How to Fake Cry

Whether you’re acting a scene that requires you to cry or if you want to grab someone’s attention, being able to fake your tears comes in handy. Crying will make people empathize with you and they will believe what you’re saying. While you shouldn’t use it to manipulate people, you can pull from your emotions or use an artificial product to make your tears come faster!

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Pulling from Your Emotions

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  1. Think of a time when you were feeling sad and remember the emotions you felt at the time. [1] If you can’t pull from any moments from real life or you’re afraid that your personal experience will make you feel too much, make up a scenario that makes you sad or think of a part in a movie that made you cry. [2]
    • Some examples you can think of to help you feel sad are the death of a pet or someone close to you, a memory of someone or something you miss, or a really bad breakup.
    • If you’re fake crying for acting, find a situation that relates to what your character is going through.
    • Focus on the emotions you want to feel rather than trying to cry. When you tell yourself you need to cry, you’re focusing on the results rather than what you need to feel at the moment. Focus on your body, breathing, and expressions instead. [3]
  2. Keeping your eyes open will dry them out, causing your body to produce tears. Pretend you’re holding a staring contest with someone and keep your eyes open for as long as you can. If you haven’t made tears and you feel the urge to blink, hold your eyes open with your fingers. [4]
    • Fan your eyes with your hands to make them dry out faster and produce more tears.
    • Sometimes if you keep them half-closed, tears will start to form in the corners of your eyes.
    • Don’t let anything harmful get in your eyes as you keep them open. Practice doing this indoors where there is less likely of a chance for something to blow into them.
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  3. Many times when you cry for real, you’ll start double breathing or hyperventilating because of stress. To simulate crying, recreate the effect of hyperventilation by taking rapid, shallow breaths. Not only will add to your believability, but it will help your body make tears. [5]
    • To calm down, start taking deeper breaths.
    • Hyperventilating too much will prevent healthy amounts of oxygen from getting into your blood. Only do this in short bursts to start your tears.
  4. Think about what your face does when you cry. Replicate the emotion by trembling your lip while frowning and scrunching your eyebrows. Practice in a mirror to make sure you aren’t overacting or looking unbelievable. [6]
    • Watch your favorite movies that have a crying scene to see how the actors look when they’re about to break down. Try copying their facial expression. [7]
  5. Make yourself yawn but suppress the yawn as well as you can. Your eyes should begin to water, and your lip will tremble a bit as if you were crying.
  6. Practice everything in front of the mirror all together to see if you can force out a few tears. If you don’t get it the first time, continue trying it every day until you can make some tears. [8]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Products to Force Tears

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  1. Drip eye drops in the corners of your eye for the easiest crying effect. Purchase any lubricant eye drops or artificial tears from your local pharmacy. Drip them either into your eyes or on your skin near the inside corners of each eye. Use the drops right before you need to look like you’re crying. [9]
    • Eye drops will roll down your cheeks quickly, so they should only be used in a pinch.
  2. Rub a thin layer underneath your eyes and on the tops of your cheeks. The product will give your face a shiny and moist look as though you’ve been crying for a bit of time. [10]
    • Avoid getting the jelly directly in your eyes since this could cause severe irritation. Rinse out your eye with cool water if this accidentally happens.
  3. Either use a vapor rub product or a tear stick from an online makeup store and apply it carefully beneath your eyes with your finger or a cotton swab. The chemicals in the menthol will slightly irritate your eyes and cause tears to form. They will also make your eyes look red and puffy to make them look more realistic. [11]
    • Vapor rub products can be purchased at your local pharmacy.
    • Keep the product out of your eyes since it will cause severe irritation. Immediately rinse your eyes with water if you get any product in them.
  4. Keep both eyes open and have someone blow a puff of air into each eye. If you find yourself blinking when someone else blows, use your fingers to force your eyes open. [12]
    • Tear blowers are sold by online makeup stores and contain menthol to promote tears faster.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Should I force myself to cry?
    Ben Whitehair
    Acting Coach
    Ben Whitehair is a Social Media Expert and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TSMA Consulting. With over a decade of experience in the social media space, he specializes in leveraging social media for business and building relationships. He also focuses on social media’s impact on the entertainment industry. Ben graduated summa cum laude from The University of Colorado at Boulder with BAs in Theatre and Political Science as well as a Leadership Certificate. In addition to his work as CIO, Ben is a certified business and mindset coach and Executive Vice President of SAG-AFTRA. He is also a successful entrepreneur as the Co-Founder of Working.Actor, the premier business academy and coaching community for actors.
    Ben Whitehair
    Acting Coach
    Expert Answer
    Rather than focusing on crying or tears, just try to match the emotions of the scene so you have a genuine moment.
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      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • Go into the front seat of your car and turn the air conditioning on. Lean forward so you are a few inches away from the vent and keep your eyes open for as long as you can. Blink, then repeat until tears are rolling down your cheeks. Your eyes might also be red and puffy, which can make it look like you were crying for hours.
      • Blink quickly 20-30 times and stare at a bright light source, like the sun or a bright light bulb, and do not blink.
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      Warnings

      • Don't do it too often. Especially if your aim is usually to manipulate someone. People will take hints and will notice that you manipulate someone by fake crying.
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      • Be careful not to get any menthol products in your eyes. They could damage your eyesight permanently.
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        Helpful 164 Not Helpful 17
      • Don’t cry fake tears to manipulate people you care about. Once they find out you are faking, they will stop believing you.
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        Helpful 153 Not Helpful 33
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      Things You’ll Need

      • Eye drops
      • Petroleum jelly
      • Menthol product

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      References

      1. ↑ Ben Whitehair. Acting Coach. Expert Interview. 3 June 2021.
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/8jaGANOngAc?t=1m1s
      3. ↑ Ben Whitehair. Acting Coach. Expert Interview. 3 June 2021.
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/1KRM3sV2F0M?t=4m32s
      5. ↑ https://healthfully.com/causes-double-breathing-after-crying-8384693.html
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/8jaGANOngAc?t=1m46s
      7. ↑ Ben Whitehair. Acting Coach. Expert Interview. 3 June 2021.
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/1KRM3sV2F0M?t=4m55s
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/pGrW7E8gx-s?t=43s
      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/pGrW7E8gx-s?t=1m3s
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/pGrW7E8gx-s?t=1m29s
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/pGrW7E8gx-s?t=2m9s

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To fake cry, hold your eyes open for as long as you can without blinking so they start to tear up. Also, take quick, shallow breaths like you would if you were actually crying. To make your tears look more realistic, frown a little bit and squint your eyes. You can even try thinking of a sad time in your life and focusing on the emotions you feel so that it's easier to pretend you're crying. To learn how to fake cry using eye drops or petroleum jelly, scroll down!

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