In Character: Actors Acting

by Howard Schatz

A collection of photographic portraits featuring well-known actors assuming a variety of roles, accompanied by their comments on the art of acting. By the award-winning photographer and best-selling author of "Athlete and "Nude Body Nude.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Reference

264 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2006

Reviews

[Jennifer Tacbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boyfriend and I found this book at a tiny bookstore in a town where I was performing in a musical theater production. The book is filled with mugs of famous actors. Each actor is read a one-line description of a character. As the actor reacts to the character description using only a facial expression and hands, the photographer captures the reaction. Example situations taken from the book are an evil crime boss, an eight-year-old girl triumphing at a spelling bee, a gambler at the track, a businessman on the prowl, a teenage girl flirting, a coach imploring his players to play harder, a pediatrician with a bright five-year-old cancer patient who is making up an intriguing fairy tale, and a woman scorned.

Also included in the book are insights to the actors' character development processes, personal experiences and thoughts on acting.

Not only did we read this book from cover to cover, but we took turns creating character descriptions for each other to enact. It made for a very fun afternoon.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good coffee table book for anyone who enjoys looking at pictures of famous people. The photographs are great, and it was a really creative premise. Each actor is given a description of an emotion or an event ("You've just won the lottery!") and they are photographed expressing that emotion. Definitely worth examining.

[Wendy Holliday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically, a book of reactions. A director has given each actor a set up, and a photo is snapped, capturing an emotive facial expression.

Really good, and the ones of Alan Cumming and his adorable eyelashes kill me.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really cool!

[Alexkerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess you can't really read this book, but there are some words in it! It's a picture reference for emotions and facial expressions, but with actors. Very fun to look at.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Some actors are better at the given scenarios than others, but very cool.

[Craig Leimkuehler]

A great book of actors acting and their thoughts on acting.