<p>I tripped across this thread as I was looking for something else; and the comments caught my attention. I’ve never been a serious actor, only things like a skit for a church function or a bit part in my high school senior play. I want to comment on how people are using the defense of “it is my character doing ________ , in the play, it’s not me.” The blank is filled with whatever issue the immediate question is about, be it foul language, kissing somebody, nudity, or simply playing rotten person (such as Adolph Hitler). In college, I, like most students, was required to attend several theater performances as part of course requirements for humanities classes. A few of the productions were tedious, but most were enjoyable; I’m a math and science person, and I only “appreciate” a play/musical if it is actually entertaining.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I went to medium sized university that has about 4,000 undergraduate students. While I can’t say that I knew everyone, there is a certain level of familiarity with maybe half the people on campus (had a class with them, lived in the same dorm, see them in the cafeteria all the time, etc.) So, it was common that I recognized a few of the faces that were on stage in any given performance. With respect to simply playing a character, you folks are all correct – I never associated the persona and language of the characters they were portraying as actually being the way they were off stage. For a few of the people I knew personally, it was quite obvious that the character and the off-stage person were certainly not of the same attitudes or behaviors, and I had no problem whatsoever separating the two. As for physical actions, such as kissing or shaking hands, while I recognized that the role called for it, I was also very aware that the actor was actively going through the process of the physical act of kissing or shaking hands – the lips of two actors touched in a romantic style or the hands of two actors grasped one another followed by a brief up and down motion, just as my lips and a girlfriend’s lips might touch as we were “saying” goodbye or like I would shake the hand of someone that I was just introduced to; the actors/actresses likely had no personal romantic affection for their kissing partner, but still, they did actualy do a kiss. At one performance (I can’t remember the name), it was a bit on the edgy side, and yes, there was some nudity. This is where the notion of separation of the character from the actor was totally lost from the “guy in the audience” perspective. Just as with on-stage kissing and hand shaking, I fully realized that the role called for the nudity; the actoress (as an individual) didn’t randomly decide, in the middle of the play, that she felt like baring her breasts for all who were present to see, she planned/agreed to it long in advance of that evening. None the less, I saw a real girl’s breasts, and I wasn’t thinking to myself “those are only the breasts of her character,” but rather, it was more like “damn, Elaine has a nice pair.” </p>
<p>I recognize that actors like to compartmentalize and rationalize things, and I suppose if I had a role/job that called on me to bare it all and I wanted to keep that role/job, I would do it. If I had an internal moral or social conflict with the notion of getting naked in front of a room full of random people, that could very well include people like fellow students in my Chemistry class, I would simply tell myself (and all who would listen) that it wasn’t me displaying my ***** for all to see, but rather it was my character (e.g., a gay man who likes horses, a rapist, a horny college student ala American Pie) who just showed everyone “his” *****.</p>
<p>In summary, the “its the character” thing works just fine for general application (somebody has to play the part of Hitler when you do a WW2 movie, or the outlaw in a Western). The “its the character” can be somewhat applied in cases of non-faked physical acts, such as kissing and shaking hands (I accept that you really don’t get that warm fuzzy feeling when she kisses you, it’s merely the touching of the lips in the form of a kiss). But for those who want to even try to pretend that “its ONLY the character” who is baring those “private” body parts, give it up. Those are YOUR breasts, butts, labias, *****es, and (for those who don’t shave) pubic hair that you are showing to all who happen to be there. It’s been at least 10 years since I saw that play I spoke of earlier – I can’t remember much of the plot or even the name of it, but I can vividly remember Elaine’s breasts – not her character’s breasts, ELAINE’S breasts.</p>
<p>For all you moms out there, it is time to stop rationalizing about your “mature” daughter (or son). She is showing her breasts (or more) to the world. It is not her character, it is her. I’m not making a moral judgement in the least bit, in fact, I’m happy to look at your daughter’s breasts (or more) if she is willing to show them to me. Some women will only show their breasts to their husband after they are married, some (most) will let a boyfriend see them after dating a few weeks/months; some will briefly flash them at Mardi Gras (typically with the aid of some alcohol), others will go topless at a public beach where there are others also going topless; I suppose your daughter’s “place” where she likes to show her assets is on a theatrical stage, with the spotlight on her and a bunch of people watching. Like I said, I have no judgement for a person that fits any of those examples listed, I just ask that you not be in denial about the fact of your daughter’s nudity on stage – she is doing it because she likes doing it, just like that married woman, that teenager on a fourth date, that semi-drunk lady at Mardi Gras, and that gal at the beach.</p>