Actors/Actresses Eyes

[Wispy68]

Has anyone else noticed how some actors/actresses, when face to face with eachother, look into the other persons eyes, but with their eyes frantically darting from one eye to the other? Are they taught to do this at drama school? I've never noticed people doing this in 'real life'!

[haller]

perhaps they are reading off an autocue in the reflection of the other person's eyes....

[beenee]

Well, I've noticed that it happens when one pays particular attention to another's face while talking. When we're not conciously aware of the other person's face our vision falls sort of all over their face, like a blurry view. That's what happens in real life. When the conversation is constructed, I can imagine vision being unnatural, resulting in the strange eye-movements you mention.

[5029]

With Gail from Corrie being undoubtedly the worst offender!

[darth vader]

as haller hinted quite often there are "dummy boards" or an autocue over the shoulder of the other person, which the actor(ess) is reading. But i agree that it is likely to be a psychological thing due to it being unnatural speech. Normally when we talk to someone we focus either on one eye, or more generally at the point between both eyes.

OR... they could be like me and have Nystagmus (a condition of the eye caused by 3-d vision problems which makes them wobble or twitch) - i realised years ago that i tended to flick between eyes when i was talking to someone - i fixed this by focusing on the nose instead, which tends to help

[sft42]

A point not yet raised is that diresct eye to eye contact is very hard to hold for more than a few seconds with most people.....it usual means one of two things which are instinctual either A/ you're deeply in love with the person your looking at and your happy to be in their company or B/ you're in an aggresive mode and challenging them to a fight............if you fancy trying this out go to a pub and just stare directly into the eyes of the hardest looking person in the bar........enjoy your stay in casualty!

[Lennon]

My mum actually does this all the time and it was always when she got mad when we were younger and she used to shout at us. Because of that she used to get right up to our face, and I've been told that the eye's dart from one to the other because if you go to close, you're eyes can't focus so subconcsiously they try to take in both.

[Wispy68]

5029, it was watching Gail listening to Richards confessions which prompted me to ask this question. It was SO distracting!!