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Dedicated method actors

February 22nd 2010 09:32
Method acting, or as it is sometimes known, the Method is a technique where actors rely on using their own emotions for a role. It is believed to be one of the most difficult techniques to learn as there are no technical forms or lessons that can be practised to learn it. The initial approach is to recall a past experience and immerse oneself in the emotion of that experience so as to apply it to the scene presently being undertaken. Thus, this creates a new depth to a part.

The method is thought to have revolutionised acting as we know it today. It is often perceived as the antithesis of the ‘wooden actor’ by using techniques such as sense and memory to achieve realism in acting. Actors often also use vocal intonation or facial expressions to add authenticity. Alternatively, some actors choose to use their imagination to get into the mind of the character and adopt the emotions that the character would have. In both of these approaches, actors can harness real emotions in portraying their characters.

The ‘Method’ is often seen as being an American form of acting, but it was the Russian theatre director Stanislavski who wrote books on the subject in the 1930s. Its popularity grew with the work of actors such as Marlon Brando. Their style of acting, or non-acting, was considered a breakthrough in the acting world. When compared to old style actors such as Clark Gable, theirs was an acting of previously unseen raw emotion and sensitivity. Other actors who have studied the Method are Al Pacino, Paul Newman and Robert DeNiro.

Apparently the approach can sometimes present a minor irritation to other actors. For example, Dustin Hoffman once went without bathing and sleeping for two days in order to immerse himself in a role. On seeing Hoffman’s condition, Laurence Olivier his co-star in the film, famously asked him, "Why don’t you just act?"

Here is a list in no real order of some impressive roles that I can think of:

Marlon Brando
The Men – Brando spent a month in bed at a veterans' hospital in preparation. He also lived in a Veterans Administration hospital with disabled veterans, and confined himself to a wheelchair for weeks.
The Men



Robert De Niro
Raging Bull
– Gained 60lbs and learned how to box.
Cape Fear – Asked his dentist to ground his teeth.
Taxi Driver – Worked as a cab driver doing twelve-hour days for a month. Additionally, he studied mental illness.
New York, New York – Learned to play the saxophone.
Deer Hunter – Lived amongst steel workers in Ohio for months.
De Niro - Cape Fear


Edward Norton
American History X – Gained 30lbs of muscle and shaved his head bald.
Rounders – Competed in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
The Score – Trained with the LAPD to learn about cracking safes.
Edward Norton - American History X


Adrien Brody
The Jacket – To prepare for scenes in a mortuary drawer, Brody spent hours on end in a 'sensory deprivation chamber', taking on quadruple sessions at a time, then during filming breaks he asked the director to keep him locked in the actual drawer on set. He also kept on the straightjacket as often as possible in between takes and refused to speak to anyone.
Oxygen – Demanded that real braces attached to his teeth rather than prosthetic ones for his role. They later needed to be ripped off.
The Pianist – Brody sold his apartment and car, got rid of his mobile phone and learnt to play Chopin on the piano perfectly. He also shed 30lbs.
Adrien Brody - The Jacket


Forest Whitaker
Ghost Dog – Studied eastern philosophy intensively and meditated at every opportunity.
Bird – Isolated himself in a Los Angeles apartment with only a bed, couch and saxophone until he mastered the instrument.
The Last King of Scotland – Whitaker studied all of Amin’s recorded speeches, put on 50lbs, met and lived with Amin’s family, colleagues and victims in Uganda, learnt to speak Swahili fluently and mastered the accordion.
Forest Whitaker - Ghost Dog


Meryl Streep
Music of the Heart – Learned to play the violin, by practising six hours a day for four weeks.
Meryl Streep - Music of the Heart


Matt Damon
Courage Under Fire – Lost 40lbs and consequently damaged his health so much that he needed medical supervision for months afterwards. For three and a half months, his diet consisted only of baked potatoes, coffee and cigarettes.
Matt Damon - Courage under Fire


Hilary Swank
Boys Don't Cry – Reduced her body fat to seven percent. She also lived life as a man for at least a month, including wrapping her chest in tension bandages and putting socks down the front of her pants.
Million Dollar Baby – She gained nearly 20lbs and became so buff some of her former clothes are still too small for her. She also contracted a bacterial infection from a blister on her foot during training. The infection was so serious that she almost had to be hospitalized for three weeks. Luckily the infection was caught in time and even though she had to take a week of to recuperate, she didn't tell Clint Eastwood or the producers of the film about the injury, because she didn't believe it was in character.
Hillary Swank - Boys Don't Cry


Christian Bale
American Psycho – Spent months tanning and exercising rigorously in order to achieve Bateman's Olympian physique, even going so far as to distance himself from the cast and crew in order to preserve the darker side of Bateman's character.
The Machinist – Lost over 60 lbs, forfeited proper rest for prolonged periods, and maintained a crash diet of coffee and apples.
Batman Begins – Gained muscle, increasing from about 130lbs to 230lbs in 6 months.
Christian Bale - American Psycho


Daniel Day Lewis
The Boxer – Trained for 18 months with former world champion Barry McGuigan who later said that Lewis could definitely have been a professional boxer.
The Crucible – Etched his own tattoos onto his body.
Gangs of New York – Completed an apprenticeship as a butcher and during filming breaks frequently sharpened his butcher’s knives. He was also diagnosed with pneumonia on set after continuously refusing to wear warm coats as they ‘wouldn’t have existed in the 19th century’.
My Left Foot – during filming as paralysed Christie brown, Lewis refused to leave his wheelchair between scenes in order to truly experience the problems associated with the character’s condition even though he suffered two broken ribs.
Last of the Mohicans – Lived in the wild for six months, learning to survive on the absolute basics.
In the Name of the Father – For his part of a prisoner, Lewis lived in solitary confinement at a disused prison.
Daniel Day Lewis - The Boxer










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Festive wishes

December 24th 2009 22:28
Festive lights


Even though I haven’t been around much this year, I still want to wish everyone a Happy Christmas. I’ve been more of a voyeur around Orble than a participant lately, but I’m aiming to change that in the New Year.

