“I’ve Been Told to Be Still and Not Move on Screen…” — Why That Note Is Misleading
I hear this all the time from new actors who walk into the Screen Acting GYM each week:
“I’ve been told to be still and not move on screen.”
And every time, it concerns me.
Why?
Because it tells me those actors have been taught by someone who doesn’t truly understand how screen acting actually works.
Movement Isn’t the Enemy — Unconscious, Unmotivated Movement Is
One of the most common notes I give to actors practicing self-tapes is this:
“Be in your body.”
And what I really mean is: move.
Move the way you do in your everyday life.
Think about it:
When you’re chatting with your mum at the kitchen table, do you sit like a statue?
When a stranger approaches you on the street to ask for directions, do you freeze?
Of course not.
We’re constantly shifting, gesturing, breathing, reacting. We are alive.
So why would we suddenly shut that down when we step in front of a camera?
The Actor’s 25% Brain
I believe every actor needs a “25% brain” — a small part of your awareness that’s always observing how you behave, move, react, and physically respond in different circumstances.
Maybe I’m odd, but I have it running all the time.
Even in intense moments — arguments, emotional conversations, surprising interactions — a little voice notes:
“Oh, that’s an interesting reaction you just had. Remember this for a scene like this in the future.”
That awareness is part of the craft.
We train ourselves to understand our natural rhythm, physical patterns, and authentic movement, so that when we step into a character, we aren’t inventing life — we’re drawing from lived, embodied truth.
Study the Great Movers
Yes, MOVERS. Because great screen actors move.
Watch Jessica Lange in Tootsie (or any other part she ever done!).
She uses her arms and hands beautifully — expressive, graceful, alive.
Watch Meg Ryan, even in dramatic work like When a Man Loves a Woman.
She never stops living in her body.
Or look at the “big boys”:
Jack Nicholson in The Shining or in The Witches of Eastwick
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed
These actors aren’t still. They’re comfortable in their bodies. They understand how to move in a way that remains grounded, cinematic, and intentional.
Stillness Is a Tool — Not a Rule
Great screen actors know when to be still.
Stillness, when chosen with intention, becomes powerful, charged, magnetic.
But stillness is not:
locking your body
freezing your hands
monitoring your eyebrows
suppressing your natural impulses
That’s not stillness — that’s self-consciousness.
Your Job Is to Find YOUR Movement
Study the actors I’ve mentioned.
Watch their films like a surgeon:
dissect their scenes
analyse their gestures
track how their body supports their emotional life
But above all:
Discover how YOU move in real life.
Learn your body.
Live in your body.
Bring that body to the screen.
Because authentic movement reads as truth — and truth is what the camera loves.
Hope to see you at the Screen Acting GYM soon.
Come move, explore, and own your body on screen.
Big Hugs,
Natalia
If you enjoyed my blog and it resonated with you, I’d be truly grateful if you shared it on your social media so it might support other actors as well. My goal is to create a safe, encouraging space where actors can feel seen and supported.
