David Duchovny: When Art and Reality Blurs
The Risks Involved When Actors Play Certain Roles
Nov 11, 2008
It’s not hard to notice that David Duchovny ironically went into rehab for sex addiction after winning a Golden Globe for his role in the TV series Californication. It sounds a lot like something the make-believe, sex-crazed novelist Hank would be in trouble with, not the actor David.
This isn’t something that tabloid readers should look upon with mean-spirited schadenfreude, and it’s definitely not an issue that should be glossed over. Rather, it brings up serious issues about the current reality and the dangers of two worlds subconsciously meshing together.
Current Reality
Society has reached an obvious point where divorce is normal and a lasting marriage is not; adultery is normal and staying faithful is not. But to top it off, when a show consists of scripts and story lines that require actors to “get into character” with continuously lewd or mentally disturbing performances, it can affect their minds, making it easier to cave in when they are back in real-life mode.
Can Fact and Fiction Really Be Separated?
Not many things in life are just black or white. And when acting involves deep intimacy or psychotic roles, actors risk merging art and reality together because it involves a weak part of the psyche and soul. Some actors are able to have more mind control than others, while some situations depend on how far actors are willing to go in order to depict their characters realistically on screen.
Sex as Part of the Main Storyline
The show Californication is exactly what it sounds like it’s about—fornication. Some even call it “soft-core porn.” But with all the lustfulness and libido dominating the show, it would be only natural for the actors to think about the subject constantly and subconsciously. Freud would agree. David Duchovny may have been the only person on the show who went to sex rehab, but he was the central player of the show.
Joe Vitale, a hypnotherapist and best-selling author wrote an article entitled “The Hypnotic Power of Repetition,” in which he explains how repetition is one of the most powerful tools of persuasion. “Repetition is hypnotic. It’s what good hypnotists use to install their suggestions in your mind. Their repeatedly saying ‘You are getting sleepy…’ is said because, heard enough times, you will get sleepy.’”
It is a reason why advertisers use the technique so often. It is how habits form. Repetition works, and it is also a way actors get lines and scenes drilled into their heads. And when acting gets physical, it has a stronger grip on the mind, especially when the whole day, month or year involves same enactments. The character’s body doesn’t get sloughed off once filming is over. It’s a body that is one and the same in and out of acting.
Playing a Psychopath as a Main Character
In preparing for The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger took intense steps to get into character for the psychotic Joker character. Ledger “reportedly locked himself in a London hotel room for six weeks practicing the faces, all the voices, even the laughs of The Joker. And he even kept journals of The Joker`s thoughts,” CNN’s Showbiz Tonight reported after his death.
Practicing the mentality of a psychopath through repetition and obsessive training may have made Ledger a great Joker, but at an expense that perhaps he wasn’t aware of. The Insider reported that “Heath Ledger had problems snapping out of character” and was not able to sleep after playing the role, leading to an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.
Terry Schreiber, a professional acting teacher, director and author said that “exploring the craft of acting should be a ‘sane obsession,’ not a process of mining neuroses as a creative tool.” The fictional role should never be the instigator for drawing out bad addictions or harmful obsessions in the actor’s personal life.
Acting is an art, but it can also be dangerous if the actors are not aware of their own limitations or ethical beliefs. When an unwise performing choice is made, the art can blur and trickle into a reality of problems, so it’s important for actors to know where they stand and reject roles when necessary.
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