On Good Friday, when the congregation reads the line from the Gospel that says, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” do you believe that the congregation is literally calling for Christ to be crucified? Or are they instead entering into a long-ago scene and identifying with some of the “characters” in that scene?
When an actor performs in a scene, he is not expressing his own view or approving of the actions his character commits. He is participating in the dramatic performance of a story. Sometimes, in the course of that story, it may be necessary for a certain type of character to commit certain sins (e.g., Macbeth must murder Duncan, Othello must murder his wife, Romeo and Juliet must commit suicide). Insofar as an actor legitimately portrays a character committing those sins, he is not committing those sins himself and neither is his audience who watches his performance.
