Interview with Acting Coach Sheila Gray

Interview with Sheila Gray by F. Brandmeier

Munich, March 12th, 2017

Your talent development is key!

A cloudy day in Munich. The theatre marathon at the Munich Kammerspiele is still in full swing. I sit with a cup of tea above the Deutsches Theater and begin my interview with Sheila Gray, the renowned acting coach from New York. It is still early morning for her, but she shows no signs of it.

We immediately dive into an intense conversation. Here are a few excerpts from our discussion that I would like to share with you.

Do you notice a difference when working with supporting roles versus lead roles?

Most actors start as supporting roles. I believe everyone has to go through this process. But the lead actor must carry the film. The charisma, energy, and acting performance must be right for the film to succeed. That’s just how it is. The audience must be so engaged that they want to see what the character does next in the film.

Stanislavsky, for example, said, “An actor has to be attractive.” He did not mean that the actor has to be physically beautiful, but that they should have a quality in their person who the audience wants to see. Some people often ask me in this context whether I can teach talent. I then say that, unfortunately, I don’t believe that can be done. Either you have it or you don’t. But the important and pivotal point is that you develop your talent. And that’s where I can help the actor with my skills as an acting coach.

Most of the time, I can see that talent from afar when someone walks into a room. But I can also be surprised. Nowadays, so many people are in their heads and not in their bodies, making it difficult for them to access their hidden talent. Only when they feel more comfortable, and we get to know each other a bit, does something wonderful come to light. That’s a significant moment!

And then we can develop the talent. That doesn’t happen to me often, but when it does, it’s truly impressive!

Which actors do you work with?

I am known for working with well-established, famous actors. However, I am also known for working with people who have little or no acting experience—like new, unknown faces. If I think about it now, I can immediately name three individuals who had never worked as actors before, and now, having worked with me, they are in the business and have developed their skills very well.

One was a ballet dancer, the second was a photographer, and the third was lost in his world. And I knew within a week that all three would succeed. It was incredible!

What should an actor bring to the table, and what is the essence of their work?

An actor must be versatile. The ability to be someone else from one day to the next is absolutely essential.

I always say there are two reasons people act: The first reason is that they want to express themselves. The second reason is that they want to break free from their persona and step into another role. They want to experience different situations and be another character. And that’s so exciting when acting. You have your private life and then several entirely different lives as well. It’s like a journey of discovery.

Another thing I often tell young actors (who are usually very self-centred, which of course has to do with trends like the selfie generation) is: “You are not playing yourself.” I mean, you connect with the core of yourself, yes, but from there you must develop further in different directions and alienate yourself so that you can actually step into another character.

I also believe that we must always walk a fine line regarding the character. How much can the actor take from themselves and their personality, and what is truly different about them in relation to the character they are aiming for?

A character, whether they have just three lines in a script or are the lead role, only becomes good if they have a story in mind. There are reasons someone might work as a server when playing a server, for example. And this understanding of why and where they come from, what the character’s story is, is something an actor must know. This imagination is very creative work, but it can also be very analytical as you look at the cultural or sociological context in which the character exists.

As an actor, one should never stop growing and working on oneself. That is the job of an artist, and it is wonderful!

Biography of Sheila Gray:

Born in Manhattan, Sheila grew up in theatre and began acting as a teenager. In New York, she took private lessons from various teachers. Her first mentor was Sandra Seacat, a member of the Actors Studio and a method-based teacher who also teaches dream work. Sheila was influenced by Marcia Haufrecht, who is also a member of the Actors Studio and applies a more traditional method and sensory-based technique. For fifteen years, Sheila worked as an actress in New York, Los Angeles, and abroad. In 1992, she began teaching for Sandra and found her true calling in 1993. She developed her own approach, combining method techniques, improvisation, and innovative exercises and materials, dedicating herself full-time to teaching.

In the same year, the renowned casting director Ellen Chenowith hired Sheila as a coach for the pre-production and on-set of Robert De Niro’s debut “In the Streets of the Bronx.” Sheila had the great fortune to work on many sets of different film and television productions.

Some of Sheila Gray’s clients have included: Jane Adams, Talia Balsam, Annie De Franco, James Gandolfini, Gina Gershon, Heather Goldenhersh, Chris Noth, Terence Howard, Jack Huston, Milla Jovovich, Leona Lewis, Rachel McAdams, Winona Ryder, Max Beesley, Juliane Nicholson, Justice Smith, Erin Moriarty and many more.