Chris Pratt shares the details behind his acting technique.
Every actor has their acting technique. Whether it’s how they memorize lines or get into character, each actor is different. And Chris Pratt is no different. Pratt explained in a GQ Magazine interview, his acting techniques he developed while working on Delivery Man with Vince Vaughn.
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“I came up with some awesome techniques on that movie that I still use,” he declares. “Some awesome techniques for acting that I think I might have invented.”
Orange Post-it Notes
“In that movie, I used bright orange, like blaze orange, as a reminder that my [character’s] mother doesn’t believe in me and that she believes I’m a failure.” Pratt then placed orange post-it notes around the set, out of shot. “Then,” he says, “it would catch my attention halfway through the scene, and it would affect me emotionally underneath.”
“Acting Music” Playlist
Pratt also said he uses music to get into character. Pratt revealed that he has 110 songs in a playlist called “Acting Music,” which has five categories: “Love,” “Sadness,” “Wonderment,” “Action,” and the vaguely mysterious “Volume Five.”
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Pratt than plays those songs to get into character. For example, in his playlist, you can find the following songs: “Ethereal Reaction,” “The Long Walk,” “European Town in Ruins,” “Wonder of Life,” “Leaving Home,” and “Brother’s Funeral.”
“Three Legs of the Acting Table”
Chris Pratt also says he thinks the “three legs of the acting table” are your body, your voice, and “the rhythm of your spirit”; Pratt says his music collection is the “rhythm of your spirit” and essential to his acting abilities. “It’s hard to manipulate the rhythm of your spirit,” he points out. “That’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about. Like, I had road rage just yesterday….”
Move like an animal
Chris Pratt said he also found another technique online, which he started practicing on the set of Jurassic World. You think about what animal your character would be to determine how they would watch a movie. In this case, Chris Pratt decided his role would be a dolphin, and because dolphins lead with their foreheads, Pratt agreed that’s how all of his movements will look in the Jurassic Park sequel.
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Put it all together before every scene
He explains his whole thought process as follows: “Flow core, no TC, volume up point five, Eric Church.”
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“Flow core” reminds him of his posture, “no TC” reminds him of No Triple Chin, “volume point five” reminds him to talk louder, and Eric Church reminds him of a song he listened to over and over to get into character.
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