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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meryl Streep
Music of the Heart – Learned to play the violin, by practising six hours a day for four weeks.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meryl Streep
Music of the Heart – Learned to play the violin, by practising six hours a day for four weeks.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate
That's what I call dedication
p/s...trust all's well with you...LJ and Fergal
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
Very, very interesting. I wish I had thought to write this!
Mich
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
You're right, people do incorrectly believe it is an American invention, when it was really its main champion, and brought Method to the international world of acting.
The Actors Studio was set up in New York by Lee Strasberg, which became the method actor's crucible and leading proponent of method in America.
Interesting post, with the methods used by various actors, I loved the Olivier quote! tee hee!
I worked on a big stage show in Oz, and one of the actors had adopted a type of 'method' approach, he was running aorund backstage behaving like a dumb lunatic with an axe.... eventually the SM decided that was taking things a little too far!
cheers
fog
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
How are you, my culinary friend? Yes, talk about utter dedication by these actors. I wonder how long it takes for them to de-role?
Great to see you, all is very well here, thanks
Tracy
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
How are things? It's fascinating that they went to such lengths isn't it?
Great to see you, glad you enjoyed the read,
Tracy
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Thanks for that celluloid insight, it must've been great to see things like that for yourself.
Indeed yes, I think that axe actor was taking it a bit too far!!
Hope you're well and good to see you,
Trace
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I would have liked to have seen Montgomery Clift (the original method man), Mickey Rourke and Nic Cage all get a mentioned because their anecdotes are enriching -
eg: Nic Cage eating a real cockroach for Vampire Kiss
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I did look into Nic Cage but made the tricky decision of cutting a few people out as the list was growing...and growing. I should've realised he was too significant to cull.
And I didn't think of Clift, tut tut, silly me.
Hope you're well.
Comment by True1
A Day in LA - Things to do in Los Angeles County
The Friendly Vegetarian
breeze
Very interesting and informative post
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Tracy
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Yes, plenty of actors who have gone too outrageous lengths for their roles, like Clift, Sean Penn, Cage, Hopper, more Brando and more Deniro
Apparently Daniel Day Lewis goes quite crazy with the whole thing.
Also, Al Pacino was in a film called Cruising, when he was in the thick of his method days and I suspect that he did some things for that role that he'll probably take to the grave with him, things that it's probably best that no one knows about.
a slight correction, the method is a form of studying and performing acting, their are a number of exercises that you can practice to sharpen your method acting ability and what you were referring to before is 'sense memory' which is a technique in itself.
Shaun
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Sorry to take so long to reply. I hadn't heard of that Al Pacino film you mentioned. It sounds like quite a role he played.
Thanks for that correction and for popping in,
Tracy
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
Lately Im very into anime, and part of the reason is the devotion of the voice actors. Its incredible someone in a booth with no prompts can put so much emotion into a scene with their voice.