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Embracing the Unknown

by Mario A. Campanaro

Embracing the Unknown

by Mario A. Campanaro

As human beings, by our very nature, we are constantly facing the unknown of the next moment. There is no way of getting around it. It is an absolute fact of life. As much as we would like to think we have some control, the truth of the matter is, we do not. That’s a pretty scary notion—or I should say, reality—when you stop to consider it. We have no idea what we’re walking into as our next life moment approaches. We don’t know what the next moment will bring. We’re living in the best way we know how, in the here and now, based on what we’ve learned from our past experiences, combined with a pretty incredible natural ability to adjust, adapt, and move forward. Step by step, moment by moment, instinctively—and in many cases, impulsively—based on what life throws at us at any given moment.

Think about how courageous and brave that is. Think about how miraculous that really is. How miraculous you and I are, based on everything humans have had—and still have—to face, moment to moment. For 100% of our lives, we’ve been living in the present moment, which was once an absolute unknown. Then we enter into a completely unknown next moment, carrying with us only the knowledge and preparation that past experiences—of confronting and living through what was, at the time, an unknown moment—have taught us.

As actors, we’re always responsible for doing our preparations to bring any given role the full life that the character deserves. We use our craft to guide us along the way. But despite all the preparation in the world, the true magic—the true living—can only exist within the unknown of the moment. It can never be planned, it can never be blueprinted; it can only be discovered, experienced, and dealt with as it unfolds in the unknown of the moment.

It is the actor’s courage, their bravery, and their full willingness to live moment to moment that allows that magic to happen. That is where the real work is, and where life truly exists. It can only exist in the rawness of the unknown.

Your entire life has been preparing you for this. It’s been training you to work in such an ordinary, yet extraordinarily human way. You and I have no choice but to live this way. But when you really think about it, it’s extraordinary. That bravery, that courage, and that willingness to live your most authentic, honest truth— in relationship to the given circumstances of any world of text—within the complete unknown of each and every moment—is what makes an actor... an actor.