Acting-Out: The 411 on 911 Calls

As the world continues to swirl around on its axis', and Mitt Romney's "bouncing" in the polls; pundits continue to write and talk about Prez Obama's horrendous "performance" at The Debates last Wednesday and, the lead story on several Celeb Blogs is that, shock-of-shocks, Jay Z deigned to ride The NYC Subway over the weekend as if he were a True Commoner, it seems there is an opening for another subject to play around with today: the difference between Professional Actors and Amateurs.

When I use the word "amateur" in this post, I'm referring to Murderer's who make those oft-notorious hysterically over-acted 911 calls to report that their husband/wife/some random body/person in their home, is bleeding, dying, or already dead.

You know what I mean. THEY DID IT and OMG! OMG! THEY ARE SO UPSET! Hysterical! Hurry-Hurry! Sob-Sob-Sob. Who would have done such a thing? (Or, the funniest/most absurd "defense" of them all: "I tripped and the gun went off" - yep - right into their SO or The Strange Intruder's temple at the perfect location to ensure death.) The "Callers" usually have jaw-droppingly convoluted and/or the most lame excuses EVAH for why they were creeping around the area of the "victim" when the "accident" occurred while jus' happening to be holding/carrying a weapon. The explanations are, indeed, priceless.

I could have been a Criminal Profiler in another incarnation. I love to analyze, intuit, uncover, research things and people, with a special focus on criminal behaviour; therefore I watch several True Crime TV shows and have been quite a fan of mystery novels. On TV, before I know how the story ends and who truly did kill the victim, I can usually discern through the 911 Call Playbacks whether or not the caller is lying. I'm sure many of you can pick up on the same thing if you have a well-honed ear for BS and/or vocal tone.

And that is where the Professional v. Amateur Actor observation comes into play: I often laugh when I read or hear how actors are perceived by people who have never acted. The derision over how "easy" it must be is off the mark. Unless, of course, the "professional" IS a "bad actor" – but otherwise, there is a huge difference in exuding an emotion with sincerity, believability, and TRYING TOO HARD to "sound" hysterical, shocked, concerned.

It requires skill, a sensitivity to The Character an actor is playing to make the work believable. To get inside one's emotions – dark or light – isn't for those who aren't able to convincingly "Pretend" to be something they aren't. Unless, of course, one is A Natural At Lying, which is how Con Artist's do so well at their "craft." Conning is another form of acting – just not on a stage or studio set. Whereas, a Regular Person just copies what they think is "acting" from watching too many bad actors, perhaps, or simply because they are inept actors and often Stupid Murderers.

For example, one silly wife killer who happened to be a doctor made one of the worse acting debuts on a 911 call I've ever heard. In a high-pitched breathless-strained-hysterical voice, he told the 911 Operator/Dispatcher that his wife was in their bedroom covered in blood – he had just arrived home – she might be dying – Help! Help! While the female dispatcher sent the info to EMT, she asked if he had used CPR on his wife. He paused in the midst of his OTT heavy-breathing-sobbing-screaming in a way that was amazingly indicative that the thought had never crossed his mind, and then, remembering his "role" as Shocked Husband, answered that he hadn't done CPR and would do it RIGHT THEN! Hold on, Operator. I'm doing CPR on her THIS VERY MINUTE, by golly! 

All of that went down REALLY well in the end, wouldn't you know? Not only does The Doc receive an F In Acting, but an additional F in Pure Idiotic Comments Under Stress. Ah, but aren't we all different in how we react to shock and stress? Yes. This case was different than most. And, once again, it began with The Faux Hysteria. Questions needed to be answered, and answers sometimes beg for questions.....

First, he's a doctor and no matter how shocked he might have been to see his wife lying in blood, one would think he would have gone over to her body to check her pulse and attempt CPR rather than running to the phone first, sounding like a Frightened Wuss. It also would have helped his eventual trial had his clothes provided any indication that he had been in physical contact of any sort with his bloody wife. Needless to say, he's in prison for her murder. Tsk-tsk. However, all one had to do was really listen to his voice to feel the "acting" he was doing – CPR or not.

It is that Over The Top element that does many an amateur in, as it were/was/always will be. Whereas, a Professional Actor, A True Actor, would have found the right tone. So, my point here is not only to share the observation of Bad Acting by non-actors, but how more respect should be given to many of the honestly Excellent Actors we have in this world who take us to places inside ourselves we never knew were there.

To them, I write "Bravo" and "Carry On" with your work. To those Future Murderers Out There, I say, "Watch Your Tone" and remember to view CSI on a regular basis.

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