Habits and Allowing Freedom

Brian: What? You’re noddin’ your head.

Sydney: I don’t know. I just felt like I could have done better. I don’t know.

Brian: Well, we always feel that way. But here’s a couple of things. Number one, you have to stop licking your lips.

Sydney: Aahhh, I have a nervous tick. If I’m not swallowing, I’m doing something with my mouth. I don’t even realize I’m doing it. I’m sorry.

Brian: Well don’t be sorry. It’s just that, as a reminder, with a fifty-foot head you have a twelve-foot mouth. And if you have a twelve-foot mouth, you have a six-foot tongue. And you’re going to be licking everybody in the first thirty-five rows. They might enjoy it, but on the other hand it might be a little uncomfortable. So, try not doing that.

I’ll ask you a question I always ask actors: Have you ever ridden a horse?

Sydney: Uh, yeah.

Brian: Okay, when you ride correctly, do you use the reigns or your legs to control the horse?

Sydney: I believe your legs, right?

Brian: Correct. Do you know why?

Sydney: Uhm, ‘cuz…I don’t really know why.

Brian: I’ll tell ya why, because horses don’t like having a metal thing yanked in their mouth. We don’t either. So, what I’m gonna tell you is, you’re putting a bit in your mouth and stopping yourself from going where your body really wants to go. So don’t stop yourself is what I’m saying.

Sydney: Okay.

Brian: Let your body do the work, not your brain.