The Problem of Method Acting 

Oop one correction: my recollection of the story about Leo, Kerry Washington, and the blood deceived me! Leo did not wipe his own blood on her face. One commenter, @Ishtar Rozas Merlo, has done the work of finding an article that says: "When Leonardo DiCaprio's character Calvin Candie smashes his hand on the dinner table, the actor accidentally crushed a small stemmed glass with his palm and really began to bleed. DiCaprio ignored it, stayed in character, and continued with the scene. Tarantino was so impressed that he used this take in the final print, and when he called cut, the room erupted in a standing ovation. DiCaprio's hand was bandaged and he suggested the idea of smearing blood onto the face of Kerry Washington. Tarantino and Washington both liked this, so Tarantino got some fake blood together." Sorry Leo!

“I always say about people who do method acting, you only ever see people do the method when they’re playing an assholes” Robert Pattinson

It just occurred to me that I don't think I've heard of a method actor who prepared for their role by immersing themselves in joy and fun. It's always some kind of self-torture.

The TV series "Barry" has a really interesting depiction of method acting in it that really addresses the narcissism of it. All of Barry's classmates, despite being subpar actors, have this slavish devotion to exposing trauma and using it to fuel their acting, but Barry is uncomfortable with that despite being the darkest person among them (hitman). And there's this incredible scene where one of his classmates basically Dustin Hoffman's him to get a more violent performance out of him while he just gets more and more upset, while his teacher encourages it as "accessing the roots of his acting ability". Bill Hader plays it so fucking well that it's almost traumatic to watch.

I watched a video by Sideways recently (great youtuber who talks about film music) about the horrid methods during the filming of Les Misérables. He talked about how some actors were deliberately dehydrated before their vocal performances to create a more "tortured" or "rough" sound, sometimes repeating scenes for hours without hydration. This can permanently damage an actors vocal chords. The worst part is is that such a sound is not even that difficult to replicate with some consistent vocal coaching but the director was too enamored by the idea of the suffering artist/actor to go for a much more abusive and destructive route over a pragmatic one.

my takeaway from this is that men use the method as an excuse not to shower while filming

"Have you tried acting?" is such an iconic roast, i love it

This is why I love Mads Mikkelson as an actor. He’s got a few great interviews about his “method” and is very healthy minded about it and wants to leave the character as soon as he’s finished with his days work. He’s given stellar performances without all that self absorbed angst. I haven’t really hated any performances that were based on method acting, but certainly don’t feel like it makes anything “special”. I love that quote she mentioned “darling have you tried acting” 😂

CW: suicide In 2019 I was in a scene study class where I was playing Jessie from the play 'Night Mother. At the beginning of the play, Jessie tells her mother that she will kill herself that night, and at the end of the play (and what I was working on) does. Having been hospitalized after a suicide attempt 3 years earlier, tapping into those emotions was the last thing I wanted to do. So I didn't. I used my experience as a point of reference and understanding, sure, but I made sure to build the character by working from the text and making each moment specific and engaged, both of which gave me a lot of control over the performance. And then I got a good night's sleep and had a full breakfast and my scene partner and I knocked it out of the park. Point is, you can absolutely do S tier acting without ruining yourself and please for your own sake avoid traumatizing yourself as much as possible.

“My dear boy, why don’t you try just acting? It’s so much easier.”

I went to a very abusive theatre school that was all Strasburg all the time, and I will never forget how, in the first month or so, we had to dig up traumatic memories to turn into short scenes... and I got a C on the project because I didn’t have a compelling enough trauma to parade in front of my classmates.

You know, it’s funny: you always hear about method actors when they’re being awful. But Henry Cavill is also a method actor, and I’ve never heard one complaint about him . Evidently when filming the Witcher, he was in character is Geralt the whole time. And nobody ever knew. Because he just spent the whole time talking to nobody and petting his horse .

I went to an art school for painting, and one of my favorite things one of my professors said was “it’s a lie that you have to be a starving, tortured artist to be a good one.” And I think so many artists (of any kind) believe that they have to have something go wrong or feel wrong in order to hone it into their craft and to be more “meaningful”. If we truly believe that there is beauty in everything, then why can’t ordinary moments be just as cathartic as the mountain top and the valley ones?

“Acting is not therapy” - literally the first thing my teacher said in my first acting methods class in college.

Tricking actors/actresses to get „authentic“ reactions is the worst. I don’t want to watch someone actually being harassed or hurt or in any emotional distress. It makes me feel awful afterwards. It defies the whole purpose of acting anyways.

