are again many versions of this technique but basically it involves the actor getting into the emotions and memories of the character to do that i normally recommend actors work on a back story of the characterwhat ticks for example if im doing a scene about marital discord between husband and wife it is important to think out what makes the man tick i mean get into his childhood was it disturbed was he a single child was he a deprived or was he a happy child then what about his teens did he have trouble with girls or was he well adjusted then about his profession was he successful or was he unsuccessful like the legendary willy loman in arthur millers death of a salesman so is he taking out his professional frustrations on his wife and what is the nature of their discord the fact that he refuses to change all these questions lead an actor to getting deeper and deeper into the skin of the character and bring the relevant emotions to the fore in the same way clinically and honestly analyse your life understand why you are what you are and you will come up with the hard answers and the person who then plays you can dramatise the situations to show you how you appear to others it is a mind blowing experience and shows how acting can be therapeutic and also brings out the potential of roleplayinglook within the wonderful aspect about roleplaying is that it is as applicable to obdurate teens as it is to corporate executives and is much simpler when there are groups involved this is because it is easy to find someone to step into your shoes and act your role as everyone has to be someone else among corporate executives a majority of whom find the corporate ladder too slippery or who feel they have been shortchanged by their companies roleplaying shows them their deficiencies and dramatizes exactly how they come across to their clients and bosses peers effectively act out the complexities of their characteristics i have touched upon the husband wife interface because in my experience it is the most troubled and troubling relationship of our times unlike in our parents generation the gender roles were sharply demarcated today roles have dramatically changed wives are no longer always submissive husbands are no longer the sole breadwinners consequently the issue is mostly about who wears the pants at home play your spouses role tonight and youll find the answerexcerpted from the best thing about you is you by anupam kher published by hay house india