Breaking the Fourth Wall: All You Need to Know

The Fourth Wall is the idea that there is an invisible, imaginary wall separating the actors from the audience. The audience can see through this wall, but the actors are unable to see back – they're meant to act as though they don't know there's an audience watching them.

When the actors in the story acknowledge the presence of the audience, it means the fourth wall has been broken (or it might mean they're a bad actor).

In today's article, we'll dive deep on the concept of breaking the fourth wall, discussing why it's done and how it plays out in theater, film, television, and even literature.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

So what does it mean to break the fourth wall? Well, in most productions actors are meant to completely ignore the audience and focus their attention on what's happening in the world of the story. Even if an audience member calls out in a theater, the actors are meant to ignore them and continue performing as though nothing happened (while the audience member kindly gets escorted out by security).

Konstantin Stanislavski called this ignorance of the audience "public solitude," or "the ability to behave as one would in private, despite, in actuality, being watched intently while so doing – in other words, to be 'alone in public.'"

The term "fourth wall" comes from theater where there are three real walls on the stage, but the fourth wall is invisible – it's the wall that the actors can see but the audience cannot – the wall that allows the audience to watch what's happening without the actors ever being aware they are being watched. The audience can see and comprehend the story, but the story cannot see or comprehend the existence of the audience.

The fourth wall exists regardless of the way the stage looks or how close the audience is to the actors. In fact, some productions actively allow audience members to walk amongst the actors, and the actors must continue performing as though the audience members were invisible. In this way, the fourth wall is not just a physical boundary, but a conceptual idea that actors and audience can never interact without "breaking the fourth wall."

Breaking the Fourth Wall: A Deeper Understanding

Although performers are generally meant to ignore the audience, many – especially for comedic shows – actually feed off the audience emotionally, or they take cues from the audience about whether to say their next line or wait.

For example, if the audience is laughing, an actor might choose to deliver their next line in a particular way that feeds the audience so they laugh even harder. Another example of an actor reacting to the audience without breaking the fourth wall would be when the actor needs to say their next line, but must wait until the audience's applause or laughter has died down so they can be heard.

Besides these simple and often unnoticed interactions with the audience, actors are generally not allowed to acknowledge the audience's presence unless specifically noted in the writing of the scene. When this happens, it's called Breaking the Fourth Wall.

So how do you break the fourth wall? The fourth wall can be broken in a number of ways in screen, theater, and even novels:

• Directly speaking to and/or looking at the audience (or camera): An actor might turn to the audience in a theater and say, "Well, if all of you were not here, this wouldn't be so hard for me," or in film the actor might turn to the camera and say, "And you, just sitting there, watching me. Don't you have it easy?"
• Acknowledging the performance and/or fictionality of the character: An actor might say to another character, "If only we weren't pawns being written about by some writer of a play," or "Sometimes I wish I were real and not just an imaginary character in a movie."
• Speaking their innermost thoughts aloud to no one: Even if not directly speaking to the audience or acknowledging the fictionality of their world, speaking one's innermost thoughts aloud to oneself is something that almost never happens in real life, so it is considered a form of breaking the fourth wall. While alone, an actor might say, "My deepest wish is that I could escape such a sorrowful life, but alas I know it shall never come to pass."

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Most directors prefer the audience follow the story invisibly so they just enjoy what's happening in front of them, but some writers decide to involve the audience (by breaking the fourth wall) in order to:

• Offer commentary on the scene or piece as a whole: An actor might speak directly to the audience to explain their feelings about a scene or tell the viewer something that they'd normally not figure out on their own (i.e. "Yeah, I definitely don't agree with what Joe just said, but he can keep thinking I do"). However, since having a character suddenly turn and speak directly to the audience can be jarring (or even absurd), it's most often done in comedy.
• Let a character speak an inner monologue: Sometimes it's very difficult for an audience to truly grasp or understand what a character is feeling or thinking deep down, so the director might have the actor speak their mind aloud. This is often considered distracting in narrative stories and is usually reserved for documentaries or commercials. In narratives, a voiceover is often used instead.
• Highlight the work itself: Some directors want to draw attention to the art form they're presenting. In these cases, actors can break the fourth wall and acknowledge the fact that they're part of a work of fiction, which draws attention to the relationship between the actor and audience and brings them closer together.

In some cases, a television series or film might break the fourth wall so frequently that the work is then considered to have "no fourth wall."

What is an Example of Breaking the Fourth Wall?

The concept of breaking the fourth wall is extremely old; in fact, William Shakespeare's characters often addressed the audience in such a manner, as did characters in ancient greek theatre!

Here are some "breaking the fourth wall" examples:

• Breaking the Fourth Wall in Theatre
  • ​​Peter Pan: In the theatrical rendition of Peter Pan, there is a scene in which Peter asks the audience to help revive Tinker Bell by clapping their hands with him.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall in Writing:
  • City of Glass: This is a detective story written by Paul Auster where, at the very beginning, the main character makes a mysterious phone call asking for Paul Auster.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall in Film:
  • Annie Hall: In Woody Allen's famous film Annie Hall, the fourth wall is broken numerous times as he turns to the screen and speaks directly to the audience.
  • Trading Places: There are two brief moments where Eddie Murphy looks straight into the camera for just a moment (for comedic effect).
  • The Wolf of Wall Street: Leonardo DiCaprio repeatedly breaks the fourth wall throughout this film by speaking directly to the audience.
  • Spaceballs: In one scene, Dark Helmet (played by Rick Moranis) actually watches a videotape of Spaceballs, the film he's in.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall in Television:
  • Saved by the Bell: At the start of every episode, main character Zach Morris speaks directly to the audience to set the stage of what's going on at his school.
  • The Office: Throughout every episode, multiple characters are interviewed by the supposed documentary filmmakers following their lives. These interviews serve to increase the comic tone by allowing the audience a glimpse into what each character is thinking (but won't say publicly) about their coworkers.
  • House of Cards: Frank Underwood speaks directly to the audience numerous times throughout the series to help them feel "in" on his evil plans​.

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Is Breaking the Fourth Wall a Good Idea?

In general, breaking the fourth wall is a major decision that directors and writers don't take lightly. When done incorrectly, it can destroy suspension of disbelief and pull the viewer out of the world of the characters – not just for the one scene, but for the entire production.

But when done correctly, it can greatly enhance an audience's experience of the production by building trust and rapport, heightening emotions, and taking us deep into the character's psyche – which can truly elevate a production to the next level.

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Some Additional Q&A

​What are Some "Breaking the Fourth Wall" Synonyms?

There are no synonyms for "breaking the fourth wall" unfortunately.

How to Break the Fourth Wall in Real Life?

Breaking the fourth wall in real life refers to the acknowledgment that you are simply another pawn in the game of life. When you take on a higher consciousness and become "aware that you're aware," and you speak about this awareness of being a regular day to day human to others, you have broken the fourth wall in real life.

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​Further Reading:

If you enjoyed this article (Breaking the Fourth Wall... All You Need to Know), you might be interested in some of these:​
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• What is a "Side" in Acting?
• Stage Directions: The Ultimate Guide
• ​Character Roles for Acting Defined
• Method Acting
• Meisner Technique​