Why the funniest performances are played completely seriously

The quickest way to kill a joke is often to act as though you know it is funny.

Great comic characters rarely realise they are in a comedy. They are simply pursuing something they desperately want, responding to each setback with complete sincerity - even when everything around them is descending into chaos.

For an actor, this requires discipline. The temptation is to underline the joke: to add a knowing look, exaggerate a reaction or signal to the audience that they are in on the fun. But comedy often becomes much funnier when the performer resists that temptation and allows the situation to do the work.

It is one of the principles behind our comedy short Little Help.

Adrian Little is attempting to demonstrate his expertise while helping a struggling restaurant. From the audience’s perspective, his confidence may appear gloriously misplaced. But Adrian does not think he is ridiculous. He believes in his methods, his authority and - most importantly - himself.

That conviction is what makes the character work. If Adrian were played as a fool, the comedy would quickly become one-dimensional. By allowing him to retain his dignity and take every obstacle seriously, we can recognise something more truthful beneath the absurdity: the very human desire to appear capable when events suggest otherwise.

The same applies to the other characters. Maggie’s responses are funny because they are grounded in what she genuinely thinks and feels - not because she is reaching for a punchline.

The best comedy is not detached from truth. It depends upon it. However heightened the circumstances, the characters must care about what is happening. Their embarrassment must feel real. Their objectives must matter. Their frustration, confidence or desperation must come from somewhere recognisable.

That is why the funniest instruction a director can sometimes give an actor is also the simplest:

Don’t play the comedy. Play the truth.