What is the key difference between knowing you will find a key in a raincoat pocket (anticipation) and genuinely searching the pocket?

Correct answer: The actor's internal state of discovery versus playing a known outcome.

Explanation

This question drills down into the core psychological difference between authentic, moment-to-moment acting and mechanical, result-oriented acting.

Other questions

Question 1

According to the chapter on Immediacy, what is a primary struggle for both established and beginning actors?

Question 2

What is the negative result of an actor anticipating their actions and knowing the consequences in advance?

Question 3

What practical exercise does the author suggest to isolate the problem of anticipation and test immediacy?

Question 4

When an actor undertakes the exercise of searching for a lost object, what should they do if they discover irrational or illogical behavior in their search process?

Question 5

How does the chapter describe the progression of emotions like anxiety or joy during a search for a lost item?

Question 6

In the immediacy exercise, at what point does the problem of anticipation present itself?

Question 7

What is the author's advice for an actor searching through a bag where they expect a key to be?

Question 8

What does the author state is 'inherent in every search'?

Question 9

According to the chapter, what is one of the quickest ways to break an actor's faith during the immediacy exercise?

Question 10

Why does the author recommend that the object being looked for in the exercise should be small?

Question 11

What principle does the author claim a 'fine actor' embodies regarding their lines?

Question 12

How does the chapter characterize the difference between how we think ahead in life versus how an actor should approach a scene?

Question 13

For the immediacy exercise, why is it important to give yourself 'high stakes' in the object being sought?

Question 14

What should an actor avoid doing regarding the psychological or emotional effect of their inability to find a lost object?

Question 15

After improvising to find possibilities for the search exercise, what is the next step an actor must take to avoid a 'loose' plan?

Question 16

When the author states the exercise is 'easy to understand' but 'difficult to execute', what does this imply?

Question 17

What might happen to an actor's need to find a lost key if they fully attend to each step of the search?

Question 18

What specific example of 'outwardly illogical' behavior does the author mention from their own experience?

Question 19

If an actor successfully completes the immediacy exercise, what is the likely outcome upon finding the object?

Question 20

What warning does the author give about reconstructing the place for the search exercise in a studio?

Question 21

How many times does the author suggest a specific plan for the immediacy exercise can be repeated while still allowing for genuine discovery?

Question 22

What is the danger of having a performance space that is too bare, such as a coffee table that is empty in the studio but was piled with litter at home?

Question 23

Once an actor has conquered the immediacy exercise, to what other aspect of acting can the same principle be applied?

Question 24

What attitude must an actor have when looking in a place where an object 'might be'?

Question 25

In the author's example of a lost key, where is the key ultimately found?

Question 26

What is the actor's goal in finding the 'human logic' behind seemingly illogical actions?

Question 27

The chapter states that when actors anticipate, they start to concern themselves with what?

Question 28

In the lost object exercise, if a sudden calm settles over the actor, what should they do?

Question 29

What is the primary reason an actor should not use a loose, improvised plan when presenting the search exercise?

Question 30

When searching a bureau drawer, what belief should the actor hold to combat anticipation?

Question 31

The fight for immediacy is described as a struggle for whom?

Question 32

What is described as an 'almost daily occurrence' that can be used for the immediacy exercise?

Question 33

What must an actor do to ensure their faith remains high during the immediacy exercise, especially when searching through drawers?

Question 34

The successful process of 'genuinely getting caught up in each moment' can be reapplied while following what?

Question 35

Why would trying to justify a prop pistol left behind by another actor be a problem for the immediacy exercise?

Question 37

The chapter on Immediacy suggests that even a lost comb can have importance if what circumstances apply?

Question 38

According to the author, which quality should an actor bring to the moment to let it evolve into the next?

Question 39

What does the author NOT mean when advising an actor to find 'human cause' for illogical behavior?

Question 40

In the context of the immediacy exercise, what is the problem with a plan that 'remains too loose'?

Question 41

What is the author's final, two-word piece of advice at the end of the chapter?

Question 42

The fever chart analogy for emotions suggests that an actor's emotional state during a scene should be what?

Question 43

What does the text say is an entirely different process from anticipating a character's actions?

Question 44

The example of searching for a house key is used to illustrate a search for an object under what conditions?

Question 45

To achieve a genuine performance, how should an actor view a specific, repeatable plan of action?

Question 46

What is the ultimate goal when an actor overcomes anticipation and understands the principles of immediacy?

Question 47

What common mistaken idea do most actors have about the progression of emotions?

Question 48

The core of the fight against anticipation is overcoming the actor's knowledge of what?

Question 49

In the immediacy exercise, after improvising possibilities, making precise decisions about the course of action gives 'cause' to what?

Question 50

What is the relationship between an actor's faith and the physical reconstruction of the acting space for the immediacy exercise?