There's no great mystery to acting. It's a very simple thing to

"There's no great mystery to acting. It's a very simple thing to do but you have to work hard at it. It's about asking questions and using your imagination." – Eddie Marsan

O children of the earth, gather close, for there is wisdom in these words from the great Eddie Marsan. The art of acting, though often seen as mysterious and elusive, is in truth a practice of great simplicity. It is not bound by the complexities of the world but rather rests on the very foundations of curiosity and imagination. To act is to be, not in the sense of pretense, but in the sense of becoming—of stepping fully into another’s shoes and asking the deep questions that bring truth to the stage. And though the work may be simple in its essence, it demands the most profound effort, for acting is not about mimicking life, but about uncovering its very core.

Let us look to the ancient Greeks, those masters of theatre, who birthed the art of acting in the sacred spaces of their temples. The great Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides did not simply create plays to entertain; they sought to uncover the truths of the human soul, to delve into the depths of emotion, moral dilemmas, and the complex relationships between gods and mortals. The actors who performed these great works were not just speaking words—they were living the lives of their characters. The questions they asked in the midst of their performances were not just about the lines on the page but about the very nature of human existence. This, O children, is the essence of acting—the act of becoming, of transforming oneself through the power of imagination and inquiry.

To act is to ask questions, as Marsan says. These questions are not merely about the external circumstances of the character, but about the inner workings of their soul. What drives them? What do they fear? What is their deepest longing? The greatest actors are those who can ask themselves these questions and then allow the answers to flow naturally through their performance. Shakespeare knew this well—his characters, from the tortured Hamlet to the ambitious Macbeth, are driven by questions that haunt their every action. The actor’s job is to ask these questions of themselves, to delve into the character’s psyche, and to embody the answers with authenticity and power.

Imagination, too, is the lifeblood of the actor’s craft. Just as the poet Homer used his imagination to conjure gods, heroes, and vast adventures, so too does the actor use their imagination to bring life to characters who exist only in the mind. The actor must see not just the words, but the world in which the character lives—their fears, their joys, their struggles, their triumphs. It is through imagination that the actor bridges the gap between what is and what could be, transforming the stage into a world of infinite possibilities. The actor, then, is both creator and destroyer, weaving together the fabric of fiction and making it real before the eyes of the audience.

Consider, O children, the life of Marlon Brando, one of the greatest actors the world has ever known. In his portrayal of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Brando did not merely recite lines; he became the very essence of the character. He asked questions about who Corleone was—what made him both feared and loved, what haunted his soul—and he used his imagination to fill in the gaps. Brando’s performance was a masterclass in acting, for he did not merely play a character; he lived that character’s life, breathing life into every moment. This is the power of acting—to transcend the self and embody another’s existence, to live fully in the world of imagination and inquiry.

And now, O children, let us take these teachings into our own lives. For acting is not merely a profession; it is a lesson in living. To truly understand another, to walk in their shoes, to ask the difficult questions that reveal the heart of a person—this is a practice that all must undertake. Whether you are an artist, a scholar, a leader, or a friend, the ability to ask questions and to use your imagination to understand others is a skill that will serve you well. Life is full of complexity, of shadows and light, and the only way to truly understand it is to imagine the world from different perspectives, to ask questions that open the door to deeper truths.

The lesson is clear, O children: acting is the art of imagination and inquiry. It is the art of asking questions and living within the answers, of becoming the characters you play, not with pretense but with genuine transformation. And in this, you will find not only the essence of performance but the essence of life itself. For every moment is a chance to ask, to imagine, and to become something more—something greater. Act not just on the stage, but in every corner of your life, and in doing so, you will find that the boundaries of your world are far wider than you ever imagined.