Acting Tips : Crying Real Tears

Crying real tears can be challenging, especially when drawing on personal tragedies. Get in touch with the character's emotions with advice from an experienced stage and screen performer in this free video on acting.

Expert: Jennifer Rae
Bio: Jennifer Rae is an Equity actor, who has been involved in all aspects of acting (theatre and screen) for more than 20 years.
Filmmaker: Tyler Bourns

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• acting
• theater
• auditions
• stage acting
• screen acting
• acting tips
• voice acting
• casting calls

[nats92]

I needed this. Thank you very much. It is really hard for me to cry when I need to do it.

[DESERVANT]

@TheMaryterrero It's definitely not stupid. Clearly you're stupid.

[jimmeskimen]

Professions often use mentholated spirits blown gently into the eyes by a makeup person. Looking backward into your troubled times of the past are definitely not a good idea.

[MyLylya1]

urgghh.. crying is the most harder part of all expression

[kinleylynn]

Every teacher I have had said don't do this! If you think about that sad movie you saw and you keep using that. All of a sudden it wont make you cry anymore so than you start thinking about your dead dog. than then stops working. All of a sudden your moving on to your dead mom and when that stops working you will find that you have pushed your feelings to the breaking point and now to save yourself the pain you don't cry anymore. So if somone else dies. Guess whos not crying. Thats right. You.

[AshleyAgoneey]

My tip? Think of your favorite member of your favorite band leaving and just stop doing music and becoming a complete asshat... It works :3

[Bfolks84]

@cannoir that is why Meisner taught to work from your imagination. Working from true experiences is dangerous for an actor because once you're in this true place it keeps you in it for a while, but if you work from a place of imagination. Make-up a story that would bring those emotions necessary is more effective because you can shut it on or off at will. 

[Angel099833]

wow its always been so hard i never thought of it like that

[cannoir]

lol! you'll have to stare for a few drips to come out. that looks silly. I discovered recently that all I needed to do was to think how much the death of grand mother hurt me. the memory of it is a trigger . and it works. the only problem is I can't snap out of the sad mode .

[GoodFridayVideos]

Excellent tips!!!

[TheGrizzzle]

i just reach in my pants and pull out a pubic hair. its works really well. not even joking either:)