The Seven Deadly Sins of Bad Acting

Abandon all hope ye who enter here… That’s certainly how it can feel to label (or be labelled) a “bad actor”. There’s something so damning, so final about the term that makes it seem like all hope is lost and all help is useless! But it’s not. Bad acting is something that can be identified, addressed and even fixed—as well as avoided by those with a little bit of insider knowledge.

Bad acting can result from ill preparation, a lack of focus, a disconnect from fellow performers, or personal emotions such as fear or selfishness. A bad actor is often regarded as a performer lacking in talent or ability. However, bad acting overwhelmingly points to a skill issue, meaning that one can identify what is affecting their performance and work to correct the problem. 

In this article, we’re going to look at seven common reasons for bad acting, as well as what you might do to fix the problem. Obviously, we’re not accusing you of being a bad actor. But it never hurts to be prepared for those jobs where you’re not quite hitting your best.

A Matter of Taste?

You might be wondering how we can make such sweeping judgements about an actor’s performance to label it ‘transcendent’ or ‘truly stinkin’ awful’. After all: isn’t art subjective? Aren’t ‘good’ and ‘bad’ a matter of personal taste?

Yes and no. Mainly no. While there are some divisive actors whose work can split a room full of people right down the middle, most bad acting speaks to a flaw in an actor’s process—how they prepare, characterise or act within a given project.

Sometimes, it is out of an actor’s hands. People are routinely miscast in roles that fail to show them at their best. Sometimes, a director steers you wrong, or the World’s Worst Scene Partner ends up making you look bizarre by proximity. But most of the time, bad acting reveals a flaw in how an actor has approached their work.

And now, without further delay, our seven deadly sins. Prepare thyself…

#1 Bad Acting is Ill-Prepared

Bad acting choices often start with a lack of preparation. When an actor fails to understand their character and what they want, the context of the scene or the circumstances that inform it, they make choices that clash with the truth of the story.

It’s why bad acting often looks like guess-work, or as though the actor has no idea what they’re doing in a given scene. Without thought and preparation, decisions will seem arbitrary or just plain wrong. And this is usually when actors start to panic, and make “bold choices” they think will re-engage their scene partners or audience (see point #2.)

To fix this: read the script over and over. Perform script analysis and consider your character’s objective, actions and personality.

#2 Bad Acting is Over The Top

On the subject of panic: bad acting occurs when performers fear their work is boring. They have to GO BIG and CRAZY and really SHOCK and FLUMMOX the audience into being excited and engaged.

This tactic tends to fail because the audience can smell the desperation of such choices. Big, dramatic moments on stage or screen feel fake because they’re no substitution for what makes compelling drama: conflict, grounded by truth and raised by the stakes of the scene. Not the volume of the actor’s voice, or how many chairs they throw.

To fix this: ground your performance by thinking about the stakes of the scene. How might a positive or negative outcome affect your character’s arc? This is what makes the scene exciting, so all you need to do is give your character the best possible chance at the best possible outcome.

#3 Bad Acting is Unfocused

If there is one thing an actor can do in a scene to make their work feel real and exciting, it’s to pursue their objective: the want that drives their character from the beginning to the end of the tale. Bad acting often ignores a character’s objective, rendering their actions in a scene as unfocused. 

As an acting teacher, I ask people in my classes whose work seems unfocused what their character wants. The answer is inevitably one of two responses: “I don’t know.” (The honest answer.) or “My character’s really [emotion] right now.” Bad actors think that emotion is what drives a character. Nope. Their objective does: the reason they’ve shown up in the first place, and the reason they don’t run from the stage/edge of frame to safety.

To fix this: ask yourself “What does my character want in this particular moment from their scene partner?” This will focus your efforts on the immediacy of the moment, and keep you making choices based on your character’s desire and nothing else. Because everything else is window-dressing, when it comes down to it.

#4 Bad Acting is Disconnected

This is a level of acting hell you’re likely to have experienced at least once in your journey. Bad acting flourishes when actors don’t communicate. It’s such a simple, foundational idea—that you look at the person you talk to and respond to what (and how) they speak. On a cynical day, it’s hard not to ask why this simple idea is so damn hard for actors to get right…

A lot of actors forget to affect their scene partners. Often, they’re so caught up in what they’re meant to be doing in their own work, they ignore the person in front of them. However, all of the answers you’re looking for—all the help you could possibly need to navigate a scene—are opposite you, not within yourself. You won’t find your character’s path forward anywhere else.

