You know when actors act drunk, how it often doesn't ring true? They're slurring too much, moving their arms about, talking too loud. That's not how real drunk people act.
That's what I thought too until today.
My girlfriend had been having a Christmas lunch at work (I know Christmas lunches get earlier every year, but if the 29th November isn't Christmas, then I don't know what is) and then had gone for drinks afterwards.
I met her around 6pm in the Edge bar in Soho Square. Her and her flamboyant male friend (flamboyant being both a euphemism for his sexuality as well as an accurate description of his attire) greeted me with great enthusiasm.
And believe me, the way those actors act is exactly correct. I think it's rare that we truly notice this, because when we are with incredibly drunk people we are generally quite incredibly drunk ourselves. Even if you with other people who are drinking and you are on the wagon, the affect isn't the same, as you generally see them getting drunk and acclimatise with them. It isn't as noticeable.
Meeting a drunk when you yourself are in a state of sobriety is very much like watching them on TV. You have the same sense of detachment from the proceedings. They might as well be on TV for all the good it is trying to communicate with them. I actually thought they might be acting drunk as a kind of joke.
I say all this not as a criticism. It is a marvellous thing to get drunk (occasionally) on a Friday afternoon (possibly not on the tube, drinking strong lager with a straw) and God knows Steph deserved to let her hair down. It was just interesting to see it and think, "so that's how I act when I'm pissed!"
The upshot of this is that I have a new respect for those actors that I previously maligned and can only suggest they improve their performance by repeatedly stressing that they are not drunk (which can be developed in longer scenes by them admitting that they actually were drunk an hour ago when they said they weren't, but aren't anymore - repeat on the hour for seven hours) and also by telling the same story three times in a row without noticing.
She was very cute though.