I'm so glad I got to see this video in the context of the recent profile on Jeremy Strong and his method acting for his character in Succession. My favorite part of the profile was a quote where Brian Cox said something along the lines of "It's an American disease, the inability to separate oneself from their work."

What Omari Hardwick said was so true though. “You never go method until you have the leverage to go fully method.” It’s all about privilege, in the end. Method can be helped. Acting is acting. Like what Viola Davis said. Going method seems to be solely for people who can allow themselves the embarrassment or bewilderment to do so. When you know no director in their right mind would give you up, you go method. It’s all about power.

If you can't do your job well without terrorising your coworkers, then maybe you should get a different job

“it is absolute pretentious nonsense and highly amateurish. It is not professional.” -Martin Freeman on method acting

I've worked in theatre on and off for the past 20 years or so; as such, I've worked with all levels of actors, from professional to high school drama kids. One of my takeaways from those experiences is that "method acting" of the Daniel Day-Lewis/Jared Leto variety, comes from a place of insecurity. As if they can't trust themselves to successfully transition from their own self to the character they're portraying between takes or scene changes (and yes, I get that acting for film/TV has a whole set of challenges different from acting for the stage). A grounded actor knows how to "step into" and "step out of" a character, and thus would not need to "stay in character" throughout a 4-month shoot. I mean, yes, an actor must spend a lot of time and energy researching and understanding the inner life and motivations of a character in order to believably portray them on stage or screen-to get the audience to be emotionally invested with the character. But this need to BE the character for weeks, months, or (in some cases) years, just seems a bit silly and unnecessary.

During rehearsal, my arm was broken into pieces by another actor who had contempt for fight choreography and did a spontaneous move "in the moment". In another incident, an actor shoved his tongue in my mouth, saying he had done so because he was so "in the moment". I don't think Stanivslasksi intended for actors to be so stupid. Unfortunately, segments of American theatre culture have developed a sort of masochistic/sadistic approach and called it "method" acting.

Honestly, I will never forgive how Shelly Duvall was treated during the filming of The Shining. Just... let her act. And if she can’t play the part convincingly, find an actress who can without literally abusing them

Anthony Hopkins hates method acting. He said method actors are a pain in the ass to work with and has called the style a lot of crap. Among other things.

I knew it! I have zeeeero acting knowledge or experience but I've always suspected that "method acting" in the form of using old trauma to evoke emotions was totally unhealthy for actors and that actors should be protected and supported WAY more than they are. I don't know why, but ordinary people just freaking love watching people suffer. And that's one thing I just never ever ever was okay with. All people deserve safety and respect in all areas of life. PERIOD.

Just wanted to say “The Madness behind the Method” is a v smart title.

" You don't have to suffer to portray suffering " - David Lynch

I feel like Leonardo DiCaprio’s career has been a carnival of protracted masculine torture to shed his association with titanic and a young female fan base.

for real - it's called "acting" - not "being" . This is why i still respect Daniel Day Lewis - he's always emphatically stated that he doesn't believe himself to be a "good actor" by virtue of the fact that he's only able to perform his parts by completely immersing himself in and believing that he is the character. he understands that this is not healthy and I respect that he's put self-limitations on how often and how long he planned to do it.

“Action!” Act. “Cut!” Stop acting. People who cannot perform without being practically possessed by the persona fail to act. Research, yes; rehearse, of course, but just because you are incapable of acting does not give you the right to torment everyone around you. Method acting is not something to aspire to.

I feel like method acting means you haven't mastered acting. Being able to turn it on and off is important.

Angelina Jolie made use of method acting in her role as Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted (1999). No wonder they didn't like her behind the scenes

Your story about drama school made me think a lot about being a drama major in college. I've noticed over time that in theatre school, pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone is encouraged and rewarded. And a lot of positive things and growth can happen. But I also have had increasing concerns about it. Once in a class exercise, I was talking about a hard thing I went through and I felt it cross a boundary in myself. The teacher kept pushing but my classmates also defended me and called out for me to stop if I didn't feel comfortable. I'm grateful for them for doing that.

