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The Secret of Great Roleplayers


Recently, I recruited a new corporate actor for our growing team. 

During one of the interviews, I asked the actor what he considered to be the most challenging part of corporate acting. His response was, “Challenging? If you know your lines, you should be okay, right?” 

Wrong. 

The art of corporate acting involves much more than just memorizing lines for a role-play scenario. 

Corporate actors are expert improvisers who can create believable characters and deliver performances that feel real in the moment. You know that feeling when you watch actors on stage or in film, and you are transported to places that seem genuine and believable? The same applies to corporate role-play. Participants often forget they are interacting with an actor as the situation comes to life.

At InterACT, we only work with first-class role-play actors. Our actors are trained to create “real” situations in imaginary contexts, allowing participants to practice interactions as if they were real. A corporate actor can provide meaningful and honest feedback based on their character’s experiences, helping participants gain a better understanding of their own interactions.

If you have worked with a first-class role-play actor, these qualities should be evident. However, if you’ve experienced mediocrity, it’s possible your role-play actor didn’t possess the essential ingredient that is standard in our InterACT team: an excellent attitude.

An excellent attitude from our role-play actors is just as important as their talent and skill. While the interpretation of an excellent attitude may vary, let’s break down what it means to us and how it can benefit you when hiring a role-play actor for training, presentations, or assessments:

1. **The role-play actor is happy to be there.**  
The actor should treat your project as important as any other job they have worked on. Corporate acting is not just a temporary gig or something to do when there are no better offers. We specifically recruit role-play actors who are genuinely interested in using their skills to help learners achieve their goals.

2. **The role-play actor is hard-working.**  
An actor’s positive attitude is evident not just in their delivery but also in their preparation. If the actor is not adequately prepared, the role-play exercise will not be effective. We have heard stories of other role-play actors showing up without knowing the learning objectives or attempting to deliver a scene with their brief in their lap—this is unacceptable. Thorough preparation should always be a priority.

3. **The role-play actor is not on a power trip.**  
The actor's role is to deliver their performance realistically and to partner collaboratively with the trainer, presenter, or assessor. Through careful briefing, the actor must listen attentively, concentrate, and respond to the participant’s behaviour. While the actor may need to portray specific traits to challenge participants, a role-play exercise should never become a showcase for the actor's skills.

At InterACT, we take great care in selecting actors who align with our values. Trusting the quality, commitment, and attitude of your role-play actors is essential for delivering the most effective training, presentations, or assessments.

Would you like to discuss this further? Give us a call at 0487 693 349.

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