Albert Nerenberg suggests You Are What You Act this Friday night
ROFL
That is SMS language, or abbreviated text speak for “rolling on floor laughing” – and is a common response to something funny. It’s also what many folks have done in the presence of filmmaker Albert Nerenberg. As a laughologist his fascination with, and subsequent study of laughter resulted in several documentary films, including Laughology and Extreme Laughter. Not only has he presented to and worked with many groups using laughter as the main tool of approach, but he has also toured the world with laughter as his partner, medium and guide.
Nerenberg’s latest documentary film, You Are What You Act, debuted on June 1st, 2018 at the Illuminate Film Festival in Sedona, Arizona, where it won the Jury Prize. This time, Albert explores how stars take on their movie roles in real life, and how that phenomenon is not exclusive to celebrities.
Let’s highlight that concept with a few examples. In 2014 Clint Eastwood saved someone who was choking on a piece of cheese. In 2000 Harrison Ford saved two hikers who were lost and dehydrated, and the next year helped to find a Boy Scout who was lost in Yellowstone National Park. In 2012, Jennifer Lawrence came to the aid of a young woman who had collapsed on a sidewalk near her home. In 2011, Kate Winslet saved Sir Richard Branson’s mother Eve from fire when Branson’s home was struck by lightning.
And in the early 1980s, John Oates of the musical rock duo Hall & Oates tackled a ski-masked robber (who was toting a sawed-off shotgun) through the glass door of the restaurant where they were eating dinner.
Okay, you’re thinking maybe that last one is a stretch (although some will agree that Hall & Oates are pretty intense on stage), except that Albert Nerenberg almost got into a fight with John Oates at a party in New York City, when Oates obnoxiously butted in front of him. So perhaps Oates has translated something from rock ‘n roll into real life after all...
Contemplating this phenomenon (well, not Oates per se, but the other examples cited above) Albert Nerenberg couldn’t help but wonder, “If you are what you eat, are you what you act?” If these actors, known for portraying heroes on film found themselves being heroes in real life, could this behaviour translate into Average Joe acting his way towards being Joe Awesome?
Directed by Nerenberg and produced by Frederic Bohbot (2014 Academy Award Winner – The Lady in Number 6) “You Are What You Act” straight up asks, “Could acting be the next transformational health trend?”
Nerenberg explains, “I came across a newspaper article a while back about Tom Cruise rescuing a woman who was being mugged. I thought, “That’s weird. It sounds like a scene from one of his movies.” And when I decided to look deeper, I realized Cruise hadn’t just done this once, but possibly as many as six times. Then I realized it wasn’t just Tom Cruise. It was Harrison Ford, Vin Diesel, Ryan Gosling, and more recently Benedict Cumberbatch. It seemed to me that actors were becoming their roles in some sense, and I was surprised that no one had looked into the phenomena. So I wondered, does this apply to the rest of us? Are we what we act? And I found there was some pretty stunning research that says we are. And in pretty wild ways – showing that you can hack confidence, bravery, and even love with acted behaviours. It seems obvious, but it was hiding in plain sight.”
In the article, “8 Fake It ‘Til You Make It Strategies Back By Science”, the website www.mentalfloss.com suggests that, “There is plenty of science that proves you can actually fool yourself and others into becoming more successful, finding love, and increasing your happiness. Researchers have found that “acting” a certain way allows your brain to “rehearse” a new way of thinking that can set off a desired chain of events in the future.”
The piece lists several elements that have a little science behind acting the part. The power of smiling, pretending you know the answer, dressing for the job you want, and feigning romantic interest are all noted as having great potential to resulting in the real deal.
If these concepts poke at a part of your life that you would like to improve, change, modify or completely flip, perhaps one that you’re afraid to take action on, then fear not, there may be a way for you to take charge of that aspect of your life! Albert Nerenberg is bringing his award-winning documentary to the screen at Theatre Lac Brome for the new Knowlton Film Festival, taking place from August 16th – 19th. “You Are What You Act” will be shown on Friday evening, August 17th, at 7:00 p.m. See for yourselves how a little acting can translate into life changes, not just for movie actors and rock stars, but for everyone, and hey, maybe even YOU.
For more information on tickets, visit www.theatrelacbrome.ca or call (450) 242-2270.
Celebrity rescue examples found on www.ranker.com – “29 Celebrities Who Have Saved The Lives of Regular People”