Is life about struggle or suffering?Right now Brad would say it is the latter. He is suffering and feels he has every right to be miserable. He's been diagnosed with cancer. He is 25 year old, angry and disillusioned. He takes out his pain on the closest person to him - Janet. It has been so intense for her that she has taken refuge with Michael, Brad's brother. Why does Brad react this way to his misfortune? Perhaps Brad is the kind of boy who grew up with everything going pretty much the way he wanted. Perhaps he has been successful in most aspects of his life up to this point and has had no training or preparation to handle anything tipping his life upside down. Perhaps he has never lost anyone close and has not had to suffer in any way before. The scene presents an opportunity for two male actors to explore the power of family bonds and brotherly love. The actor playing Brad will need to explore areas of fear and terror around death and dying. To understand the cause of Brad's behaviour we can apply the principle: the greater the intensity of the protective behaviour (in Brad's case self sabotage) the greater the intensity of the underlying fear. In this case Brad is terrified of dying. He is clearly not handling the facts of his illness or the possibility of death. What choices does the actor make to connect to the emotional truth of Brad's fears? How deeply does the actor need to explore levels of irrational behaviour? We know that intense fear overtakes rationality and in this case has overtaken Brad's ability to empathise with his partner's position. Perhaps he is in some way angry with her because she is healthy? Perhaps he is jealous and insecure and projects that other guys will be moving in on Janet now that he is sick. Perhaps it's all of this and more. The mind can become paranoid in times of great stress. There are several possible suggestions that can be explored for Brad. Michael takes the caring role and shoots straight with his younger brother. There is much love in Michael. He is full of compassion and understanding. He doesn't take no for an answer and persists in getting through to Bad. There is a lovely moment in the scene where Brad accepts his brother's help. It is not easy for the young stallion to grasp his own mortality and vulnerability. One imagines that Brad will be ever changed by this experience. He is no longer 'ten foot tall and bullet proof' and knowing this will probably make him all the stronger. |