Learn the Secret to Memorizing Lines With Helen Mirren’s Step-by-Step Guide

Whether it’s a feature film or television series you’re working on, start with these common memorization techniques to master your material.

1. 1. Read the whole script first. Before you do anything else, read the entire script through. Make note of characters, story progressions, moods, transitions, and anything else that sticks out to you. A sense of the whole story provides a solid direction, which can provide invaluable clues to help you remember your next line, especially if you know what’s coming up on the pages immediately after.
2. 2. Highlight your lines. Once you’ve done a full read-through, go through the script again and highlight your character’s lines. This makes it easier to not only find the spots in the script that you need to focus on, but also to refer back to them when you’re practicing them later.
3. 3. Write through the trouble spots. One of the more effective memorization techniques, especially for visual learners, is to write your lines out on a piece of paper. There’s a proven link between memory and writing: pull out some flashcards, and write your lines while reciting them to yourself. The act of writing is usually enough to leave a strong impression on your memory.
4. 4. Practice out loud. Another common memorization technique is saying lines out loud. Start by reciting your lines by yourself, then graduate to practicing with a scene partner. Scene partners are usually fellow cast members, though they can be fellow actors in an acting workshop, too. If you are not already paired with a scene partner, or are working on a solo performance, try asking running lines with a trusted friend or family member.

Acclaimed actress Helen Mirren has a lot of experience memorizing lines. Though she did not attend drama school, Mirren underwent intensive training at the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company in London, and also spent a year traveling the world in Peter Brook’s experimental theater company.

Mirren is known for her work both on stage and on film. She earned mainstream acclaim for her role as detective Jane Tennison over seven seasons on the BBC show Prime Suspect. She is well known for her portrayals of historical characters, most notably Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II.

From Shakespeare to procedural dramas, Helen’s acting work has demanded extensive memorization.

Once you feel comfortable with the methods illustrated above, learn to master memorization with Helen Mirren’s expert tips.

1. 1. Deconstruct the script. Breaking down a script is a very personal process that will vary depending on the amount of material you are preparing at once. When Mirren starts learning lines for a new project, she literally deconstructs the script. Mirren asks for three copies of the entire script. Keeping one of them intact to keep track of the overall story, she then cuts cuts her scenes out of the other two scripts, puts them in envelopes, and takes them out week by week to memorize. While working on Prime Suspect, Mirren actually posted her scenes all around her hotel room, which allowed her to stay in the world and know where she was in the story despite a massive number of words.
2. 2. Memorize scene by scene. You don’t need to memorize all of your lines at once. Start by memorizing one line. Once you have that down, add another. Keep going until you’ve tackled the entire script. You might be surprised at how much your memory can hold — and how quickly you get there.
3. 3. Get to know your character. Knowing your character at a gut level is essential for a great performance. But it’s also a good way to help you memorize your lines, as knowing your character’s deep motivations can help boost your memory. Dog-ear each scene your character appears in, then return to each, writing the subtext in the margins. Subtext can just be one sentence, or it can be a whole paragraph, but it should be specific to every individual line in the scene.
4. 4. Repeat, repeat, repeat. The absolute best way to memorize lines isn’t any kind of hack or trick at all: it’s repetition. That’s it. Read your lines. Recite them. Attend rehearsals. Repeating your lines over and over and over again is the key to engraving them on your memory.

Whether you’re treading the boards or prepping for your next big role in a film or television series, making it in show business requires plenty of practice and a healthy dose of patience. No actor knows this better than the legendary Helen Mirren. In Helen Mirren’s MasterClass on acting, the Academy Award-winning actress shares the techniques she has learned through the course of her international career that has spanned stage, screen, and television.

Want to become a better actor? The MasterClass Annual Membership provides exclusive video lessons from master actors, including Helen Mirren, Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman, and more.