The Nervous System and the Actor’s Craft

Acting is often described as “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Yet what determines whether those circumstances feel truthful to the actor - and believable to the audience - is not only imagination and technique, but the actor’s nervous system. The body’s physiological state plays a tremendous role in shaping how present, an actor can be in a scene, whether it’s in class, in an audition, on stage, or on set.

At its core, the nervous system regulates the body’s stress response, emotional processing, and capacity for presence. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, we move into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode. How? The heart can race, breathing becomes shallow, and muscles can tighten. While this can sometimes be useful in high-stakes dramatic moments, more often it pulls the actor out of the present, narrows focus, and makes listening to a partner nearly impossible. Instead of responding authentically, the actor becomes self-conscious or mechanical, trapped in their own head.

By contrast, when the parasympathetic nervous system is engaged - the “rest and digest” state - the body is calmer and more open. Breath deepens, muscles release, and awareness expands. In this state, actors are far more capable of receiving impulses, listening deeply, and allowing authentic emotional responses to emerge. The nervous system, in other words, is the foundation upon which truthful acting rests.

Students in class with me hear me say ‘breath’ very frequently. This is a one word command that actually means ‘release’. We must be released in order to be affectable. 

Working from a released state can help your work, basically everywhere: in auditions, where nerves can sabotage preparation; in rehearsal, where you may struggle to stay loose while trying new choices; and on stage or set, where the pressure of an audience or camera can trigger the body into survival mode. Recognizing that these experiences are nervous system responses - not personal failures - can be a liberating shift for actors.

Fortunately, the nervous system is trainable! Students who have been in my class (and all classes within the studio) for more than a couple month have experienced this training. Practices like breathwork, grounding exercises, mindfulness, and physical warm-ups help regulate the body and bring it into a state of readiness. Packing your individual toolkit with customized exercises and tricks that suit YOU to maintain a released state in the work.  Even something as simple as relaxing the belly for one breath or planting both feet firmly on the ground can signal safety to the body, allowing the actor to access presence and safety within vulnerability. The more consistently actors practice regulation, the more resilient their nervous system becomes, making it easier to stay grounded even under stress.

Ultimately, acting is not just a mental or emotional craft - it is physiological. By learning to work with, rather than against, the nervous system, you can expand your capacity for truth, and connection. Scenes become less about “performing” and more about “experiencing.” And when the nervous system is balanced, you can be free: free to listen, free to play, and free to let the story live fully through you. How wonderful! 

Keep up the great work!

Mark :)