Don't know if this would help or not, but I did read once that one way to fake it is to cover your face with your hands and laugh hysterically. As long as they can't see your face, it's evidently very hard to tell the difference between sobs and laughter.

Don't overdo it! Depends on the scene, but like you describe : most people feel very uncomfortable crying in front of others! You must be an expert about different crying styles when you have been on this site regularly! (TorNorth Video thread). One more thing: don't bei afraid of it, not easy to manage I know, but there Is somewhere an interview with Ewan Macgregor about his cryinscene in the impossible...

Well, since you're asking non-actors, we can only give non-actory advice. In the last few minutes I tried to make it like I'm sobbing by makng sad pfaces and going uh-uh-uh! Sure enough, within a few seconds I felt tears welling (very slowly). I could also feel my lips trembling and my nostrils flaring, which were involuntary. I even felt some  emotions stirring. I think you can bluff your mind into thinking you're  really crying. This could be your ticket: JUST SOB. Don't think too hard about techniques and methods. If it works and if you practice and really commit to it, you might be able to do a realistic performance. Make sure the uh-uh-uh is coming from deep inside, like below the navel region.

A method I once saw was that the actresses would think about something sad while breathing out in heaving gasps, like uhhhhhhhhhhhh! After a few gasps many of them genuinely teared up. You could try this though I'd say don't think of something REALLY sad, you might be smiling in the next scene.

Fake tears in actors really annoy me, so I can't advice using cheap tricks. But I suppose as a last resort you could pull out the onions and what not. Some actors can make fake ones look convincing, though others are abysmally bad at it. You could also think about your expressions and mannerisms from when you genuinely cry, and build on that. Try looking at yourself ins mirror next time you're sobbing away. One thing I've noticed is that actors very often sob with their teeth clenched together. This is bullshit, IMO. Most people don't sob like that (though some do)

Ultimately the best advice anyone can give is PRACTICE. I would also recommend keeping it real.

Just wanted to say hi and welcome! I'm happy you've decided to start posting.

I don't have a whole lot of advice to give. Six years ago I played Elizabeth in our high school performance of The Crucible. In that pivotal moment in Act IV, the director wanted me to cry and I wasn't able to do it during practice. However, on the day of the performance the tears just came automatically, due to a combination of my nervousness and the amazing delivery of the boy who was playing John Proctor. I don't know what kind of scene you're in, but if it is a genuinely well-written scene, try to immerse yourself in it and maybe the tears might just come naturally. Of course you should first try what TorNorth and psychic girl said 
Let us know how it goes!

Last edited by truffle (January 10, 2015 5:29 pm)

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

To those asking, I'm a screen actress (did some stage growing up, but I soon found that I much preferred screen). They're such completely different animals in terms of crying (and many other ways, but that's another topic) because on stage you can get away with not shedding real tears. No one is looking at a close-up of your face. It's often better that you don't "truly" cry, because crying messes with your voice, which you need to project on stage. I remember being told that your character should be crying but YOU shouldn't. Tricky!

On the screen, however, you have as many takes as you need, and your face is often the sole focus. It drives me insane on TV/movies when actors sob with no tears! Even when it's not someone I find attractive, it bothers me because it takes me out of the moment. And I can also always tell when they've used those dreadful glycerine drops. The tears look weird.

To get a little personal, I grew up in a distant family where crying and comforting was just not done. I am kind of the poster child for "taboos become fetishes". As a result, I have a hard time letting go. I don't remember the last time I really sobbed.

I've worked at this scene and I've gotten to the point where certain thoughts can get me going. Maybe not as quickly as I'd like, but they do. And as truffle mentioned, the heat of the moment may get to me and help things along. I'll keep you guys posted!