Breaking character explained

In theatre (especially in the illusionistic Western tradition), breaking character occurs when an actor fails to maintain the illusion that they are the character they are supposedly portraying. This is considered unprofessional while performing in front of an audience or camera (except when the act is a deliberate breaking of the fourth wall). One of the most common ways of breaking character is corpsing, in which an actor loses their composure and laughs or giggles in a comedy scene or scene requiring ludicrous actions. If the breaking of character is particularly serious, it would normally result in an abandonment of a take in recorded or filmed drama.

Famous breaks in film

The advent of DVD players, with the use of their precise pause and slow-motion functions, has made it far easier to spot breaks in character in motion pictures, and many internet sites collect such examples.[1]

Example:

On television

Examples of actors breaking character on television include:

Virtual and gaming environments

Breaking character or corpsing is also being used more frequently to describe a participant-player who, having assumed the role of a virtual character or avatar and is acting within a virtual or gaming environment, then breaks out of that character.[22] For example, this could be a player-character behaving inappropriately within the social-cultural environment depicted by the virtual or gaming environment or the participant-player ceasing to interact-play (momentarily or entirely) leaving the character suspended and/or lifeless.

Professional wrestling

See main article: Kayfabe. Breaking character is not solely limited to performances in traditional theater, television, and film; the phenomenon is not unheard of in professional wrestling, which is normally highly scripted.

Fictional depictions of breaking character

In Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci, commedia dell'arte actor Canio kills his real-life wife and her lover onstage.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Actors Breaking Character to Laugh With Each Other Between Takes . Abraham . June 6, 2013 . twentytwowords.com . September 7, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906235757/http://twentytwowords.com/actors-breaking-character-to-laugh-with-each-other-between-takes-15-pictures/ . September 6, 2015 . dead .
  2. Web site: Movie Reviews: The Return of the Pink Panther . Varley, John . John Varley (author) . 2013 . John Varley . September 7, 2015.
  3. Web site: Ciaran Meets the Stars . Brown, Ciaran . Ciaran Brown . September 7, 2015.
  4. Book: The Other Side of Ethel Mertz . Frank Castelluccio & Alvin Walker . Knowledge, Ideas & Trends . 270 . 1998 . 1-879198-26-6 . registration .
  5. Web site: 2023-03-22 . The 'SNL' mistake that Will Ferrell loved most . 2024-04-30 . faroutmagazine.co.uk . en-US.
  6. Web site: Matt Foley: Van Down by the River - SNL . .
  7. Web site: Jimmy Fallon and James Franco laugh about 'more cowbell' sketch from 'SNL' on 'Tonight Show' . Reiher, Andrea . Mar 15, 2014 . Zap2it . 'You always cracked up!' says Franco. . September 7, 2015 . September 8, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150908105524/http://zap2it.com/2014/03/jimmy-fallon-and-james-franco-laugh-about-more-cowbell-sketch-from-snl-on-tonight-show/ . dead .
  8. Web site: Jimmy Fallon Recalls Famous Blue Oyster Cult / 'More Cowbell' Saturday Night Live Skit . Lifton, Dave . June 27, 2012 . ultimateclassicrock.com . ...Fallon ... often had difficulty keeping a straight face. In a new interview, Fallon recalls why he broke up in the middle of the famous 'More Cowbell' sketch... . September 7, 2015.
  9. When Is It OK to Crack Up? Some Ground Rules for the Cast of SNL . Winter, Jessica . July 25, 2013 . . September 7, 2015.
  10. Web site: 2023-08-24 . Debbie Downer: A History of Rachel Dratch’s Iconic SNL Character . 2024-04-30 . NBC Insider Official Site . en-US.
  11. Web site: Ivie . Devon . 2024-04-15 . Heidi Gardner Couldn’t Prepare for What She Saw . 2024-04-30 . Vulture . en.
  12. Web site: Perez . Lexy . 2024-04-16 . Heidi Gardner Reacts to Breaking Character During ‘SNL’ ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Sketch: “I Lost It” . 2024-04-30 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  13. Web site: Sharf . Zack . 2024-04-16 . ‘SNL’ Star Heidi Gardner Says ‘Anxiety Set in’ After Breaking So Hard During ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Sketch: ‘I’ll Never Be Able to Shake’ What I Saw . 2024-04-30 . Variety . en-US.
  14. Web site: 2024-04-16 . ‘SNL’ Star Heidi Gardner Feels Terrible She Broke Character During ‘Beavis And Butt-Head’ Skit . 2024-04-30 . HuffPost . en.
  15. Web site: Ortiz . Andi . 2024-04-16 . SNL: Heidi Gardner Explains Why She Lost It in 'Beavis and Butt-Head' Sketch . 2024-04-30 . TheWrap . en-US.
  16. Web site: 2024-04-18 . 'SNL' shows behind-the-scenes footage of 'Beavis and Butt-Head' skit that broke Heidi Gardner . 2024-04-30 . TODAY.com . en.
  17. Web site: Evans . Greg . 2024-04-16 . Heidi Gardner Explains Butt-Head Crack-Up On Last Saturday’s ‘SNL’ . 2024-04-30 . Deadline . en-US.
  18. As The Feast of Steven was a one-off filler episode, and now only survives as a home-made audio recording, it's possible that the episode contains other instances of actors visually breaking character.
  19. Prince Charles Scandal - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart . https://web.archive.org/web/20210130071449/https://www.cc.com/video/1gonk2/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-prince-charles-scandal . dead . January 30, 2021 . 2003-11-11 . en-us . 2024-04-30 . www.cc.com.
  20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IUSM4EKcRI
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uasRKdYZ4xQ
  22. Tim Marsh. 2006. Vicarious experience: staying there connected with and through our own and other characters. Chapter, In: Gaming As Culture: Essays on Reality, Identity And Experience in Fantasy Games. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, pp. 196-214.