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Tilkor
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22 Feb 2009, 6:40 pm

Like the idea of famous scientists as Aspies, myself. ie. Einstein, Darwin, Kuri, Newton, etc. Who would disagree that we'd be friggin' Geniuses? :P

Just my own two cents worth of thoughts, of course. :P



Hovis
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23 Feb 2009, 9:39 am

For those in Britain who may know him: actor/writer/comedian John Sessions. Borderline AS in my opinion. All kinds of little things:

- his famous tendency to ramble on and on about a pet subject without realizing that people around him are bored, or just go off into his own world and forget to include others.

- bad eye contact; it's improved over the years, but it was very noticeable earlier in his career, particularly for somebody who was regularly on camera and should have been used to making a particular effort to maintain it.

- he says himself he's physically clumsy, forever walking into and tripping over things.

- his bizarre thing for being able to recall dates/birthdates; that's textbook Aspie.

- says he didn't play ordinary games much as a child. He was quite a loner, either engaging in precocious pursuits like writing mini-biographies of famous people, or dressing up as said people and insisting that everyone else maintain the realism by behaving correctly and treating him like the person he was being that day.

- although I'm not aware of him having any specific communication/comprehension difficulties, he does come over as being very 'book-smart' (quite stunningly so) but not very 'life/people-smart'.

- need for solitude; he's never lived with anyone for an extended period of time throughout his adult life and says he likes his own space and time alone too much.

- prone to anxiety/depression.

A lot of people find John annoying, I know, but I've always adored him. I find him a fascinating person.



CactusKid
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02 Jun 2009, 8:30 am

fresco wrote:
Do we have any budding Olivier's on the forum?



*WAVES ARMS WILDLY IN THE BACK*

Seriously though, uh yes I'm (attempting) to (one day) be a professional working actor...Been in a few productions, took a years worth of classes at NAU...and to be quite honest (though at risk of bragging) I was the best in the class. The other kids just were into it because it seemed to be the "cool" major. Even my teachers went out and got drunk after school...ugh. (although I guess I shouldn't be so judgmental, there were plenty of talented kids among them, but we never seemed to connect. But hell, we're young so I guess many of us are still finding ourselves).

What I desire most right now is a professional, QUIET school/class/workshop that's filled with real, dedicated talents...I'm reading Strasberg, and I'm halfway through An Actor Prepares...if anyone wants to discuss any of this please CHAT ME UP!! !!



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02 Jun 2009, 8:32 am

Hovis wrote:
For those in Britain who may know him: actor/writer/comedian John Sessions. Borderline AS in my opinion. All kinds of little things:

- his famous tendency to ramble on and on about a pet subject without realizing that people around him are bored, or just go off into his own world and forget to include others.

- bad eye contact; it's improved over the years, but it was very noticeable earlier in his career, particularly for somebody who was regularly on camera and should have been used to making a particular effort to maintain it.

- he says himself he's physically clumsy, forever walking into and tripping over things.

- his bizarre thing for being able to recall dates/birthdates; that's textbook Aspie.

- says he didn't play ordinary games much as a child. He was quite a loner, either engaging in precocious pursuits like writing mini-biographies of famous people, or dressing up as said people and insisting that everyone else maintain the realism by behaving correctly and treating him like the person he was being that day.

- although I'm not aware of him having any specific communication/comprehension difficulties, he does come over as being very 'book-smart' (quite stunningly so) but not very 'life/people-smart'.

- need for solitude; he's never lived with anyone for an extended period of time throughout his adult life and says he likes his own space and time alone too much.

- prone to anxiety/depression.

A lot of people find John annoying, I know, but I've always adored him. I find him a fascinating person.



I fit that profile as well! It's reassuring to know that people out there cope with the same pros and cons.



fragileclover
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02 Jun 2009, 9:56 am

I've starred in a handful of student films, and absolutely love it. I've wanted to be an actress since I was very small, but never got into drama in middle or high school because acting on stage terrifies me (not the case in elementary school...I won the lead in the school play after memorizing every single line for every single character...I was later recast due to strep throat, however). When a camera is rolling, however, and my audience consists of other cast and crew only, I do fine...it feels so NATURAL, which is a great feeling, as verbal exchanges rarely do in *real* life.

The only reason I'm not actively pursuing a career in acting is because I have a fear of auditioning. I don't feel like I can be in character doing a cold reading in front of a couple of strangers...in all the short films I've done, I was given the role without ever having to audition, and not doing a run through before each take. That's why I hope my boyfriend and I will become successful filmmakers (we are 10-time award winning student filmmakers, currently), and I'll be able to cast myself. =)



Gimmethecreeps
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02 Jun 2009, 4:23 pm

I've researched this a little but haven't found many answers. More "could be"s than real evidence. Keanu Reeves is a reoccurring subject. Most of the best and brightest are looked at as candidates. How's that for a compliment. :D Attention to detail as well as other traits are a plus in creative fields. I'm trying to be a writer, but the details stop me from forming a cohesive story. Besides all of this- on a personal level I really find a way to mask my discomfort for as long as I can, so I "act" every day. I'm just not that convincing.



