Welcome back!
And thanks for reading! Integrity, a cornerstone of moral character, encompasses honesty, authenticity, and adherence to ethical principles. At its core, integrity reflects a commitment to truthfulness and moral uprightness, regardless of external pressures or temptations. This week, let’s talk about integrity.
REMEMBER:
Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen. Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”. What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.
What is Integrity?
Integrity, which comes from the Latin word “integer,” meaning whole or complete, is the embodiment of our actions based on core values and principles. It requires consistency between beliefs, words, and deeds. It fosters trust and respect in both personal and business relationships.
Definition
Of course, before we talk to much about integrity, I always like to visit my friend Merriam-Webster for a quick definition, just so we are all talking about the same thing:
- firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility
- an unimpaired condition:soundness
- the quality or state of being complete or undivided:completeness
Incorruptible, sound, complete. That pretty much says it all. I’d like to park on: incorruptible.
Well, we should define THAT too, then…
Again, my good friend Merriam-Webster: Incorruptible.
- incapable of corruption: such as
- incapable of being bribed or morally corrupted.
- not subject to decay or dissolution.
Integrity, then, means being incorruptible; not subject to decay or dissolution.
That was fun…now let’s talk.
In order to have integrity, a person needs to have a set of core principles, morality if you will (and I know that has religious connotations, but it is not meant that way here). In short, you can’t be incorruptible if you have nothing inherent within you to corrupt. Now, we can each define our own morality (core principles) as we see fit…I am not trying to tell you what principles you should live by, just that you should have some. Often, core principles include honesty, fairness, accountability, and respect for others’ rights and property. Those are the principles I want to discuss – if those are not part of yours, you can probably stop reading now.
A lot of people…
As an aside, I have noticed that a lot of people share those principles. And a lot of THEM expect them of others, but not so much from themselves. Integrity necessitates self-awareness and authenticity so that you can ensure your actions reflect your true self. You have to be self-aware, so your inner convictions match your outward behavior. I find that some people have a difficult time both really knowing what their inner convictions are and matching their behavior to them. Anyway, I digress.
So, you have core beliefs…
The problem begins when a situation arises where your core beliefs, and acting on them, put you in a position where you stand to suffer in some way if you follow them. Maybe you have a strong belief about something in general, but when placed in a situation where you have a personal stake in the outcome, you may be inclined to act in a way that does not reflect those beliefs. The one example I can think of is: Reproductive rights. And no, this is just an example and not a commentary on the rightness or wrongness of a particular stance. You may be Pro-life, for example, but when faced with an unwanted pregnancy you’d consider termination because it affects you personally. In this case, your core beliefs do not match your behavior. Not integrity.
Seriously…
It was just the only example I could come up with, this post is not about women’s reproductive rights, it’s about integrity.
A real-world example…
I recently bought a piece of property to use as a place to take our RV for the summer to be close to our grandson. When we bought it (it was just an acre of raw land) our new neighbor had built a dog run, deer stand and chicken coop on the property. Of course, we told him he’d have to move them (he did), and to secure our property line (since we were not going to be there full time) we erected a privacy fence on the line. Turns out, our property line was about 6 feet into his driveway! How do you think he felt about US using what he thought was HIS property? If you guessed angry, you guessed right. He didn’t respect others property, but expected respect for what he considered his property (even though it actually wasn’t). No integrity.
Say what you’ll do and do what you say…
Sometimes, we’ll enter an arrangement or agreement that benefits us in some way and agree to some condition of that benefit. If we have integrity, we will honor the condition in order to continue receiving the benefit. Many times, though, that condition is uncomfortable or difficult, and we secretly renege on whatever that condition is and get angry when the other party removes the benefit. What has happened is we’ve agreed to something that is counter to our core beliefs in order to receive a benefit, and then our behavior reflects the core belief and not whatever agreed to condition there is. The arrangement does not reflect our true selves. Not integrity.
What does all this have to do with acting?
Good question. Integrity is essential in the acting profession, both for performance and for success. Acting, as a form of artistic expression, relies heavily on authenticity and truthfulness. We strive to portray characters convincingly, embody their emotions, motivations, and experiences. An actor must embody and portray the core principles of the character not the performer. And sometimes the character’s core principles are in opposition to the performers principles.
Sacrificing integrity for success…
Integrity extends to the roles actors choose to portray. While artistic freedom allows for diverse character portrayals, consideration of an actor’s core principles should govern, or at least be a consideration for, role selection. Actors must weigh the impact of their portrayals on societal perceptions and values and how their core beliefs align with them. An actor should never sacrifice their core principles for the sake of success. It comes back to bite you.
You see it all the time…
Maybe not all the time, but you certainly see this happen. An actor accepts a role, successfully portrays the character, and gets accolades for their performance. Then later is called out for the portrayal and is excoriated in the press and on social media to the point they can no longer get cast in anything. If the role aligns with their core beliefs, then great – they may deserve the excoriation, but if not…well, that lack of integrity has cost them. Most likely it cost them more than whatever gain they received by playing the role.
Another example of a lack of integrity…
On the production side, I see this all the time: “Part of the compensation is a copy of the project for your reel”. Production says this all the time. But rarely follows through. As actors we need those for our acting reel, part of our resume. But once production has what they need they forget all about what the actor needs. This goes back to “Say what you’ll do and do what you say…”. It is a lack of integrity on the part of many film makers.
So, how do you maintain integrity?
Foster a commitment to personal values. Expect more integrity from yourself than you expect from others. Maintaining integrity in the acting industry begins with a commitment to personal values and principles. Actors must maintain self-awareness clarity to ensure their actions align with their deeply held beliefs. Actor’s must “Say what they’ll do (based on their personal core beliefs) and do what they say. Oh, and it’s OK to say, “I won’t do that”. That’s integrity.