Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Thursday, February 10, 2022
How Method acting transformed film —and made performing more human
NPR: Under the studio system, early American movie stars like Cary Grant worked on contract, frequently playing the same character — or the same type of character — across their careers. But author Isaac Butler says all that changed with the introduction of Method acting.
As a non-actor, I think this is one of the first readings I’ve ever had on acting. This article talks about ‘the Method’, which is the concept of staying in character and really connecting with the character. I never knew that it was called ‘the Method’ and that it was only applied in the US film industry in the early 1920s. I thought that actors always used ‘the Method’ and it’s just something that happens naturally. But after reading this article, I realised the importance of this technique. The article also mentions that it’s very different to act on stage versus acting in front of a camera, which is also not something I’ve thought about before. I know from a designer’s point of view that the aesthetics will change, but now I also know that actors often feel different going into characters when filmed because of how much cameras can pick up and capture.
As someone who has been involved within the entertainment industry for almost their own life, I have my own opinion about method acting. It’s this thing you hear about every few years, alongside the question “does this actually work?” and perhaps more importantly, “Is this something humane to do?” I think more recently with the novelty of Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in Joker, these questions are major points of discussion when talking about the future of acting. The article gave a great way into explaining what the method is for readers who probably did not what it entailed before reading this article, and as someone who advocates for accessible information, I appreciated that. Still, I think portions of method acting are useful but it should not interfere with an actor’s ability to function as a member of society, as a human person. It also should not inflict harm upon others, contrary to what actors have done in the name of “being on method”.
Reading this article added to the appreciation and respect I have for actors. The art of acting is so complex that sometimes I truly don’t understand some of the nuances. In the theatrical industry, it is important to have somewhat of an understanding of everyone’s role in a production. As the stage manager for many productions, I have been humbled by the skills that go into allowing a performer to be successful on stage. This is something that I find to be important as a stage manager because I know I could never accomplish what the actors I work with do and it makes me more and more fascinated with the industry I am a part of. This article also mentions this concept of being on set or on stage and needing to “turn on” the character and how some understand the work around for that is through this method by always “being in character”. As someone who works closely with actors, I have learned it is important for them to have boundaries between themselves and the role they are playing, so I can see possible negative repercussions if this method is misused.
Method acting is probably the only form of acting that really would impact me while I watched a film. When an actor is truly going through the same mix of conflict and emotions as the character, you can feel it. Those are the moments that really give you chills and pulls at the heart strings, in my opinion. I really appreciated how this article went in depth about the strategy of method acting and like Liberty said, it really heightened the appreciation and respect I have for actors. Being able to morph into this other person with other circumstances, sometimes other worldly, is an incredible feat that takes so much energy. It reminds me how real and artful acting is. It also brings me so much appreciation for theatrical actors because they must lodge themselves into these emotions night after night after night. That takes immense talent and energy, and is very beautiful to watch.
I like how they described it as the actor being both the painter and the paint. I read another article last week about the Moscow Theater and the beginning of Lee Strasberg's career. It is fascinating to learn that Strasberg was adamantly against staying in character all the time. I wish this article went into more depth on the controversy of being in character 24/7. It’s obvious that this variation of method acting is dangerous for actors. One famous example of method acting going too far is Heath Ledger playing the Joker. He stayed in character 24/7 while playing the role and this hurt his mental health enormously and ended in a drug overdose. The author makes a great point that the media fuels the flames by idolizing these performances which pushes other actors to do the same. It seems actors need a routine to help get them into and back out of character, instead of an on/off switch.
5 comments:
As a non-actor, I think this is one of the first readings I’ve ever had on acting. This article talks about ‘the Method’, which is the concept of staying in character and really connecting with the character. I never knew that it was called ‘the Method’ and that it was only applied in the US film industry in the early 1920s. I thought that actors always used ‘the Method’ and it’s just something that happens naturally. But after reading this article, I realised the importance of this technique. The article also mentions that it’s very different to act on stage versus acting in front of a camera, which is also not something I’ve thought about before. I know from a designer’s point of view that the aesthetics will change, but now I also know that actors often feel different going into characters when filmed because of how much cameras can pick up and capture.
As someone who has been involved within the entertainment industry for almost their own life, I have my own opinion about method acting. It’s this thing you hear about every few years, alongside the question “does this actually work?” and perhaps more importantly, “Is this something humane to do?” I think more recently with the novelty of Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in Joker, these questions are major points of discussion when talking about the future of acting. The article gave a great way into explaining what the method is for readers who probably did not what it entailed before reading this article, and as someone who advocates for accessible information, I appreciated that. Still, I think portions of method acting are useful but it should not interfere with an actor’s ability to function as a member of society, as a human person. It also should not inflict harm upon others, contrary to what actors have done in the name of “being on method”.
Reading this article added to the appreciation and respect I have for actors. The art of acting is so complex that sometimes I truly don’t understand some of the nuances. In the theatrical industry, it is important to have somewhat of an understanding of everyone’s role in a production. As the stage manager for many productions, I have been humbled by the skills that go into allowing a performer to be successful on stage. This is something that I find to be important as a stage manager because I know I could never accomplish what the actors I work with do and it makes me more and more fascinated with the industry I am a part of. This article also mentions this concept of being on set or on stage and needing to “turn on” the character and how some understand the work around for that is through this method by always “being in character”. As someone who works closely with actors, I have learned it is important for them to have boundaries between themselves and the role they are playing, so I can see possible negative repercussions if this method is misused.
Method acting is probably the only form of acting that really would impact me while I watched a film. When an actor is truly going through the same mix of conflict and emotions as the character, you can feel it. Those are the moments that really give you chills and pulls at the heart strings, in my opinion. I really appreciated how this article went in depth about the strategy of method acting and like Liberty said, it really heightened the appreciation and respect I have for actors. Being able to morph into this other person with other circumstances, sometimes other worldly, is an incredible feat that takes so much energy. It reminds me how real and artful acting is. It also brings me so much appreciation for theatrical actors because they must lodge themselves into these emotions night after night after night. That takes immense talent and energy, and is very beautiful to watch.
I like how they described it as the actor being both the painter and the paint. I read another article last week about the Moscow Theater and the beginning of Lee Strasberg's career. It is fascinating to learn that Strasberg was adamantly against staying in character all the time. I wish this article went into more depth on the controversy of being in character 24/7. It’s obvious that this variation of method acting is dangerous for actors. One famous example of method acting going too far is Heath Ledger playing the Joker. He stayed in character 24/7 while playing the role and this hurt his mental health enormously and ended in a drug overdose. The author makes a great point that the media fuels the flames by idolizing these performances which pushes other actors to do the same. It seems actors need a routine to help get them into and back out of character, instead of an on/off switch.
Post a Comment