Acting Terminology

noun the art or occupation of performing in plays, movies, or television productions

verb the act of performing in a play, movie, or television production

adjective pretending to be someone or something for a performance

• The actor's acting skills were praised by the critics.
• She's been acting in a lot of indie films lately.
• He's really good at fake acting, it's hilarious.
• Her kindness is just an act, she's not really that nice.

noun an act of throwing something forcefully

verb to assign a part in a play or film to (an actor)

• The director carefully selected the cast for the upcoming play.
• I heard the cast of the new movie includes some big-name actors.
• Did you see the cast of that reality TV show? They are so drama!
• His pessimism cast a shadow over the entire team's morale.

noun an object made by pouring molten metal or other material into a mold

• The casting for the new play will take place next week.
• I heard they're casting for a new movie in town.
• I'm thinking of casting my vote for that candidate.
• Her words had a casting effect on the audience, leaving them spellbound.

noun the jaws or cheeks of a person or animal

• The chef demonstrated his exceptional culinary skills by preparing a dish with perfectly seared pork chops.
• I'm craving some juicy pork chops for dinner tonight.
• Those pork chops were lit, I couldn't stop eating them.
• She really knows how to cut through the noise and get to the heart of the matter, she's got some serious chops.

noun the art of performing or staging plays, movies, or other forms of entertainment

adjective relating to the performance of plays or movies

• The actor's performance was filled with unnecessary dramatics.
• She always adds a touch of dramatics to her stories.
• Stop with the dramatics, it's not that big of a deal.
• His reaction to the news was pure dramatics, as if the world was ending.

noun an insincere display of emotion

verb to pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury)

• She attempted to feign interest in the discussion, but her lack of engagement was evident.
• He tried to feign sickness to get out of going to school, but his mom didn't buy it.
• I could tell she was feigning excitement about the party, she's not really into that scene.
• The actor had to feign happiness on stage, even though he was going through a tough time in his personal life.

noun a mistake or error, especially one caused by clumsiness or lack of skill

• The presenter managed to flub his lines during the important conference.
• I always flub my lines when I'm nervous on stage.
• Don't worry if you flub your lines, just keep going and no one will notice.
• She really flubbed her chance to impress the boss with her lack of preparation.

noun a naive, innocent, or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or film

• The young actress portrayed the role of the ingénue in the classic play.
• She's always cast as the ingénue because of her innocent looks.
• She's the new ingénue in town, everyone is talking about her.
• In a world full of cynics, she was seen as the ingénue with her optimistic outlook.

noun a form of imaginative play or fantasy

verb to pretend or imagine

• Children often engage in make believe play to develop their imagination and creativity.
• Let's play make believe and pretend we're pirates searching for treasure!
• My little sister loves to do make believe with her dolls.
• Sometimes it's easier to make believe everything is okay rather than facing reality.

verb to impersonate or pretend to be someone else, especially in a theatrical performance

• It is illegal to personate someone else in order to deceive others.
• I heard that some people personate celebrities on social media for fun.
• Don't personate your friend just to prank someone, it's not cool.
• The actor's ability to personate different characters is truly remarkable.

noun a dramatic performance or role-playing

verb to engage in acting or pretending

• The playacting in the theater production was top-notch, with each actor fully embodying their character.
• Stop with the playacting, just be yourself around me.
• I can't stand her fake playacting, she's always putting on a show.
• His playacting at being a tough guy didn't fool anyone, we all knew he was just a softie at heart.

verb to behave in a way that is not genuine; to feign or make believe

• She pretended to be interested in the topic during the meeting.
• He pretended to like the food just to be polite.
• They pretended to be cool in front of their friends.
• The clouds pretended to be fluffy pillows in the sky.

verb to act as a substitute or replacement for someone or something

adverb in a temporary or substitute capacity

• I will stand in for my colleague at the meeting tomorrow.
• Can you stand in for me while I take a quick break?
• I'll stand in for you at the party if you need a break.
• Her dedication to the cause allowed her to stand in as a leader during the crisis.

noun a person who acts in a play or movie

adjective relating to drama and acting

• The thespian delivered a powerful monologue in the Shakespearean play.
• My friend is a talented thespian and always steals the show in our school plays.
• That thespian is so dramatic, always overacting in every scene.
• As a thespian of life, she always plays her role with grace and poise.

