One of the most distinctive features of Miller Voice Method (mVm) is the emphasis on acting with the lips unsealed. Many of us have a fear of being a “mouth breather”—and for good reason. Mouth breathing is not optimal at rest, for a number of physiological reasons. But there are some cases when it can work for you. Here are a few reasons I advocate mouth-breathing on stage and film—and there are, of course, always exceptions.
It looks and feels more vulnerable
Try filming yourself doing the same scene, once where you close your mouth at the end of every line, and once where you leave it open. You’ll see a marked difference right away. With the lips unsealed, there’s a sense that you can be more affected by whatever’s coming at you—even by your own thoughts. There’s also a sense that the energy of the line continues after you say it—you’re searching your partner for a response.It activates your sympathetic nervous system
Mouth breathing (gently) activates the flight-or-fight part of your autonomic nervous system. This energizes your body and mind and puts you in a more reactive state. It’s the nervous system equivalent of coming a little forward onto the balls of your feet.It doesn’t telegraph “I’m done”
Imagine two actors on stage engaged in a dialogue. Both close their mouths as soon as their lines are over. On a subconscious level, the audience starts to get ahead of the action. But if both actors leave their mouths slightly parted, the audience doesn’t know what’s coming next—and the actors stay in a perpetual state of being ready to speak. This keeps audience and actors in a state of higher anticipation.
I often show this clip of Paapa Essiedu’s ‘To be or not to be’ speech as a brilliant example of open-mouthed breathing—his lips never close. One student put it perfectly: “He’s not just talking how he feels, he’s breathing how he feels.” And that’s the best reason of all—when you breathe through your mouth, there’s a sense that the breath becomes a part of your spoken expression, just as much as the words.