One of the most common mistakes I see actors make at is assuming that there is only one way to play a character or a scene. What you may not know is that there are at least 49 other ways that the character and scene could be done.

Let me demonstrate this for you.

If you have a group of 10 actors on an acting course and you ask them to read the same part, each one will be different. There may be commonalities but, because each individual is unique, they will bring their own take on the character.

Of course this is unconscious and driven by the conditioning of the actor.

Great actors are very conscious of this and are constantly looking for the variety of ways a character or scene can be played.

Marlon Brando was a master at this. He used Method Acting and attended method acting classes at The Actors Studio in New York.

Each time he did a film take he would often change what he did in the scene and play with it to see what the possibilities were.

It’s best to have an inquisitive mind as an actor. You should constantly be asking the question – why?

I was speaking with my sister the other day; she has a 2 year old son called Luke. She told me his current favourite word is ‘why?’. Often he will ask ‘why?’ ten times in a row to get the information he needs.

We could all do with a touch of this child-like inquisitiveness. You will discover a lot more than just how to develop your logical train of thought.

Another great quality kids have, that allows them to explore many possibilities, is their ability to play without fear.

Kid’s don’t worry what others may think of them. They just want to play and get what they need. And boy, when they need something, they go after it 100%, finding it in many different ways.

This is something all actors need to develop during their acting training. They have to go after what the character needs in a creative, inventive and fearless way.

We can learn a lot from the little people.