As I put on the costume and start playing the character,
something interesting starts to happen. It is quite an awkward feeling to be
walking with a hood almost covering your eyes. You are forced to look
downwards, and you are ‘shading your eyes’ , as if they would betray you by
being visible. This creates a sense of smallness, of invisibility that, as I
realize, is capturing the stealthy nature of this character so well. I gradually
notice that I start to feel alone in what seems to be a increasingly strange
and hostile world. As my character, I am observing my surroundings and what I
see, I am weighing and judging. I place myself at what looks like ‘strategic points’ from
which I can oversee parts of the convention area, where I ‘freeze’ and attempt
to melt into the shadows.
This –and other little events like these- convince me
that something really interesting is happening and that there is more to ‘playing’
this fictitious character than meets the eye. Apparently, somehow, the image I
am building inside, the emotions and feelings, are being picked up by the
people around me.
As I continue doing this, other weird things start to happen. Remember the keywords I used to build up Arrow: ARCHETYPE, FORCE FOR GOOD, ANONYMOUS, HIDDEN, MISSION, FACELESS? These are still there but, as I walk around, I am also getting new insights into this character: he possesses a great Strength as he seeks to bring Justice according to a finely attuned sense of Judgment as he fulfills the role of an archetypal Archer. It is insights such as these that convince me something very interesting is going on, as this seems to grow beyond simply roleplaying a character: the character itself seems to come alive through me. I do a number of ‘cosplay’ sessions in character and gradually it becomes apparent that “Arrow” has a lot to tell me.
Now, I am not an actor, but I imagine this is the kind of
thing an actor would also experience playing certain characters, especially if
these are of an archetypal nature. I recall the many stories from actors who
played in series such as Battlestar Galactica, on how playing their characters
who went to all kinds of transformations and ordeals actually changed them
personally as well. It seems that what started as an innocent and fun cosplay
will now shift into a more personal journey, if I allow it. That is great, as I
have already found out that cosplaying as a competitive art is not something I
enjoy. I am not the only one with an Arrow costume, however, the others look
more screen-correct and therefore better than mine. I need to take this into
another direction, and this sudden shift into such an ‘inner journey’, to me,
is much more valuable! I cannot wait for the next opportunity at London Film
and Comic Con to “put him on” and, in the meantime, I have some ideas on how to
improve a bit on the costume. Let’s see what he will tell me then!
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