As an actor, what you discuss about men “self mythologizing” is so, so true. I was raised in an environment where “men were expected to be men” and theatre was very much not a part of that patriarchal archetype. So when as a teenager I became drawn to acting and performance (thanks to a wonderful teacher who endured abuse as an openly gay teacher in a Southern Christian school) I definitely felt the internal tension of being drawn to an art form that demands emotional vulnerability, a stereotypically “unmasculine” version of self performance, while also being expected to live up to an archaic version of manhood. I do think my ego in my early years grew out of a desire to reconcile these two forces and as I’ve gotten older and more experienced I lose patience with myself and other male actors whose ego causes problems for the actors around them. I agree a lot with Jodie Foster’s take that you highlight in this vid. Thanks for your hard work, this was very enlightening and gave me an opportunity to self reflect!

whenever an actor tells me they want to go method I take that as a red flag... in my most recent acting class my prof informed us on the dangers of method acting. so i'm glad professionals arent pushing young actors to partake in this "technique"

almost on the method acting list: ewan mcgregor nearly shot heroin for the role of mark renton in trainspotting. which is just... really dumb and dangerous.

Ms Deschanel, let me say first that I enjoyed your video - I stumbled onto it, and watched to the end. I am a method trained actor/director/artistic director who studied with Miss Stella Adler 1982-84. On the last day of training she singled me out to our class as the only student who "got it." So, after twenty years developing a repertory theater approach to stage performance based on the Stanislavski System as well as a year working with a visiting Russian Director from the Pushkin Theater, I invite you to do another video, focusing on Miss Adler's faithful imparting of the Stanislavski/Moscow Art's Method. As Miss Adler often said, "Strasberg killed a generation of actors." To leave a study of Stanislavski's work with such focus on Strasberg's "sense memory" without equal time on "imagination" does the system a disservice. The system's technique is to be used only when inspiration comes up short, it is also used to expand range, elevate choices, and especially to portray characters greater than the actor. As Miss Adler used to say, "the talent is in the choice." Great work. Cheers.

In that movie The Marathon man (1976) You pointed out where Dustin Hoffmann’s character had supposedly stayed up for three days, Hoffmann admitted that he too had not slept for 72 hours to achieve emotional verisimilitude. “My dear boy,” replied Laurence Olivier smoothly, “why don’t you just try acting?" Loved that comment from Sir Laurence Olivier and acclaimed actor of 40 + years at that time of the 1976 movie. So he would know. And doing that for his method acting by Dustin Hoffman was something going a little overboard. But Hoffman subsequently attributed his insomnia to excessive partying rather than artistry.

i hear the voice of paddington lives breaths and sleeps as the bear

we as a society really hate joy huh

this is really interesting to me and reminds me of a class I took in college that revolves around the psychology of creativity. we learned about how creatives of all kinds were able to do their best work and the psychology behind what allowed them to do it. there was a section that discussed mental illness and trauma and whether or not it led to further creativity or if people were able to be the most creative when suffering mentally. although there was a correlation between creative people and mental illness there is no direct causation. in fact, it actually can be harder for those with mental illness, especially when triggered, to be creative because neurologically, creativity needs both sides of the brain to be active, and triggers/depression/trauma has proven to shut off various sections of the brain, especially the left side. i found that this connects to actors in method acting because it seems like a part of the technique is almost to trigger yourself and bring up past trauma, in turn putting yourself in a bad place mentally in order to do creative work. i feel like a lot of actors are actually critical of this technique because it is actually harder to be the most creative when you’re triggered or depressed. i do feel that having trauma or significant life experiences can inspire works of art and creativity, however, since the brain is greatly affected during an episode, i can see it being easiest when people are able to utilize their entire brain and therefore are not triggered or in a state of fight/flight/freeze that they are able to be most creative. so basically i can see why a lot of actors believe method acting can to be counter productive. thank you for coming to my ted talk lol

I think the fact that so many great performances have come out of “the method” kind of validates it as a legitimate method (unintentional) of acting. Just as there are plenty of other acting styles a performer can utilize. And, of course, it can be critiqued as any other artistic technique, but I feel people conflate their dislike of a style’s negatives with whether it is useful artistically. It can have issues (even major ones) AND be worthwhile on an artistic level-both can be true.

Judd Nelson was known to be a method actor, and frequently got into character on the set of "The Breakfast Club" by heckling Molly Ringwald, and even reducing her to tears. As director John Hughes wasn't used to this style, he came close to firing Nelson. He was a student under Stella Adler, and it's safe to say that thanks to the Me Too era, this would never fly in a modern environment.

And that's why actors like Willem Dafoe, whom holds love for theatre and collaboration, often refering to himself as a tool to the author's vision, don't get enough love from audiences and, specially, from critics. It also reminds me of 2015 Oscars, when Eddie Redmaine won the award, while my guts, 6 years later, still points at Michael Keaton. I also love that Birdman throws some really good punches at method actors (literally).

Everytime an actor starts telling the stories about how extreme their prep for a role was, I start doubting. It feel so much like a marketing ploy.

