Acting vs Lying
Acting and lying have some similarities, that’s why people get confused with the usage of these two words. Lying is pretending and being untruthful. We all start on the practice of lying in our childhood though we are always taught the importance of the virtue of truth. Acting, as we all know is about a person trying to pretend like the character he is playing on screen. In a way then, acting is much like lying. Both try to convince the audience, spinning a falsehood, and leading people into a trap. Both acting and lying take the performer into a position where he is not in control of himself and not exactly himself. But there are striking differences between acting and lying also, that we will understand through this brief discussion.
An actor is a fantastic liar while a liar is a fantastic actor. But the actor lies for the sake of the character he is playing while the liar lies for himself. Acting is an art, and though both the actor as well as audience knows that the actor is lying and just portraying the character, they are led into believing that the actor is really the character on screen. The actor uses all his skills and acting talent to convince the audience that he is the character being portrayed and the lines he is speaking are coming straight from his heart. He makes the audience laugh when he laughs and cry when he cries. He can make the audience mourn when he dies on screen. If an actor can do all this, he is a terrific liar. At the end of the film, audience realizes about the lie in which they were trapped and they appreciate the creativity and talent of the actor.
If a kid is late in reaching school, he lies and pretends about the circumstances that made him late to his teacher. Here, he is also doing the same thing an actor does in a film. The only difference is that a lie takes place in real life, whereas acting is done purposefully to play a character. The real difference lies in intent. When we go to see a film, we know that the actor is lying and only pretending to be what he is not, but we are prepared for this and even pay to see the actor lying. An actor is a professional and we pay his wages when we go to see a movie. On the other end, lying takes place in real life situations and there are no settings, costumes and the director to make people lie.
The other notable difference is that in the case of acting we know that the actor is lying but we accept the fact and even pay for it, whereas in the case of lying we are unprepared and take the liar on face value.
Summary • Lying and acting are almost similar things • Acting makes an actor pretend that he is the character, whereas lying takes place in real life • The real difference lies in the intent. We know that the actor is lying but are prepared for it and even pay to see him performing, whereas we are unprepared for lying in real life
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AlienIlluminati says
Okay, but what if the person “acting”, isn’t doing it for a movie, nor a large audience, but is playing a character in order to make money? For instance, what if I “act” like I’m homeless, in order to make money on the streets? I know the definition SAYS that the difference is that one KNOWS the audience knows he’s acting, but that can’t be true. For instance, what about modern movies like when Paranormal Activity and the Blair Witch Project, came out? Their main focus was getting the audience to believe that what you were seeing, was real. Now what about magicians? They want you to believe that they are really doing magic, while they know most people will know it’s some sort of trick. But take Kris Angel for example. He would like his entire audience to believe he has some supernatural powers. The line is obscured, therefore, I think a lie is when someone tells something false in order to get out of a situation, and lying for money and portrayal of a character, is acting. Either that, or it’s ALL lying, and no exception for those that do it on the big screen. When it comes down to it, they’re telling falsehoods for money. They just do it on a bigger scale, which doesn’t omit them to me. Not saying it’s at all a sin. Now suppose I have someone recording me on the street while I convince people that I’m really the character that I’m portraying, and I load it on YouTube, and I get paid for the views. I am ACTING in my own production, but the people I’m trying to convince, are unaware of what’s going on. THEY don’t know I’m acting, so I’m lying to THEM, while the viewers of my channel know that I’m acting. You see how it gets obscured?
Hailey says
I agree to a certain extent. Yes, I feel as though acting is portraying a character, but in order to entertain an audience. Whether the character is a powerful God, magician, or even a character off the street, it is still acting because they are there to entertain their audience. Lying, on the the other hand, is how the author says it. The liar is lying or deceiving the other party for personal gain. Yes actors can also use their talent to deceive but this is the true difference between lying and acting.