The Stage Direction That Used to Terrify Me (and How I Finally Mastered It)

Here’s your invite to the free emotions class on Sun 28th Sept → [claim your place]

There was one stage direction that used to absolutely terrify me as an actor: “the character reacts in surprise.”

If you’ve ever dreaded seeing that in a script, you’ll know the feeling — instead of actually being surprised, you start anticipating the moment. Your mind races: “How do I make this look real? What if it looks fake? What if I overdo it?” Suddenly, you’re stuck in your head, watching yourself perform instead of living truthfully in the moment.

In this episode, I’m opening up about my own struggles with this stage direction and sharing how I finally mastered it. You’ll discover:

• Why mental tension grows when you anticipate emotions (and how to dissolve it).
• The role of relaxation in keeping your connection authentic.
• How I used substitution to move away from fake reactions and into genuine ones.
• A practical way to approach surprise (and other tricky emotions) that keeps you connected, consistent, and confident.

This is a must-listen if you’ve ever felt blocked, fake, or overacted in moments where the script demands emotional truth.

✨ Want to go deeper into emotional mastery? On Sunday 28th Sept (6:30–8:30pm UK time, online via Zoom) I’m teaching a free Method Acting class where we’ll work with a meaty scene and practice simplifying emotions so you can connect to real feeling in every rehearsal, self-tape, and performance.

👉 Reserve your free spot here