tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8317493975456601003..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Method ActingBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80950085907481756552011-06-10T11:25:39.520-07:002011-06-10T11:25:39.520-07:00Brando was a devoted Stella Adler student whose ap...Brando was a devoted Stella Adler student whose approach was the antithesis of Strasberg's at the time. Brando had absolutetly zero to do with method acting, and has said so in a few interviews, but it's still being connected with him to this day. Brando also had the technical chops that actors like Clift, Monroe, and even Dean, did not.<br />He could do period pieces, theater styles, and genres flawlessly. But even Adler admitted that she really couldn't take credit for teaching Brando anything that significant. He just happened to be spectacularly talented. She said she just pointed him in the right direction and he went forward on his own.<br />Sorry to rant, but let's try to help Brando get away from Strasberg once and for all, since Brando regarded the man as a clown.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40362806126748328372011-06-07T13:32:14.319-07:002011-06-07T13:32:14.319-07:00yikes. good blog! i dunno. my acting teacher told...yikes. good blog! i dunno. my acting teacher told us a very scary story about meeting and working with a young robert blake. i'm not even kidding. she never endorsed "the method' again.tales from the polehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08096452255334089167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71176523834295858202011-06-05T08:17:04.019-07:002011-06-05T08:17:04.019-07:00I'm kind of worried that William H. Macy has g...I'm kind of worried that William H. Macy has gone Method in playing his part on Shameless.Little Miss Smoke and Mirrorshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03929842073300471147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16017421559405511462011-06-04T14:12:53.364-07:002011-06-04T14:12:53.364-07:00Uh, you guys probably understood that I meant to t...Uh, you guys probably understood that I meant to type "weight" and not "wait", right?a bit tastelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9379341626701413922011-06-04T14:03:57.367-07:002011-06-04T14:03:57.367-07:00"As for the Method, after seeing everything R..."As for the Method, after seeing everything Robert De Niro put himself through in RAGING BULL, I always thought it was a good thing that he opted out of THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST."<br /><br />Producer: We 're making MOBY DICK.<br />De Niro: I'm in, but it's gonna take me a while to put on so much wait.<br />Producer: No, we want you for captain Ahab.<br />De Niro: Gimme the axe. Which leg was he missing?a bit tastelessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79206315195132738872011-06-04T07:01:19.174-07:002011-06-04T07:01:19.174-07:00Phyllis Newman is an underrated actress who makes ...Phyllis Newman is an underrated actress who makes some of the principles of the Method work. <br />I remember her brief tenure on an ABC afternoon soap opera. She portrayed the wife of the central character and I was especially impressed by her ability to add credibility to the show simply by reacting naturally to her stage spouse's monologue the way a person who was actually in a room listening to these words would, not by standing stone still staring at the speaker like a statue for fear of upstaging him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87828984515232834272011-06-03T19:36:59.532-07:002011-06-03T19:36:59.532-07:00Um, 24/7, obviously. Though I am lobbying for a 2...Um, 24/7, obviously. Though I am lobbying for a 27-hour day.jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89684271401379580392011-06-03T19:36:05.036-07:002011-06-03T19:36:05.036-07:00Mike: Maybe Penn just wanted a Method excuse to st...Mike: Maybe Penn just wanted a Method excuse to stay stoned 27/7. :)<br /><br />I wonder what method Phoebe Cates used to be so convincing with that carrot?jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89527489578966637762011-06-03T14:26:40.687-07:002011-06-03T14:26:40.687-07:00While making Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sean Pe...While making Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sean Penn slept on the set in his "room" and would only answer to Spicoli.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06307386816008359198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85636832177706315972011-06-03T09:18:53.719-07:002011-06-03T09:18:53.719-07:00When hearing about method acting, I always flash b...When hearing about method acting, I always flash back to an episode of “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.”<br /><br />Rob Reiner comes over and tells Garry that he’s got the acting bug again. They decide that he can get back into acting by playing Garry’s handyman/comic foil a la “Schneider.” <br /><br />His “preparation” for the role ends up being doing a series of menial cleaning/repair tasks at Garry’s behest. <br /><br />As Reiner asks from the bathroom where to find some kind of cleaning materials, Shandling responds, “Remember, Stanislavsky said the secret to acting is…scouring.”chalmersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35802496851745702782011-06-03T08:47:15.035-07:002011-06-03T08:47:15.035-07:00Two things:
