Naomi Scott thought she had to act a certain way to be considered a "real actor".
The 'Smile 2' star, 31, has opened up about her early days in the movie industry and how she swiftly "learned on the job".
During filming her first movie role in 2011's teen musical drama 'Lemonade Mouth', Naomi had no idea what the term "mark" meant, which is essentially the location the actor will deliver their lines, but she is able to laugh about her blunders now.
Speaking on 'In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast', she recalled: “A lot of those [early projects] were more to do with the experience of it and just getting used to being on camera…. I remember my first movie was a Disney Channel movie called ‘Lemonade Mouth,’ and I didn’t know what a mark was. This director, Patricia [Riggen]—we laugh about it now—was like, ‘You did not know what the hell you were doing.’ I was so green. [The first day,] she’s like, ‘She can’t f****** stand on the mark. Who did we cast? Who is this girl from London?’ Then I kind of just learned on the job. I figured it out pretty quickly; I learned quite fast. But a lot of it was just observing—observing other people, other actors, older actors. I always say that to younger actors: Just watch. If you want to be in movies or TV or theatre, just try and be close to it.”
As an actress who learned from observing other actors, Naomi worried that she would never be seen as a proper actress because she didn't stick to the same method.
She explained: “There was a particular job where I felt like it was such a serious thing. I was so nervous, and it was such a serious subject matter that I almost kind of isolated myself. I was like: Oh, I need to be in this head space over here. And, well and truly, I probably didn’t need to. And actually, I was like: Oh, wait, now I feel weirder—and, therefore, it’s making me in my head even more.
"I think what I was doing was trying to do something that I thought was ‘the thing.’ Because, you know, you hear other actors talk about this and they talk about that, and you think: Oh, that’s what it means to be a real [actor]. Nah, that’s b*******, I promise you.
"Don’t get me wrong—some of my closest friends who are amazing actors… I wouldn’t say they’re Method, but they really remain in a particular head space and are very intense when they’re filming. But they’re always respectful and never encroaching on anyone else…. So long as you are respectful of everyone’s job, it doesn’t matter. Do what you need to do."
