Vulnerability with Composure

(or Grace Under Pressure meets Fragility, a reflection on emotional acting)

Recent films Gravity and Captain Phillips have revealed to me a very distinct quality in the most talented of actors, and that is the ability to show vulnerability with composure. These two movies focus on how humans choose to react in extraordinary situations. At the core of these stories, the characters are just everyday people trying to do their job. Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and I’d even argue that George Clooney all deliver breathtaking performances in two very good films, which isn’t all that surprising once you consider some of the facts. Namely, that both films are essentially a story of human triumph being told with master craftsmen of emotional interpretation and presentation.

Occupational hazard is something we choose to live with when we are doing a job that we love. What we rarely consider is how we would actually react if that worst-case scenario ever became a reality. In Gravity and Captain Phillips, that question is asked and promptly answered. Whether it is Sandra Bullock, the astronaut in space, or Tom Hanks, the captain at sea, these characters are people who are just trying to accomplish the task that they love when a twist of fate forces their ‘vulnerability with composure’ to surface.  

We, by nature, often feel compelled to bottle our emotions to reduce the risk of painful experience. However, from my own experience I have found that the times I make myself the most vulnerable are the times when I learn and grow the most. These three actors do an incredible job of expressing the notion of growth through vulnerability on screen. But whereas I am typically stumbling over my wordy expressions, they do it with grace and composure. In moments of extreme vulnerability, they do not become ‘Carrie-level’ maniacal  (shouts out to Homeland). Instead they are calculating, collected, and most importantly loving. Normally you hear the word calculating and think of the phrase ‘cold and calculating.’ Not here. These characters are calculating because they want to help others while remaining a beacon of hope and stability. All three actors have an innate ability to express this.  Despite being scared or vulnerable, each of them makes heart-wrenching sacrifices for the good of those they are surrounded by. Although they are sometimes visibly shaken, they often reveal their fear and pain in a much more subtle fashion. They seemingly know when to bury emotion beneath a calm countenance or audibly bolster faux confidence, giving the audience credit for understanding their distress and revealing only a clue to their internal state. It is in this way that they separate themselves from their peers. Granted some of this is due to the script they are given (Captain Phillips), but not always (Gravity). Other actors might feel the need to blatantly express that naked fragility to the viewer, but to us that would simply feel concocted (because it is) and in turn remove us from the experience. Instead, we prefer to watch elite actors and actresses slowly melt into the notion of grace under pressure. We want to see these characters steadily become human triumph in the face of overwhelming emotional distress. We want to believe that we too could hold it together in that moment of truth.

None of this is to say that these films and characters are devoid of moments in which pure emotion comes pouring out. We all reach the point where nothing can express what’s going on inside of us except streaking tears. The question is whether or not we reach the breaking point before the job is finished. Bullock, Clooney, and Hanks have each completed the task at hand, and they’ve done so while illustrating the value of vulnerability with composure. Watch these movies once and enjoy the story. Watch them again to truly appreciate the evocative acting abilities of those involved. Their performances become visions of human capability and compassion on the biggest stage. That’s star power.