The Courage to Feel: Acting and the Art of Embracing Discomfort

Courage is often associated with grand gestures - running into danger, speaking truth to power, standing up for what’s right. But for us actors, courage takes a quieter, more intimate form. To be fully present in the uncomfortable, messy, and often painful parts of being human - the very parts most people spend their lives avoiding.

In everyday life, most of us were unconsciously conditioned to manage or suppress difficult emotions. We distract ourselves from grief, deflect vulnerability, and avoid conflict to stay safe and comfortable, which makes sense, right? But acting demands the opposite. To bring a character to life with honesty and depth, an actor must dive straight into the emotional terrain most people tiptoe around. That’s not just a skill - it’s a deeply courageous act.

The hardest part? When the character you’re playing behaves and lives in a way that is vastly different from how you live. Maybe they make choices you’d never make, hold beliefs that feel foreign, or express emotions you’d rather keep at arm’s length. It can feel inauthentic at first - even dangerous or deeply uncomfortable - to willingly allow those feelings to exist in your body. But the work requires you to go there anyway, to stay open and nonjudgmental, to stretch beyond your personal experience while still grounding the performance in truth.

This doesn’t mean an actor has to become the character or agree with them. It means developing the emotional courage to explore the full spectrum of human behavior - even the darker corners - with empathy and presence. That vulnerability is what gives a performance real weight and impact. The courage lies in saying, “I don’t live like this, but I’m willing to feel what this person might feel.”

I think it’s important to add that  it’s not about doing this recklessly. It’s about doing it with care, craft, and self-awareness. The willingness to inhabit discomfort - not to glorify it, but to understand it - is what transforms acting into something powerful and transformative. ‘Collaboration is key’ and I’ve seen some huge strides forward with getting more emotional access and vulnerability from students who are doing the courageous work I’m writing about now. It’s impossible to do it alone.

I’m writing this because I was reminded of it as an actor myself last week in a very real way. I auditioned for a role where the character’s instincts and impulses were the complete opposite of my own. It was challenging, confronting, and honestly, it took a tremendous amount of preparation - but more importantly, courage. It stretched me. It forced me to lean into the discomfort instead of resisting it. And it reminded me exactly why this work matters to me and why I love it. It’s the thing that takes story telling to the next level.

Keep up the great work!

M :)