‘Abbott Elementary’ Star William Stanford Davis Wants More Actors to Say ‘No’ | ‘What No One Tells You’

When you’re conscionable starting retired arsenic an actor, wrestling pinch reservations astir taking connected a peculiar role, particularly erstwhile it could pay a fewer bills aliases moreover your rent, poses a challenge.

Then again, actors who spell nan region thin to activity pinch volition alternatively of throwing themselves astatine thing and everything. In nan latest section of “What No One Tells You,” William Stanford Davis (aka Mr. Johnson connected “Abbott Elementary“) told IndieWire’s Future of Filmmaking that while “people are acrophobic to opportunity no,” that 1 connection is cardinal to mounting yourself apart.

“They deliberation that saying nary intends that you’re not gonna get a job,” said Davis, “or that immoderate type of bad spell is gonna beryllium put connected you because you said nan connection ‘no.’ The connection ‘no’ is 1 of nan astir important things you tin opportunity successful this business.”

Davis cited a trial he gave while school acting classes successful Los Angeles, wherever he asked students if they were consenting to do nudity. Many, arsenic he said, instantly responded, “Oh, yeah, sure,” but to Davis, this meant, “They didn’t deliberation astir nan question.” If they’re consenting to do nudity, that’s perfectly fine, but not moreover trying to understand why your characteristic mightiness portion down indicates they would “do thing for a job.” Instead of conscionable saying yes to everything, actors should see why they’re nan champion fresh for a domiciled and usage that to guideline their choices instead.

Besides advising what to opportunity “no” to, Davis besides highlighted why actors should “always beryllium learning.” By keeping their minds open, actors tin pat into caller ways of performing to elevate their presence.

“For me, it was conscionable immoderate small things, for illustration each acquisition we person is filtered done your 5 senses,” Davis told Future of Filmmaking. “That was like, ‘Oh my God,’ that was for illustration an ‘Aha!’ infinitesimal for me. That was like, ‘Ok, I tin extremity pretending. I tin extremity acting. I tin only conscionable behave now.'”

He added, “Emotion for emotion’s liking is simply a lie. Emotion has to beryllium based connected nan truth, and if I’m telling nan truth each nan clip — if I’m really locked successful — nan truth of what this character’s going through, nan emotion’s gonna beryllium location to prevention me. It takes a tremendous magnitude of study to cleanable it, and I don’t deliberation anyone perfects it. I deliberation you’re perpetually learning, you’re perpetually growing.”

Watch a clip from his section of “What No One Tells You” below.

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