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How To Cry On Cue

How To Cry On Cue

Crying on stage, crying at films, crying at funerals. All can be tricky if you aren't genuinely sad and emotional. Fake crying though could be your answer. Tears can be produced with lots of techniques, from onions, to Stanislavkian theory. Learn how to cry on cue, and you could be earning plenty of brownie points for your display of emotion.

Step 1: Conditioning

Consider the things that make you sad, such as music, and use them to your advantage.

Pick a song that makes you feel sad, and listen to it a few times, getting into it's mood and really thinking about the lyrics and such to induce an emotional state. Now when you want to cry, think about the song, and try to tap into that emotional state. With some luck, you might just produce some tears.

Step 2: Stanislavski's emotion-memory technique

You could also use Stanislavski's emotion-memory technique, where you relive sad events in your own life to stir up emotions. This is one of the most important skills professional actors learn, as it helps you to role play realistically. Focus the mind on a sad or tragic event in your life, such as a death, embracing the sadness that comes with such thoughts, and lose yourself to the memory.

Step 3: Physical Techniques

If you find producing the right emotions difficult, then simply try some physical techniques to make your eyes water. Force yourself not to blink for as long as possible, finding something to focus on to make it easier.

You could also try yawning over and over, which is also known to make the eyes water, as is blinking extremely fast for a prolonged period.

Step 4: Props

The technique that is most guaranteed to produce tears is the use of a few props. Pulling out a few sensitive hairs with some tweezers certainly has the ability to make the eyes water. Even better though is the classic technique of cutting onions, or rubbing a small amount of Nasal Vapour Rub under the eyes. Combine this with holding your eyes open for a long time, and you can really get the tears streaming.