Real skill is being able to switch on and off during set. That’s professional acting

LOVED this. Yeah there's just something inherently selfish about the Method, right? It kinda blows my mind that I know I've seen The Machinist at least twice, and the only thing I remember about Christian Bale's character is that he was really really skinny, because that's what all the discussion about the film revolved around. The preparation for the role upstaged the performance itself.

I think Ms Lola made a great video on how women were often abused in the name of art as "muses" by male artists. It's honestly disgusting and people praise them for it.

This was SO affirming, I've been thinking these things for years!! The entanglement with the male ego... TRYING to tease out these topics with some of my male peers at drama school who just weren't receptive, or who weren't cognisant of the ~layers~ there are here. Thank you so much! So, so well done.

This video was incredibly validating for me, someone who went to a drama conservatory and didn’t feel connected to the teachings. 50 page bios for characters only made me see the character from a writer’s logical perspective, not the actor’s emotional perspective. Substitution helped me feel whatever emotion needed but I would only feel emotion from my own past, not emotion within the moment of the scene. As an actor or artist, I wanted freedom but in pursuit of trying to use these “methods” I only felt all the more constrained and frustrated. Eventually, for me, I learned to do what felt right and would tweak my own process depending on the role or project, whether that be script analysis or physical character exercises. No one should torture themselves or others for the sake of something as temporary as a role or something as prestigious as an award. It is NOT worth it.

The irony is that perhaps one of the greatest examples of someone going method and what led to Leto and even Pheonix's antics when playing the Joker with Heath Ledger's performance wasn't actually method. He was able to turn it on and off as soon as Nolan yelled cut and we've known about that since the movie came out since the cast has been doing interviews saying so. Despite this somehow the internet creating a folk hero around him and the role and how he prepared even blaming his death on it despite the fact he filmed another movie after it and this seeped into the public consciousness so much that even the actors who would go on to play the Joker (and knew Heath) would believe it. The sad part is that it's actually more impressive that he didn't go full method for that role than if he had since I'd argue that is one of the farthest distances between a character and the actor as their normal self someone has been able to achieve so the fact he could turn it on and off and didn't need a long warm up time or to stay in character full time is crazy and shows how talented he was. As a side note it shows how impressive all those actresses you showed are as well since they can turn it on and off as well for some amazing performances. It's what has always bugged me about putting method acting on a pedestal (aside from the stuff you covered) it's just not as impressive a feat of acting if you have to stay in character full time. Especially if you are talking with regards to handing out awards.

Haven't watched till the end yet, but the first thing that comes to mind is Jared Leto as the Joker.. Crazy how he send dead rats to his co-stars😂

David Mamet’s book “True and False” has the most eye-opening perspective on this that I’ve ever read. He really cuts to the heart of the issue and shows the absurdity of being so caught up in yourself, when in fact you’re just supposed to be performing the craft. He draws an analogy of a surgeon or car mechanic needing to “get to the right emotional place” before doing their work. No. Just do your work! Show up for everyone else and, in forgetting about yourself, you’ll be a far better colleague than any self-absorbed Method actor can be.

This reminds me a lot about River Phoenix (may he rest in peace) he started using drugs since he went into an extreme method to prepare for his role in my own private Idaho that later resulted in his death.He always wanted to feel that connection with the characters he played,he also learned some piano for one role even (i think that is possitive) but there are always extreme sides and since his acting was the reason probably his family ate he probably just felt a lot of pressure into make everything perfect,,its a shame that he died for this.. point here: an extreme method acting can lead to the worst case scenario

"Why don't you just try acting? It's much easier" Omg the burn, Holy shit!!!!!!!

Yess there are different approaches to art other than the Method! „The Artist Prepares“ was recommended to me by a flute teacher (I studied at conservatory). Acted like it was the holy grail and by doing this we will finally have access to real art. That’s confusing in the art eduction field: Everyone is searching for the magical clue to bring you success and so many stylize themselves as gurus. Also, I have to say it again and again: The music selection in your videos is „chef‘s kiss“ 😗

The 'why don't you just try acting' quote is I think a really great way of putting it. Method acting is the equivalent of the excessive means I go to for my writing sometimes. You are the performance, writing, art, etc...you just need to embody the creation and the moment. I try to limit it to the creation process only.

