Donna Murphy on how she creates a character

I mean I know that when I presented with the script whether it's a script to read to consider it's been to audition for or to consider because I'm being offered a role I need to have quiet space and time that is really just about taking that if which would seem like a no-brainer but when you have children and unlike that spinning in many ways in many directions sometimes I start to find that people want answers not necessarily announcer guess I'm going to do it because she interested or your manager is saying you know just on the basis of the material are are you interested and I'm like I just haven't had that moment to sit and really give it an honor the writing to begin with and in a way that I can take it in and for me to begin with it's reading a story and sometimes it really is just reading that story from an objective place but in special circumstances there's something that starts to happen as you know what role you're very interested in you for although sometimes you don't always agree but I try to just take into the whole story you know really just go into this world which is usually even if it's not a superb they've written the script it's always exciting it's always interesting to me with and as I said sometimes something starts to happen something starts disturb and that's and sometimes it happens on that first read and sometimes it doesn't happen for me on the first read where I've gone back because usually after I read it the first time I almost always read it a second time unless it's something that I just so you know I know I don't for whatever reason this is not the right choice for me but we're talking more about when you know you are going to create the character though that process for me starts from the first read so sometimes it's be filling audition so I don't know what that it's mine but there's a process that starts the first time if I read it because of whatever my responses to the world and the character in circumstances once I know that I'm going to be playing that role it's reading and rereading the script it's I do start to make some notes on the side of just things that I'm struck with it may be something that I relate to it may be something that I just feel like oh I want to find out more about that reference that that has just been made when it's particular to my character or something else in that world and if it takes place in a certain period I want to explore that period if it's an actual person that existed I want to do as much research on that individual I've had the privilege of playing a number of actual people both in the theater and film and television and it's a responsibility that's whether the person has passed or is still and so I love research I love it so that I do lots of lots and lots of it sometimes people have sort of intimated that oh yeah and if it's she's very intellectual about the way she approaches the work as it I do all that so that I can through my imagination unit and and not only know what I knew going into the first time I sat down and reading the script so it's kind of to actually motivate what is not in my brain motivates something beyond that but it does start out I guess as an international process and I'm not being a student so it's it is studying in a way but it's studying things I haven't known to bring me to new places so disappointed my back always goes up a little bit when I hear people talk about what she's very intellectual or heavy about I mean it's not an insult but I'm saying but it's that is that's a means to an end that I don't know des it's not me planning everything according to the books I've read or the videos I've watched or the interviews I've done with Holocaust survivors or dance teachers or people who live in rural India or relatives of an elite Leonowens or doctors who have treated people with allegedly hysterical diseases

Channel: NewYorkTheater

Views: 1,407

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Broadway, acting, BroadwayCon, character development

Id: QG7pK81-7wM

Length: 5min 17sec (317 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 11 2019