How To Get Into Character
(photo via iwatchstuff)
1. Close your eyes. This blocks out everything around you–the crew, the director, the guy across the street taking your picture with a telephoto lens because you're Jim Carrey–so you can focus all your concentration on not being Jim Carrey, just an everyday guy who is very Jim-Carrey-esque.
2. Think to yourself, "I'm an everyday guy who's very Jim-Carrey-esque, I'm an everyday guy who's very Jim-Carrey-esque," over and over again until the words dissolve into a low hum. Your transformation into the character has begun.
3. Whatever you do, don't think about Liar Liar. Unless, of course, your character would think about Liar Liar and how the emotions in that movie were so real, thanks to the bravery of Jim Carrey.
4. Turn your feet in, and squat slightly. This is very disorienting. It's like yoga, but worse. You may start to feel very discombobulated, like you're losing control of all your bodily functions. Accidentally peeing yourself is very common. This is good! After all, those bodily functions aren't yours, they're your character's now!
5. Put your hand on your hip, and repeat to yourself, "My character's a little teapot, my character's a little teapot."
6. Hold this pose for five solid minutes. Congratulations! Now you know exactly how your character would walk into a gas station.
Most actors would only attempt a few of these suggestions, but most actors aren't Jim Carrey preparing for his role as a man who has to say yes to everything in Yes Man–a role that is completely different from the one he played in Liar Liar, a man who has to tell the truth about everything.