To fix this: look at your scene partner. Talk to your scene partner. And when you do, think about your objective and what it is you want from them. Sometimes their actions will make your status in the scene clear. Other times… you’ll have to be on the lookout. But the tells will be there.

#5 Bad Acting is Self-Conscious

“Do I look completely ridiculous?” “Is the audience having a good time?” “What am I doing with my hands?” Bad acting plagues actors whose insecurities get the better of them. It’s a tough thing to fix, because it’s not as simple as telling yourself to calm down, or stop being so stiff on stage or screen.

This problem signals that an actor needs to work on their self-confidence. And, ironically, that means focusing on themselves less and instead thinking about how the story is being told. What part does their character play in the narrative? How do they serve the story (and not the other way round)?

To fix this: remove your own feelings and interpretations from the character, and try to make decisions based on what they would do. If you are truly pursuing your objective, you won’t have time to fret about how silly you might look performing a certain action. Don’t leave room in your head to worry: when the director yells “Action!” or the stage lights come up, all of that mental real-estate belongs to your character. You can think of it like taking a break!

#6 Bad Acting is Fearful

At the top of this list of sins, we spoke about big and bold choices being made out of desperation. Well, the opposite can be just as damaging—if not worse, as the bold moves are at least a sign of courage. Bad acting can result from making fearful, safe choices in a scene. Some actors try to pass this off this as subtlety. But there’s a stark difference between “nuanced” and “lacklustre”.

Fear tends to go hand-in-hand with self-consciousness (hence their neighbourly positioning in this list). And both are often borne of a reluctance to make mistakes, fail or appear foolish when acting or rehearsing. Let that idea go quick-smart! Acting, hell, all art, is about making choices and failing. Then you learn from that process and make it better. If you are too afraid to try things, you’ll never improve beyond your comfort zone—which is no place to spend one’s artistic career.

To fix this: minimise the things in your process/mindset/current job that make you feel as though you can’t take risks. Can you speak to your fellow cast-mates? Lean on your director? Impostor syndrome is a common feeling for most actors. Work at it, and remind yourself that you’re in a space that not only forgives mistakes, but actively encourages them. ’cause that’s where the best results can often be found!

# 7 Bad Acting is Selfish

Our final sin, and one that is the hardest to spot, at least within yourself. Bad actors are selfish actors—whose primary goal on stage or screen is to be the best thing in the production. It’s tough to spot, because a selfish actor won’t necessarily give a bad performance. But they hamper the work of all around them, and invariably bring the overall quality of the work down.

Whether consciously or subconsciously, a selfish actor has made the decision that the work should serve them. You see it a lot in supporting, or smaller roles: an actor clearly thinks their part should have been bigger, or perhaps they were cruelly mis-cast. Their solution? To burst onto stage or screen and act like they booked a leading role! Without fail they look ridiculous, as though they’ve only read their pages of the script and ignored the larger story.

To fix this: remind yourself that you serve the story, not the other way around. If you can find where your character fits in the narrative and enrich the story world, you’ll be memorable to the audience for all the right ways. It’s why we adore some characters whose traffic on the screen is so brief.

Conclusion

So there you have it: our seven deadly sins of bad acting! Before we leave you to your repentance, let us make one final point on the subject—and this one goes directly to the actors reading this article, perhaps out of fear for their own work…

Bad acting is a universal thing. It’s something we’re all guilty of at one time or another. All actors will be guilty of all of the above sins at one time or another, sometimes all at once if they’re feeling particularly talented. But “bad actor” is a bullshit label to place on any performer for any longer than it is totally deserved. You might really stink in a certain show … but you’ll be better in the next one.

So remember that actors always have the option to redeem themselves. If not in this project, then the next. If they didn’t, an actor’s career would only be as long as their reviews were good. And then critics would be responsible for the death of all art within a month!

So be kind to yourself. Keep working, keep improving, and don’t let the turkeys get you down.

Good luck!