Have fun on the festive day and for as many days afterwards that you can wangle. I’m off to open a pressie or two. And eat a chocolate or two...for breakfast, lunch and tea.



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The Welsh Connection

November 9th 2009 06:45


It occurred to me earlier that one aspect of my life I only intermittently embrace is my half-Welshness. And why is that? Perhaps it’s something to do with their comedic lilting accent or society’s obsession to connecting them with sheep. Or perhaps it’s the robust urban myth that Welshies are a bit dim? I’m not sure, but I do know there are some good bits that are often not noticed such as, Welsh cakes, serene countryside, strong rugby skills and their ability to create and use a language without vowels and much spitting.

So, I thought I should acknowledge my heritage and pay my respects to some reputable and sometimes overlooked Welsh actors:

Well, we must start with Richard Burton. He doesn’t fall into the forgotten category especially as he was nominated seven times for an Academy Award (without success) and was at one time the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. Just to recap, some of his highlights include Where Eagles Dare (1968), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and Cleopatra (1963).
Cleopatra (1963)
Burton and Taylor


Charlotte Church, the famous Welsh songstress who falls somewhat flimsily under the actor umbrella as well as singer and television presenter. Additionally, she’s largely known for her public shenanigans and plentiful bosom.
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church


Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins. A fine and respected actor, best known for Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Elephant Man (1980) and The Remains of the Day (1993). ‘Hello Clarice’.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins


Griffith Rhys Jones, better known as Griff Rhys Jones, comedian, writer and actor memorably known for his comedy work with Mel Smith. He also looks like an older Hugh Grant to me.
Griffith Rhys Jones
Griffith Rhys Jones


Paul Rhys ,the film, theatre and televisioon actor is known for his intense and often volatile work. He is probably most branded for his role in Absolute Beginners (1986).
Paul Rhys
Paul Rhys


John Rhys-Davies, the English-born Welsh actor and vocal artist. He’s probably best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which he also voiced Treebeard.
John Rhys-Davies


Michael Sheen, the BAFTA- and Laurence Olivier Award-nominated Welsh actor is not related to any of the other Sheens, Charlie, Martin or Emilio. This Sheen is recognised for his portrayals of well-known public figures: Tony Blair in The Deal and The Queen, and in the upcoming The Special Relationship; David Frost in both the stage production and the film version of Frost/Nixon. He's also known for his role as Lucian in the Underworld film series. And just to blow him well into Hollywood fame, his next role is the menacing luminary Aro in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. An impressive résumé although he’s only really familiar to me because of his role as Miles in Bright Young Things.
Michael Sheen


And finally, Catherine Zeta-Jones, recognised for her Hollywood roles in The Phantom (1996), The Mask of Zorro (1998), and Entrapment (19999). She’s also known for her marriage to older dude Michael Douglas plus her achievement of magically losing her curves yet preserving her abundant mammary glands.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones in her younger days


So, there we have it. The list isn’t too shabby after all is it? So let’s all get out our leeks and celebrate. And in case you feel like singing a Welsh tune, click here:





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My life of verbs

September 10th 2009 21:42
My life of verbs - Tracy

Well, it’s happened, I’ve given birth, I’m now a mum. Well, if you want to be technical I was one for nine months but I think you might know what I mean. Tracy Junior popped out on the 28th July at 6.55am. The labour was arduous, slightly traumatic but worth it. Our boy is gorgeous, healthy and cheeky. For the sake of internet security, I think we’ll call him LJ.

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The other bits

July 16th 2009 23:32
Love and hands

Yes, I’m still burbling away but this time I decided I should balance my grumblings and tell you the parts of the pregnancy ladder I will never forget:

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Pregnancy fun

July 12th 2009 21:52
Feet and sunshine

I’ve been on Matted Leave for three weeks now and only have less than a fortnight to go and while pregnancy has been a brilliant experience, there are a few things I know I won’t miss:

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The mandala of life


1. ‘You know that you can’t have sex at all while you’re pregnant, don’t you?’ Week 6


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Movies and a life

May 24th 2009 22:51
It's good to be back


It’s been a whirlwind sort of couple of weeks, but it seems I’m back in my blog seat. It feels a little strange and slightly lumpy but I’m sure I’ll get used to it again. I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen and it’s been distressing. So distressing that sometimes I even used clichés to help me through the crisis. But I’m here now and I wanted to say a massive thanks to those bloggers who supported and helped me thorough the mess, both publically and behind the curtains. It meant a lot to me and kept me sane. Well, as sane as I’m ever going to be


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Everything is Fine (Tout Est Parfait)

February 26th 2009 21:53
Tout Est Parfait


‘Possible Worlds’ the Canadian annual film festival’s closing film, ‘Everything is Fine’ personifies a morose, introspective and atmospheric account of troubled adolescence with a fine craft. I am (extremely) behind with my write-up (and my blog in general), but I would still like to thank Mathieu Ravier, the artistic director of the festival for the chance to see his film and to meet him in person


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The Wrestler – a review

December 23rd 2008 22:15
Rourke in the ring

Rourke is a bleached-blond heavyweight still wrestling twenty years past his prime who inhabits a dour, beige world. Apart from the momentary and intermittent camaraderie of his ring mates, Ram (Rourke) is essentially alone. Well-meaning but clearly life-damaged, living in a trailer in New Jersey, Ram struggles to survive doing wrestling gigs on the weekend and working in a supermarket through the week.

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