Act the fool, be a stripper

On one of the first days of class we all had to explain why we wanted to learn how to act. Several of our teachers asked us whether or not we had already acted in any kind of play in school, or anywhere else. I distinctly remember one student who when I saw him, I had this hunch that he could easily be an actor. He had the looks, the bravado, and the confidence to do what was being asked of us. I remember him saying that he had been in soap operas in his native country of Portugal but I didn't think much of it.

Last Thursday I had a terrible time during our technique class, I was really bad. The next day I met up with my classmate José Fidalgo and while we were supposed to just hang out and jam to some acoustic music, we actually ended up talking about acting the entire night. José made me understand that we shouldn't care if we make a fool out of ourselves. His words were "Just act like a fool".... Normally you always want to listen to someone who knows what he's talking about, and in this case José definitely knows what he's talking about.

To my surprise, José is not only an established actor in his country, but he is actually famous. Not a little famous, but insanely famous to the point where he is in all the gossip magazines in his native country of Portugal. So if you're asking yourself the same question I had "Why are you here in NY taking acting classes?", you're not alone. José's reason for taking the same classes I'm taking is because he wants formal training and he wants to better his English speaking skills as well.

So, now you're wondering... Who is this guy José Fidalgo?

One of José's biggest accomplishments is a short film he did with Monica Bellucci called "Heart Tango".

In case you don't know who Monica Belluci is, she's most known for her role in the second Matrix movie. She plays the wife of the Frenchman.


So after our Friday night talk, I got a sense of what it is that I need to do in order to accomplish becoming an actor. I need to let go of everything and just be a fool. Yes, that's correct. A fool.

Last night we had an improv class, as well as our movement class. Our improv class was the stage I used to act like a fool. The task at hand was to partner up with someone, and both of the students would have to walk outside the classroom (one at a time), come in talking jibberish, and the person inside the classroom would have to guess what "relation" their partner was to them. So to give you an example, a couple of students were Psychologist, Interrogators, Friends with benefits, etc. The task is to see if you can guess correctly what your partner was supposed to be you.

So as I mentioned before, I decided that I would let go of everything I always hold back. I asked myself "What's the one thing you would probably never do in public or in class". The answer was pretty simple "I would never take my shirt off in front of the class or in public for that matter". So, as I make my way outside the door, I decide what I will be to my partner Ana. As I walk in, I walk in seductively, I talk in jibberish trying to say "You know you want all this" as I point to my body and my sensual movements. I think my partner realized that I was an "entertainer" or "stripper" without me taking off my shirt, but I took off my shirt nonetheless. I tried my best and gave my partner a little lap dance, and of course proceeded to make a fool out of myself. :-)


I loved the fact that I didn't need to see my classmates faces as I did this because the loud "Ooohs and Ahhhs" were enough for me to realize that what I was doing was working. Mind you that all this probably took no more than 20 seconds, but those 20 seconds were extremely nerve wrecking. I don't care anymore. I've learned that you have to own what you do. That's in everything that I do now. Not just acting, but work, life, etc..

To sum all this up, it's extremely humbling when someone can do the following movie and still be in my class trying to better himself. If that isn't motivation, I don't know what is.