In case you guys are not aware, Chuck Klosterman is one of the greatest pop culture writers of all time. If I could siphon off a bit of his genius every time I wanted to do an extended metaphor, I would be so happy. And by bit I mean sliver. Like a tenth of a microgram (I’m too lazy to look up the proper measurement). In case you haven’t read any of his books, buy them now.
Now that the literary gushing is over, let’s digress to the topic at hand: method actors and groupthink.
During a very strange interview with actor Val Kilmer of Batman Forever and Top Gun fame, Klosterman asked him about his experience in the movie Tombstone, which led to this exchange:
I ask him about the “toll” that he felt while making the 1993 western Tombstone. He starts talking about things that happened to Doc Holliday. I say, “No, no, you must have misunderstood me. I want to know about the toll it took on you.” He says, “I know, I’m talking about those feelings.” And this is the conversation that follows:
Me: You mean you think you literally had the same experience as Doc Holliday?
Kilmer: Oh, sure. It’s not like I believed that I shot somebody, but I absolutely know what it feels like to pull the trigger and take someone’s life.
You understand how it feels to shoot someone as much as a person who has actually committed a murder?
I understand it more. It’s an actor’s job. A guy who’s lived through the horror of Vietnam has not spent his life preparing his mind for it. He’s some punk. Most guys were borderline criminal or poor, and that’s why they got sent to Vietnam. It was all the poor, wretched kids who got beat up by their dads, guys who didn’t get on the football team, couldn’t finagle a scholarship. They didn’t have the emotional equipment to handle that experience. But this is what an actor trains to do. I can more effectively represent that kid in Vietnam than a guy who was there.
Although this assertion seems a bit (okay, very) strange, it’s possible that Kilmer is on to something.
In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, author James Surowiecki offers the theory that groups can be more knowledgeable and accurate than experts. So if Val Kilmer changes his example from talking about himself to talking about groups, it might be accurate.
When we work in groups, it can be a frequent source of aggravation and stress. But given that groups pull from a variety of competencies, experiences, knowledge bases and skill sets, there’s much more to be gleaned from working with others towards a common goal then against them. While some may feel that they best fit a particular niche in the group, collaboration with others can (and often does) produce better results.
Employers are often looking for team players, people who will fit into established groups and who will hopefully step up to lead them, if need be. Even work-at-home positions require group collaboration. And since the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, it stands to reason that your group may know better than you.
Collaboration isn’t a four-letter word, but it is difficult to accomplish when egos, pride and presumptions get in the way. By working with your team and acknowledging their separate and combined power, you will be able to achieve better results than if you try to fly solo. Or explain method acting.
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