Personal Narrative: How Acting Changed My Life

When I was young, I was one of those kids who changed their minds on what they wanted to be when they grew up approximately every five minutes. However, this changed when I discovered acting. Acting has made me more outgoing, less afraid to interact with other people, and more empathetic- with the added bonus of being a lot of fun. I discovered the wonders of acting by a small part in a high school production of Willy Wonka. Even though I was just an Oompa Loompa, I quickly fell in love with the sets, characters, costumes, stages, and even the other actors. So, I went on to take bigger roles- I was an evil stepsister in Cinderella, followed by increasingly bigger parts in school plays, a lead in an obscure musical at the Stage Door Theatre
in Yukon, then… Movie roles. I have to say, the movie roles have had the most effect on me, although one might guess that it would have been the opposite. You spend weeks, months, rehearsing with your cast while preparing to do a play, while for movies you get a script, learn it, gat a runthrough or maybe two, then you show up on set and get it over with. But, I have found that I open up more with my fellow actors on movie sets, rather than at a play. Perhaps it’s the more immersive experience of your set having 4 walls and a more intimate setting, or that you all have to work a 13 hour day together due to a cruel director, but I definitely clicked with my fellow film actors the most- and it helped bring out the fun, outgoing part of me. Acting made me less afraid to talk to people..well, sometimes.
I often still have days that I tell my mom what I’d like to eat when we’re out at a restaurant, then awkwardly gesture at her to order for me when the waiter comes around. There are also the times where I turn down going to get fries at McDonalds because I’d have to order it myself, but it’s gotten a lot better and a lot easier than it was before- I can actually do these things sometimes now! In acting, you’re on set with all of these outgoing, exciting people, which can make you more confident and as a result, lessen the hold of social anxiety. In acting, you literally put yourself into the shoes of another person, be it you’re thinking and being them, or, you’re actually wearing their shoes, as part of your costume. Sometimes it’s hard to have empathy and think like someone else, because you’ve only ever thought like yourself, until you start acting. You have to become someone else, with a whole new set of experiences and opinions- and even though that someone becomes a bit of you, it’s still definitely a character that is not you, and it definitely works out your empathy muscles for other uses. Acting has made me an improved version of myself, with more of an outgoing personality, less social anxiety, and more empathy. Acting really works on some parts of one’s self, and everyone should try it at some point and see if they enjoy it, and if it works similar magic on them as it did on
me.