front of the Camera" (*An interesting perspective that connects to Oriza Hirata)
The worldview of Yuji Sakamoto
Juzo Itami's Funeral Diary + Records of the Screenplay Production Process
Stay tuned.
Finally
Precisely because we are in the age of AI, your own experience and individuality are important.
I believe this is not limited to actors.
There is no need to feel anxious by comparing yourself to others. Let's set aside the feeling of "I am behind compared to that person" that comes from looking at social media for a moment.
Everything you have experienced will become an asset.
Whether you are living as an actor or working a different job, what you accumulate changes depending on how you live today.
I would be happy if this bookshelf series could become a catalyst for "something" for you.
📖 I have also started a paid magazine that helps with acting work! It's a great deal right now.
Ukigumo Act | I sincerely look forward to your likes, shares, and comments 🙏
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