Sam Voutas spent his high school years in Beijing before moving back to his native Australia to study acting at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts. He is now a Beijing-based actor, writer and director. He wrote and starred in his own comedy series on CCTV, and recently played a reporter in the box-office hit City of Life and Death (also known as Nanjing! Nanjing!). Voutas took time out of pre-production for his own feature-length script to speak with the Year 11 drama students at the International BISS School of Beijing.
Vasudha Mukherjee, 16, India
How did you get into acting?
Like you, I studied theater in high school, and I really enjoyed it – so I continued to study it in university. My parents were worried about my just studying acting, so I took a creative arts course that covered various fields. During university, I went down the long road of acting in short films and friends’ films – it’s how I got started.
Zainab Samad, 15, India
Who are your inspirations?
Steve Buscemi and Harvey Keitel – actors who came out of the New York scene; they play their roles using their own idiosyncrasies. But they had a hard time, too; they spent a long time in the New York independent scene before they got a break.
Jessie Demnar, 17, Australia
How is Chinese TV different from Western TV?
In Chinese TV you may get the script a day before, or even half an hour before you have to be on set. You have to be very good at memorizing. I might not even know the person I’m acting with. Whereas in the West, you get more time to prepare.
Vasudha Mukherjee, 16, India
If you don’t like the person you’re working with, how do you deal with that?
It’s so hard. There are 100 to 200 people on a film set; you won’t like all of them, but during a scene, you just have to put that aside.
Monique Brown, 16, Australia
Have you used method-acting techniques?
I’ve studied techniques where you take a personal memory to try and give more weight to the scene. But using your own personal feelings is like playing with fire. You have to be careful where you draw the line and how you use the method. The technique gets you to deal with some very emotional things, but ultimately you want to be comfortable up there.
Jessie Demnar, 17, Australia
What’s the best acting technique you’ve been taught?
To be spontaneous – spontaneity provides options for acting out a scene that you might not have thought about. When you’re performing a play, you can suffer from fatigue and it’s easy to play the scene the same way every time. Be careful of getting into the rut of performing the same character in the same way – always keep it fresh.
Zainab Samad, 15, India
When you’re acting, do you feel confident?
A lot of it has to do with preparation. You have to learn your lines so they become instinctive. If you don’t feel comfortable in the character, no one else will. In theater, you only have one go; at least with film and TV you have another chance. Any actor who says they don’t have any doubts before they go on stage is lying.
Monique Brown, 16, Australia
Do you have any acting tips that could help us?
I often make this mistake: I try too hard. I want my performance to be perfect. But remember, a character doesn’t have to try to be that character – they just are. If you’re overcompensating, you won’t do yourself any favors.
Michelle Pack, 17, Korea
What acting techniques work for you?
Like any skill, learn all techniques and then keep what works for you. You don’t have to follow everything by the book. Every actor is different, so just use what works best for you.
Yu Ann Tan, 16, Singapore
Do you use relaxation techniques before a scene?
It depends on the scene; I sometimes like to take a minute to get into my own space. A film set is so noisy because directors might be yelling. I try to focus on a small spot on the wall – I have my own space so that when they call my name, I’m ready. A lot of time on a film set is spent waiting around, but you always have to be ready to perform.
Frena Hailekiros, 16, Ethiopia
Any tips for memorizing lines?
I write down all of my lines and I repeat them again and again. The purpose is to get them stuck into your memory so that it becomes second nature – once you know the lines, you can add the emotion. The lines are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s like memorizing Chinese characters.
KyuEon Park, 17, Korea
How do you deal with all the distractions on set?
Sally Field said an interesting thing: She used to take out her contacts so she couldn’t really see the people watching her during a scene. With stage performances, the benefit is that the lights are almost blinding, so you can’t really see the audience. In City of Life and Death, a producer came in and sat right in front of me. He was wearing these ridiculous sunglasses and I was trying to do this really serious scene. It was so distracting, but you can only do your best. Just soldier on.
Frena Hailekiros, 16, Ethiopia
If memory recall doesn’t work, what’s your Plan B?
If it doesn’t work, don’t push it. You’ll feel differently from one day to the next. You have to try a bunch of different things – some days you’ll feel really natural, some days you’ll forget your lines. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Yu Ann Tan, 16, Singapore
What’s the difference between stage and film?
In film, the acting is so minimal thanks to close-up shots, but on stage, you don’t have that benefit. The emotion you feel on stage may be real, but because the audience is so far away, they can’t see it. You have to change the way you perform based on where the audience is.
Michelle Pack, 17, Korea
How do you get into character?
In my living room I try to figure out how my character walks, how they stand. I think about where the character is from, what does he do? I write it all down in a notebook and if I’m on set I read it to remind myself. If you’re doing a play about imperial Russia, read some books about that time – that way even when you’re not acting, you’re thinking about it.
Jessie Demnar, 17, Australia
Which do you prefer, stage or film?
I prefer film. Stage is great, but the moment passes so quickly. In film, you can hold onto all your hard work. Fifty years later you can show people the film and it will be just as real as when you shot it. With film, you have the chance to minimize everything – it’s a fun challenge to take these emotions and not overplay it. I don’t really like TV acting – it’s like working in a factory.
Yu Ann Tan, 16, Singapore
How did you break into acting – was it hard?
When I was in university I went to a lot of auditions and worked on a lot of small films. The hardest part is actually the time in between work. It’s a very hard industry – the time when you’re performing is actually very minimal. It’s an industry of rejection, but you have to say, “If I get one out of ten roles, I’m doing well.” Sometimes you just don’t have the right look and you have to learn to not take it personally. Just persevere. It never comes instantly.
Jessie Demnar, 17, Australia
How did you get into the Chinese industry?
I could try to go to America but what would make me different? How do I compete? I have one advantage – I can speak good Chinese and I know the country (I went to high school here). Working here is now helping me make connections in the West. I had a role in City of Life and Death and that’s now screening at the Berlin Festival, so people overseas will get to see my work.
