Articles
Unresolved Emotions (Part 1)
I’ve been reading a book that has given me some technical insight on what I intuitively knew already -- that many people in the “entertainment” industry are narcissistic, emotionally unstable, morally unhinged and self-destructive.
No, I’m not painting with too broad a brush. The public wreckage of the lives of many actors, comedians and musicians has been publicly documented, and casual sex, drinking binges, drug parties, public nudity, law-breaking and general debauchery have been characteristic of the industry for decades. And this from one of the most influential segments of our culture.
Why so many revere these people defies logic, but that’s for another article. What I want to explore is why public performers are so messed up and then connect it with a basic Biblical principle. The roots of modern acting theory grew “from the Group Theater, the groundbreaking company of actors, writers and directors that had adopted the principles of Constantin Stanislavski and the Moscow Art Theater in the 1930s and, in so doing, effected revolutionary changes in American theater and film -- changes that are today the norms and standards of acting directing and even theatrical writing” (James Lipton, “Inside Inside," p. 7).
This approach in America is called “Method Acting,” or just the Method. To boil down this philosophy into a simple concept, Method acting encourages the performer to become the character he or she is portraying, and in order to convince the audience the actor must truly feel, think and act the part.
Aspiring actors are encouraged to “get out of the way,” to “live in the moment,” to be “authentic.” They also are encouraged to cast off all personal inhibitions, beliefs or views that would limit their ability to totally transform into the characters. Actors must keep an array of emotions and mental states just beneath the surface so they can tap into them on the director’s cue. They are encouraged to expose themselves to a full range of life experiences, including every manner of immorality, so they have a full repertoire of human reactions from which to draw.
So what does this do to the performer? Among other things, it leaves him or her vulnerable to destructive thoughts that God’s word teaches us to spurn.
For example, anger is a powerful emotion that can easily be turned into evil excess. The Holy Spirit directs us, “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph. 4:26). But in Hollywood (or on Broadway) one must harbor and exaggerate the feelings of anger so that he can realistically portray it. Is it any wonder, then, that celebrities are so quick to attack photographers, damage the property of others, get into fights and be otherwise out of control? (There may be various “triggers” or causes of anger, but my point is that they are conditioned to harbor it rather than resolve it.)
Again, the Spirit counsels us to “flee sexual immorality” (I Cor. 6:18), and more stringently the Lord says, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). But in Fantasyland, actors are taught to remove inhibitions, flaunt their nakedness, climb into bed with others and “simulate” intimate activity -- all the while telling themselves they are only “acting.” Bah. How naïve can we possibly be? And do we wonder why so many have flings with their “co-stars,” engage in revolving-door marriages or have children out of wedlock (or worse, abortions)?
This is not, as they say, rocket science. Many emotions are potentially devastating to humans if we yield. In interviews with hundreds of performers on his program "Inside the Actors Studio," Lipton notes repeatedly the common thread of the early deaths, divorces of or abandonment by their parents. Almost to an individual, these people are searching for something that has been missing since childhood -- genuine parental love, acceptance and guidance.
But instead of being taught by God to deal with such pain, find meaningful substitutes among God’s people and ultimate comfort in Him, they are urged by their own profession to wallow in their sorrow and rip the scab off repeatedly for the performance. In this they remain mentally fragile, emotionally debilitated and spiritually destitute.
And the moral of the story is: The same thing will happen to us if we do not learn to resolve emotions that are destructive and sinful.
