When he was starring in David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises (2007), Viggo Mortensen’s physical transformation into a Russian mobster was so convincing that diners at a London restaurant adopted a fearful silence when he walked in covered in tattoos during filming.
That kind of authenticity comes from extensive research. To prepare for the role, Mortensen traveled to the Urals; immersed himself in Russian movies, television, and literature; and studied the Russian mafia’s history of sex trafficking. To put it another way, he dug into his character’s given circumstances.
Actors can use this immersive technique to deliver nuanced, naturalistic performances that set audiences’ hearts racing. Legendary acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavsky pioneered it in the early 20th century, and it informs the work of great performers to this day—ask famous practitioners like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Meryl Streep.
Here’s our guide to given circumstances, including the history of the technique and how you can integrate it into your own acting process.
JUMP TO
These are the specific conditions, facts, and details surrounding a character, including their background, relationships, beliefs, and motivations. Stanislavsky breaks them down into seven fundamental questions:
- Who am I?
- Where am I?
- When is it?
- What do I want?
- Why do I want it?
- How will I get it?
- What must I overcome to achieve my goals?
There’s more than one way to find the answers, whether in the script itself or via actors’ imaginations. It’s all about interpreting the character, then using your newfound understanding to deliver a compelling performance.
Stanislavsky’s system
Stanislavsky was a Russian actor, director, and theater practitioner who believed that actors should fully inhabit their roles in order to portray them realistically. This inside-to-outside technique allows performers to slip into the mindset of a character, experience their emotions, and internalize their motivations and beliefs. Given circumstances are an integral part of this philosophy.
- They expand your knowledge and understanding: Digging into a character’s given circumstances provides a foundation for performers no matter their acting style.
- They foster collaboration: Exploring given circumstances is a shared process between actors, directors, and writers, all working together to create a cohesive vision.
- They establish an anchor point: You can return to your character’s given circumstances to answer questions about their motivations and any stage of your process. If you find yourself at loose ends, it helps to return to simple facts—for example, the story is set in the summer and your character is college-educated.
- They establish empathy: Imagining how your character would react in different situations creates a bridge between you and the person you’re embodying; it essentially means seeing yourself through their eyes. This allows you to empathize even with characters who initially seem unsympathetic.
- They build out the world of a story: Stanislavsky’s key questions help you create the details of your character’s surroundings—including those they aren’t consciously aware of. Even if the fictional people in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House aren’t thinking about the stifling roles women were forced into in 19th century Norway, you can.
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Othello in Othello: As a general in the Venetian army, Othello is admired for his courage, confidence, and skill in battle. But as a Black man in Italian society, he’s viewed as an outsider. The drama of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy arises from Othello’s insecurity, which leads to feelings of jealousy and mistrust
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Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: Martha’s vicious, overbearing personality has its roots in her acrimonious marriage, her inability to have children, and her father’s position as head of the college where her husband teaches. These details inform the way she interacts with other characters in Edward Albee’s tense play.
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Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption: In Frank Darabont’s classic 1994 drama, Andy is a convicted murderer who knows that he’s innocent. When he arrives in prison, his background as a successful, well-educated banker alienates the other inmates, which has a profound impact on his actions throughout the film.
In-character tasks
Consider how the person you’re playing would act in various mundane situations. For example, how might they pack a bag for a trip? This exercise will help you find answers to Stanislavsky’s seven questions.
Character biography
Write a detailed account of your character’s life, covering their familial, romantic, and platonic relationships, education, and any major events. If there’s any information the script doesn’t provide, use your imagination and knowledge of the character to fill in the blanks. Consider how their background would shape their actions.
When he was directing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Alfonso Cuarón asked Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to write essays about their characters from a first-person perspective. “Dan wrote a page, Emma wrote 10 or 12, and Rupert didn’t give in anything,” producer David Heyman recalled. “Just perfect.”
Script analysis
Do a close reading of the script, paying special attention to any specifics about your character and taking notes along the way. Consider how those details might inform that person’s attitude in key scenes. If you can, reach out to the writer with questions. If you can’t, do a little Googling; scriptwriters sometimes reveal character details in interviews or articles.
Historical research
Studying up on the time and the place a play or film is set in will help you establish your character in a social and cultural context. Read relevant books, browse the internet, and watch documentaries to get a feel for the period and setting.
In his seminal book An Actor Prepares, Stanislavsky advised performers to study a script from “the point of view of the epoch, the time, the country, condition of life, background…. All this work on your material will help you permeate it with your own feelings.”
Group improvisation
Performing without a script means relying on given circumstances to guide your behaviour; it can help to inhabit the emotions and thought process of your character. Pick a simple social situation (for example, a dinner party or group job interview) with your fellow actors, then improvise your way through it.
Posing questions
This is among the simplest ways to establish given circumstances, using Stanislavsky’s concept of the “magic if,” which “[lifts] us out of everyday life on to the plane of imagination.” What’s your character’s favorite food? What’s their happiest childhood memory? What kind of coat do they wear?