In theatre, breaking character occurs when an actor slips out of character, often behaving as their actual self. This is a more acceptable occurrence while in the process of rehearsal but is considered unprofessional while actively performing in front of an audience or camera (except when the act is a deliberate breaking of the fourth wall). If the breaking of character is particularly serious, it is considered corpsing, which in film or television would normally result in an abandonment of that take.
For example, an actor and actress may be testing out a scene in front of their director. The actress may break character halfway through to suggest that she try delivering a certain line from a different position on the stage.
Read more about Breaking Character: Famous Breaks in Film, On Television, In Live Theater, Virtual and Gaming Environments, Professional Wrestling, Fictional Depictions of Breaking Character
Famous quotes containing the words breaking and/or character:
“Yet herein will I imitate the sun,
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondered at
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapors that did seem to strangle him”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Eccentricity: strength of character doubling back on itself.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)