by One of the hardest tasks for an actor to complete every night on stage is realistic crying with tears and snotting and red eyes and pomegranate nose. The mark of the young and ineffectual actor — 99% of them — is trying to cry by faking. I call those fakers “Dry Criers” and they’re easy to mark both on stage and in real life.
The first indicator of Dry Crying is a lack of tears! True emotion requires a bodily response and few people are capable of producing tears unless they are really sad and really crying.
Fake Criers pretend to cry by employing these universal human semiotics:
- Hiding their eyes behind their hands
- Sniffling without having any snot to curry back into the sinuses
- Dropping the head
- Sobbing sounds
- Whimpering response cries
- Poking knuckles into eyes to foment the “look” of crying
Dry Crying can be a powerful act to perform in real life away from the stage because most people are not trained to notice the difference between real crying and Dry Crying.
Real crying gets sympathy and tenderness in return while Dry Crying deserves to only be ignored. The real danger, however, is calling out a Dry Crier by saying — “Why are you fake crying?” — because that can lead the Dry Crier into an emotional response of anger or embarrassment that will result in real crying and then you’re in real trouble.
The trick behind The Semiotics of Dry Crying is to learn to recognize it in real time when it happens, but not act on it in any way.
File away the observation that you are being played by someone to evoke a false sympathy for a greater end that doesn’t serve your best interest. Have you ever faked crying? If so, why? Have you noticed someone trying to provoke you with Dry Crying? If so, how did you react?
Hi David,
I have read it somewhere that actors are generally asked to “cry naturally” in front of a camera – because it is one of the hardest things to do.
If an actor is equally comfortable in crying and invoking laughter (think of “God Must be Crazy”) – half the battle is over.
Very hard thing to do – no doubt.
That’s a fine comment, Katha, and you’re right. The True Actor can call up any emotion at will and make it physically believable. It should not take effort or expect applause because it was organically created and not falsely propagated.
do men or women do this more
In my experience, jaren, I’ve never seen a non-actor man Dry Cry. I have always seen women do it in public and they’re usually doing it with men. Dry Crying with other women doesn’t seem to work.
why do women cry more
To get their way?
Do women cry more than men?
My limited experience guesses that’s probably so — but is crying a sign of weakness or strength or is it merely an act of manipulation?
no, never faked it and i’d be too scared to get busted and feel stupid dry crying.
Hi Tara!
Welp, that’s good to know you aren’t a cry faker. 😀
Have you ever witnessed the Dry Crying effect in others?
Hi David. It’s interesting that, in your article of Dry Crying, you use the picture of Ashley, the girl who was seen crying on American Idol, especially when Sanjaya was performing. Are you saying that Ashley faked it in order to get on TV?
Hi Manny!
Good eye you have! Yes, she was the perfect example of a fake, Dry Crier. The whole thing was a setup and a sham.
Dry crying is one of the most effective memes created by man or woman.
Blogging is the New Theatre
Blogging is the new Theatre. We are now our own producing companies and we create — in real time — new tragedies, musicals and comedies every single day online. We self-produce content and conflict. We create lights and sounds and