When I tell people what classes I am taking in college the typical response I receive is "OMG I'm so jealous. All of your classes sound so easy!" Yes, I know, I'm taking classes like Acting, Movement, and Voice and Speech while you're over there taking biology and calculus. That doesn't mean my classes are easy. While you are correct that I don't have many tests or much homework, I am still expected to bring 100 percent of myself to my classes. You can go to biology and sit in the back and take a nap. I don't have that luxury.
When you see a truly gifted actor they are so lifelike and real that people get the misconception that acting is easy. It is seen as something pursued by pretty, dumb people who don't have many other options. I mean, all you do is stand there in front of a camera/audience and say some lines, right? How hard could it be? Let me tell you. This year I started my Meisner training with some of the best Meisner experts in the world. When we started training I didn't really understand how what we were doing connected to acting, but I did it. Now, as I finish my first year I realize just how hard real acting is. My first semester I was required to do 45 minutes of repetition every night. That means that every night for 45 minutes I was creating a deep connection with one of my classmates, none of whom I knew very well. I have never trusted easily and suddenly I was thrust into the position of having to trust 26 people I had only know for a few months. It was terrifying.
As our training progressed we were shown parts of ourselves we had never had a chance to explore. I have cried more this year than I have in my entire life. It sounds weird to say that my acting class made me break down into a sobbing mess every day, but it's true. And I loved every second of it. As we moved into movement class we had to gain complete control and command over our bodies. It may not sound as hard as calculus, but trust me, it is. My classes require focus, trust, and a lack of cynicism. In my classes I am my own worst enemy and my best teacher. I'm in getting a degree in something no one can really teach me. I am the only person who can teach me to be a great actor. That's not an easy thing to do
So no, I'm not taking traditionally "hard" classes, but that doesn't mean I don't come home exhausted every day. It doesn't mean I don't struggle to get good grades. It doesn't mean that I am getting an easy degree. I still struggle, I still work my butt off; I still do real work. So let's stop the degree shaming, shall we?
