Screen / Stage Presence

I know a lot of you don’t actually watch Eastenders but I do, right, I’m no ashamed of it either. Since I moved to retirement village, and away from the everyday drama of Arden (oh I miss it) I like to have a weekly hit of adrenaline dramatic input.

Remember?

Then, the other week something wierd happened. Eastenders got a new cast member (whit!!, I know you’re shitting yourself with excitement here) and even though I recognised her straight away I couldn’y place where fae. Laurence offered a few suggestions as to what she had been in, but I couldny get a grasp of it.

All I knew was that, even though she is a brilliant actress, the casting directors have made a mistake in casting her. Why? Well, because she literally sucks up every inch of screen space in every scene she is in. What? Is she massive? Is 400 inches wide? No but she is literally SO good that she completely obliterates the other actors off the screen.

I think it can be quite difficult for people to get the concept of stage / screen presence because it is a bit of an abstract concept. How can one person have a non physically bigger presence amoung others in a space watched by the audience? It’s non physical, it’s almost impercievable- infact, to most people it is impercievable.

So today Laurence reminded me of what the woman from Eastender’s had been in before, it was Who’s Line Is It Anyway? Josie Lawrence from Who’s Line Is It Anyway?

She is a brilliant comedy actress so no wonder she literally sucks every inch of screen up. If she has done mainly theatre then she will be used to filling a space and thats what she does.

I feel sorry for the rest of the actors. They have all become so entrenched in Walford that they have probably forgotten how to do that. Maybe not.

Anyway, I have had a couple of hours before i go and get my eyebrows and hair done so I thought I would talk about some stuff.