verb To have memorized one's lines in a play or performance, so that the script is no longer needed

• It is important for actors to be off-book before the dress rehearsal.
• Hey, have you guys all managed to be off-book for the scene yet?
• I need to be off-book by tomorrow or I'm screwed.
• I need to be off-book in my presentation so I can speak confidently.

noun the action of uncontrollably laughing on stage or while filming, often resulting in the inability to continue with a performance

• The actor couldn't control his corpsing during the serious scene.
• We all ended up corpsing during the blooper reel.
• Stop corpsing, we need to finish this scene!
• Her infectious laughter had everyone corpsing in no time.

verb a word used to describe an action or state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

• During the presentation, the speaker decided to go off script and speak from the heart.
• I love it when comedians go off script and start improvising on stage.
• The actor totally went off script and started ad-libbing in that scene.
• When things started going wrong, I had to go off script and come up with a new plan.

noun a person who behaves in a harmful or dishonest way, especially in a play, movie, or television show

• The company has strict policies in place to prevent any bad actor from causing harm.
• We need to watch out for any bad actor trying to sabotage our project.
• Don't trust that guy, he's a total bad actor.
• In the world of politics, it's important to be able to identify a bad actor when you see one.

noun a term used in the context of makeup or cosmetics to describe the act of darkening or enhancing certain features, typically for theatrical or dramatic effect

• The makeup artist used a black up foundation to create a flawless look for the photoshoot.
• She always uses black up eyeliner for a dramatic effect on her eyes.
• I need to get some black up for my lips before we go out tonight.
• He decided to black up his resume by adding some exaggerated skills and experiences.

noun the quality or ability to act or perform in a particular way, especially in a dramatic role

• The actability of the new policy will be closely monitored by the board of directors.
• His actability in handling difficult situations is quite impressive.
• I never knew she had such great actability until she started performing in local plays.
• The actability of the team on the field was unmatched, leading them to victory.

adjective describing something that can be acted upon or performed on stage

• The script was well-written with many actable scenes for the actors.
• The play has a lot of actable moments that the actors can really sink their teeth into.
• The movie has some super actable parts that are gonna be so fun to watch.
• The situation was so intense, it was like an actable drama unfolding before our eyes.

verb A word that expresses an action or a state of being. In this case, 'acted' is the past tense form of the verb 'act', which means to perform a specific role or function.

• The actor acted out the scene flawlessly during the play.
• She acted like she didn't care, but I could tell she was upset.
• He totally acted a fool at the party last night.
• The CEO acted as a mentor to all the new employees.

noun a person who performs in plays, movies, or television shows

• The actor delivered a powerful performance in the Shakespearean play.
• I heard that actor is going to be in the new movie coming out next month.
• That actor is totally killing it in the TV show right now.
• She is a great actor in the sense that she can adapt to any situation effortlessly.

noun a plural form of the noun 'acter', which is a person who performs in a play, movie, or television show

• The actors delivered a powerful performance in the Shakespearean play.
• The actors totally nailed their roles in the school play.
• Those actors are killing it on stage!
• The actors are like skilled painters, bringing the characters to life with each brushstroke.

adjective relating to or characteristic of an actor or acting

• The actorly performance of the lead actor received critical acclaim.
• I heard that his actorly skills landed him the role in the new movie.
• She totally nailed the audition with her actorly vibes.
• His actorly presence on stage was like watching magic unfold.

adjective having the qualities or characteristics typically associated with an actress, such as dramatic or exaggerated behavior

• Her performance in the play was criticized for being too actressy.
• She always acts so actressy whenever she's on stage.
• I can't stand her actressy behavior, it's so annoying.
• His attempt to charm the audience came off as a bit too actressy for my taste.

noun a role or character that one is portraying in a performance or situation

verb to behave in a manner consistent with a particular role or character

• It is important for actors to fully understand their characters in order to effectively act the part.
• Just try to act the part and pretend like you know what you're doing.
• She's really good at acting the part of a tough girl, even though she's actually really sweet.
• In order to succeed in this business, you have to be able to act the part of a confident and capable leader, even if you're feeling unsure.

verb to improvise or deliver spontaneously without preparation

• The actor ad-libbed his lines during the live performance.
• She ad-libbed a funny joke during the meeting.
• I totally ad-libbed that presentation and it went great!
• He ad-libbed his way through the conversation, trying to cover up his lack of knowledge.