MizLiz
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02 Jun 2009, 9:32 pm

I suspect that a lot of the "method" type actors are probably just aspies who need that level of control and structure. And also, when they're somebody else, they don't have to be themselves. It's easy to fool people into thinking they're "normal" because you never know who that actor actually is.



x-celevision
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02 Jun 2009, 9:53 pm

I once acted in an instructional video for my job... the director told me I needed to be more "fluid".



MizLiz
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03 Jun 2009, 12:20 am

x-celevision wrote:
I once acted in an instructional video for my job... the director told me I needed to be more "fluid".

Guh? That's worse than George Lucas's "FASTER! MORE INTENSE!" directorial style.

More fluid? What does that even mean? Did you do your lines all stuttery-like?



Gimmethecreeps
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03 Jun 2009, 10:08 am

MizLiz wrote:
x-celevision wrote:
I once acted in an instructional video for my job... the director told me I needed to be more "fluid".

Guh? That's worse than George Lucas's "FASTER! MORE INTENSE!" directorial style.

More fluid? What does that even mean? Did you do your lines all stuttery-like?


You Say Guh?!?!?! I do that all the time! God I love it here. "Once more with feeling", right? Gag me. I think that instructional video guy saw someone say that in a documentary somewhere. :lol:



MizLiz
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03 Jun 2009, 2:00 pm

Hahaha. I heard Nelson on The Simpsons say "guh" before. I love it when people make the same weird noises as I do when they're surprised.



x-celevision
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03 Jun 2009, 6:39 pm

MizLiz wrote:
x-celevision wrote:
I once acted in an instructional video for my job... the director told me I needed to be more "fluid".

Guh? That's worse than George Lucas's "FASTER! MORE INTENSE!" directorial style.

More fluid? What does that even mean? Did you do your lines all stuttery-like?


Nope, I didn't have to say a word, it was all movement. I guess it was kind of like saying act "natural". Maybe if they had said be a little more rigid, I would have nailed it. :lol:



Gimmethecreeps
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05 Jun 2009, 10:59 am

MizLiz wrote:
Hahaha. I heard Nelson on The Simpsons say "guh" before. I love it when people make the same weird noises as I do when they're surprised.


Image Image Surprise and also things explained or questions asked too quickly.



MindAsh
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31 Oct 2010, 5:00 pm

according to one of the social workers who specializes in as at my counseling center she said that often aspies can make excellent actors and some tend to spend alot of time studying facial expressions and body language the same as some might study science physics ect and then spend time integrating it into their own personality as a sort of social survival mechanism and is most often seen in those not diagnosed until young adulthood. im diagnosed as myself but dont really lack in scocial expression tho i do come off as quite eccentric at times and then other times when im very drained and unable to force mimic i tend to shell back up into the silent observer phase of things. just thought id add my 2 cents



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03 Mar 2012, 6:59 pm

I know this is an ancient thread, but I came across it when searching for something else and I had to answer: short answer - yes, although neither my husband nor I have the benefit of a diagnosis, we were both professional actors at one point.

For both of us, acting classes were an extension of our coping skills: all acting involves scripting, after all - if you are a scripting-type autistic, acting comes fairly naturally to you, especially if you script all the nonverbal communication, too - that's what acting IS. Also, in theatre classes, you spend days "analyzing the subtext," which is another way of saying that you study the implied pragmatics; it was an entire degree in pragmatics, basically.

I disagree that Dustin Hoffman is not autistic: I once met him, and I'm certain that he is. He has terrible eye contact, he goes on and on obsessively about whatever character he's playing, he has odd prosody, he talks over people, and he is known for "staying in character" while playing a part - which I think is just plain old rigidity and difficulty with transitions.

I think many, many people who are on the spectrum are drawn to the dramatic arts - think about all the well-documented instances of poor social skills that the media preys on. Acting also offers the opportunity to have intense superficial short-term relationships with a group of people that go away once the play, film, or show are over: an Aspie paradise if you don't look into it too deeply.



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04 Mar 2012, 10:05 pm

tinky wrote:
fernando wrote:
tinky wrote:
i think keanu reeves may have asperger's


Why do you think so? I've seen him on interviews and I'm pretty sure he doesn't. Is it because of his Neo character?


just the way he acts in general. he doesn't seem to convey to much emotion sometimes when he's acting. either that or he's not a good actor.

I still consider this thought.

It may also be ADHD.

But a quote on him made me wonder... "He's in his head a lot." Maybe far-fetched, but he seems very introverted most of the time.

His acting varies a lot. In some films he seems more withdrawn than in others. I think he's much better than people give him credit for. I don't dig romantic comedies, but apart from that...

Funnily enough, I really liked his "Ted", even though that's the role people make most fun of...


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