First and foremost: John Astin is awe...Two things:<br /><br />First and foremost: John Astin is awesome and this story only increases his awesomeness! He's one of those guys you know is hilarious on his own and he brings it to everything (particularly loved him on Night Court, still quote "But I'm getting better")<br /><br />Second, this reminds me of the bit from Dangerous Game with Madonna when the method actor is supposed to have sex with the actor and she starts whinging that he's too method when they are acting it out (hey, it was on cable, I was a teen and I thought there might be boobs).crackblindnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62845098695998439602011-06-02T22:28:02.271-07:002011-06-02T22:28:02.271-07:00Thanks Bruce B for the information -- I'm hard...Thanks Bruce B for the information -- I'm hardly an expert on Stanislavski. I do remember reading that at some point he modified The System for fear of damaging the mental health of his actors, particularly when it came to sense memories. He came to fear that if actors dug around too deeply in painful things from their past it would leave them with problems they didn't need, given the general instability of an actor's life even under the best of circumstances.<br /><br />As for Olivier and The Method, his antipathy towards it was partly a genuine disagreement on how an actor should develop a character (he favored an outside-in approach) and partly, alas, an extension of his life-long antisemitism. His autobiography, <i>An Actor's Life</i>, is full of veiled insults to any number of Jewish writers, producers, and directors, with particular enmity director towards Lee Strasberg and his wife, Paula, who acted as Marilyn Monroe's acting coach when Olivier directed her in the film <i>The Prince and The Showgirl</i>. He may not have approved of Ms. Strasberg's methods or the rather parasitic relationship the couple had with Monroe, but the fact is, she got Monroe to the set and got one of her best performances out of her, which was particularly useful when the co-star/producer/director (Olivier) had all but declared war on his leading lady.Matt Pattonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14096062844255307332011-06-02T21:15:19.547-07:002011-06-02T21:15:19.547-07:00Most actors I know today have worked out their own...Most actors I know today have worked out their own acting technique using what they've learned from various acting coaches throughout their career. <br /><br />I have met and worked with a few who have taken "method" to the extreme (trying the drugs their character takes, drinking to great excess, even staying in character when not on camera and wanting to be referred to as the character name at all times), but those folks seem to be more and more rare.<br /><br />I think this extreme form of method is not at all what Stanislavsky had in mind, but something people ended up coming to in their quest to give a great performance.<br /><br />The kind of acting I love to watch is reactive - someone who is completely present in the scene and gives a natural performance. Spencer Tracy, James Garner and Nathan Fillion come to mind (Captain Hammer not withstanding). Some actors appear to be waiting to hear their cue, while these folks - and others like them - seem to really be in the moment, and I forget I'm watching TV or a movie.<br /><br />But whatever works for the actor works for the actor, and who am I to judge. They don't tell me how to come up with ideas and I don't tell them how to lift the character off the page.Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07350118087248640188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50014104260527864762011-06-02T20:52:34.644-07:002011-06-02T20:52:34.644-07:00By the way, whenever I hear about method actors, I...By the way, whenever I hear about method actors, I think of Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Who Am I This Time?"<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Am_I_This_Time%3FLarrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71124897796922429992011-06-02T20:49:03.877-07:002011-06-02T20:49:03.877-07:00So John Astin was steppin' out with Ed LaSalle...So John Astin was steppin' out with Ed LaSalle.Larrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66295384979792781592011-06-02T20:26:53.464-07:002011-06-02T20:26:53.464-07:00I'm surprised nobody has quoted Spencer Tracy&...I'm surprised nobody has quoted Spencer Tracy's advice on how to be an actor: "Show up on time, know your lines, and don't bump into the furniture."Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-245862663191024692011-06-02T19:40:08.529-07:002011-06-02T19:40:08.529-07:00Some actors take their work home with them, so to ...Some actors take their work home with them, so to speak. I doubt anyone would call Raymond Massey a method actor, but apparently during the New York run of "Abe Lincoln In Illinois" he became rather Lincolnesque offstage, moving George S. Kaufman to observe, "Massey won't be happy until someone assassinates him."Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77688682591635116612011-06-02T19:17:13.375-07:002011-06-02T19:17:13.375-07:00There's also that anecdote about what Lawrence...There's also that anecdote about what Lawrence Olivier said to Dustin Hoffman on the set of Marathon Man. They were about to film a scene where Hoffman's character had been awake for 24 hours in a frantic mess. So it comes time to film the scene, and Hoffman arrives looking wrecked. Olivier expresses concern, and Hoffman says he got into character by staying awake for 24 hours and running around the city. Olivier says, "Next time, try acting. It's much easier."David in Taipeinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69845122585509760672011-06-02T16:30:46.850-07:002011-06-02T16:30:46.850-07:00If you read Stanislavski, his "method" w...If you read Stanislavski, his "method" was strictly a REHEARSAL technique (Described in his book An Actor Prepares, I believe)and nothing he would ever allow an actor to do during an actual performance. It was either misinterpreted or purposely misrepresented by instructors who saw it as a way to do something radically different that might attract more students (often slavishly) to them.<br /><br />By the way, John Astin teaches theater and acting at Johns Hopkins University these days. But not method. He probably just enjoyed writing the reviews.BruceBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59601769658414349872011-06-02T15:03:19.746-07:002011-06-02T15:03:19.746-07:00I was listening to the game yesterday and didn'...I was listening to the game yesterday and didn't see Jones' catch, but heard Rick's call.<br />I just went to check out the video - everyone's right, the catch is Mays + wall. Amazing.<br />Of course, the walls weren't padded like that in Willie's day.<br /><br />Friday question, maybe - I'm glad that neither you nor Rick is particularly homer-ish as an announcer, Ken. What are you able to tell us about homer announcers, and how much of their act is their own, or is insisted upon by the team?Mike Schryverhttp://www.otrcomedy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79259825020926675572011-06-02T15:00:54.653-07:002011-06-02T15:00:54.653-07:00Geoffrey Rush on Charile Rose said he doesn't ...Geoffrey Rush on Charile Rose said he doesn't do the method, because he's afraid he'd give his best performance at the craft services table and not on set.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88479856392158261032011-06-02T13:53:43.198-07:002011-06-02T13:53:43.198-07:00I used to think good acting was naturalistic actin...I used to think good acting was naturalistic acting, that the person on stage or screen had to seem just like someone you might meet in real life, but I've had to adjust that view somewhat. If acting natural is all that is needed, than Brian Keith is the greatest actor who ever lived, since he seems like the guy you might find yourself sitting next to while waiting for your number to be called at the License Bureau. But what about someone like Cary Grant, who isn't remotely like anybody I've ever met in real life? Yet, when I see him in a movie, I'm not aware that he's reciting lines that he earlier memorised. I'm temporarily convinced Grant is thinking up the lines right then and there as he says them, and reacting to events as they occur to and around him. As a member of the audience, that's all I really ask of an actor.<br /><br />I'd be curious to know what techniques Grant used, and what techniques Keith used. Probably not the same ones, but you never know.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3736541497139385212011-06-02T13:27:36.630-07:002011-06-02T13:27:36.630-07:00John Astin rocks! Is he still rocking? He was de...John Astin rocks! Is he still rocking? He was definitely the best part of that particular iteration of Mary. <br /><br />Adam Jones was rocking yesterday, wasn't he? heck of a catch, or as Rick so ably put it, "Holy Smokes!" He may be lucky he didn't break his leg or ankle. Or both. And he really tattooed that tater - did it make the 2nd deck, I couldn't tell on the replay. Tho I do like Eric Bedard, Adam gets to play every darn day. Eric, only about 32 starts/year.Bruce Lee Bochtenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37614175358438956372011-06-02T12:46:35.369-07:002011-06-02T12:46:35.369-07:00I have always love John Astin. And now I love him ...I have always love John Astin. And now I love him even more.Cathy S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12588610082774469902011-06-02T12:39:49.164-07:002011-06-02T12:39:49.164-07:00The "method" came out of Stanislavsky...The "method" came out of Stanislavsky's "system," which was, if I remember correctly, a lot about actors trying to find the characters in themselves. One of the better critiques of it was written by theater critic Robert Brustein called, if I remember, "The Keynes of Times Square," (the title reflects Brustein's belief that The Method was artificial respiration for a corrupt theater culture, just as Keynesian economic theory was artificial respiration for a corrupt economic system). Brustein's point was that The Method, by concentrating so much on the actor digging up the character from inside of themselves, led to type-casting. Brustein, and he was hardly alone in this, felt that acting was as much an exercise of an actor's imagination as sense memories or other such self-centered techniques. Brando, I suspect, like a lot of actors associated with The Actor's Studio, probably used every sort of training and technique at his disposal to get a performance right. Brando's formal training was, in fact, with Stella Adler. The Actor's Studio was meant as a resource for working actors, not precisely as an acting school.Matt Pattonnoreply@blogger.com