Oooof...haven’t finished but aleady reminds me of the method acting class where I watched a woman being groomed by another (male) student in real time...with the (male) teacher facilitating it by saying her resistance to the grooming and negging behavior of her scene partner was “inauthentic” and praising her giving in 🤦🏽‍♀️. None of it was scripted or had any direction it was supposed to go. The dude instructor just assumed women give in to negging 😡 Both she and I said something to the teacher - that we’d react poorly to any guy who treated us that way - that her being closed off WAS authentic for the situation. He brushed it off and told her she wasn’t reacting vulnerably enough and I was “too new” to know. She ended the session in tears.

We love a Saturn devouring his son throw back

just want to say - I went to drama school in the uk, and that first 3 minutes is the most clearly articulated expression i've heard of what I've been feeling about my time there. Thanks for that, it feels really validating, especially the part about teachers sapping at students traumas and using them to find validation in their own lives/careers - that hit hard.

I just watched an interview with members of the most recent production of "Angels in America." The show is amazing, and 8 hours of Play all told. The address who played Harper said that in "Angels," there's no space for the indulgence of method acting, and that the actors needed to be present for each other and for the work. She said method acting was too internal to do justice to the work.

I love the closing note -- that doing shit that psychologically damages yourself is not conducive to a long career in a hard industry; it's not a sprint, but a marathon. I think a lot of us, not just actors, can benefit from taking that kind of "show up and do the work" long haul mindset. Thanks for this; really interesting & thoughtful stuff. 🧡

As an ex-actress, I can personally attest it's often been used to excuse abuse directed at female co-stars. "Finding the character" and being "in the moment" results in the actor roughly sticking a tongue in the mouth of a scene partner, as well as being even more violent to women on-set, as noted in the video, where actresses have been verbally abused, slapped, and so forth. Men who "do the method" at least get to do externally-driven things, while women are asked to behave in ways that are stereotypically sexualized, because of the male director's assumption this is the woman's true self. Great video. I wish I'd seen it when I was in my 20s. Maybe I'd still be acting!

Maybe totally unrelated but your intro really reminded me of how on kpop survival shows the boys are constantly crying and its kind of become a way for them to prove how dedicated they are to becoming a kpop idol, "i gave up everything for this" type of thing. The more i see these shows the more harmful it feels, these kids are often very young and conditioned into thinking feeling horrible should be the standard and makes them relatable. The fans applaud them when they cry and fans become heavily invested in parasocial relationships with the singers. I don't really believe the kpop industry is more toxic than any other music industry, but this aspect definitely is. Many young artists end up cultivating their depression and anguish as a part of their idol persona and it makes it so they can't get the therapy they actually need...

broey i love your channel so much, the content you and your collegues make is so informative and at the same time so intertaining - your channel is a gem!

I can't help but think about Bojack Horseman. The story of how his personal troubles spilled into his professional life and he choked Gina. IMPO Method can often be used as a public guise to cover up extremely toxic and even criminal behaviour by male actors: Leto's 'gifts' were jot method, they were harassment. We do seriously need an examination of Method men and as the public make sure we scrutinise claims of this practice. Be Method if you must but you can't be method out of scene if it involves non consenting or coerced peoples.

I believe Forest Whitaker learning a new language is not method, is just research for a convincing acting, once he acted while speaking swahili. And about the pound gain, female actresses lose and gain weight for roles all the time and no one calls it method. Maybe I'm wrong, but method acting seems more like an excuse to be an asshole than an actual way to get a great performance. It's selfish and obnoxious. If you are really a good actor, you don't need to go that deep

Every vid you make changes my outlook on things, it’s truly amazing xx

I'm glad you talked about this, I once wasn't doing a scene right for a play, and my friend who was the director told me to do the method, she made me relive some horrible trauma at the end of it, I was shaking, crying uncontrollably, and felt utterly sad. My friend who was also acting took me outside, when she wanted me to do it again he stood up for me said no, and took me to sit down, he told me to look at my hand and wiggle my fingers. He looked at me and said, "You're not in that bad place anymore, okay?" I looked at him, cleaned my face, and said "My mother always said artists always have a streak of self-destruction... she isn't wrong." I didn't quit the play and continued and did a good job, but when I was asked to be in the sequel of my friend's play I said no. It's sad because I loved acting and writing also.

As someone who has studied the Method (both in London and with Strasberg Institute online-I studied with a lady who worked on the Sopranos WHAAAAT) there is something telling about these particular movie stars who go to an extreme. NO teacher has EVER told me I need to go to this extreme. The closest was during a showcase where I was told to be in character for 20 mins before going onstage. Apart from that, alot of emphasis was placed on taking responsibility for your personal health, knowing that emotional memory was mostly a back up to be used with great care. Your perspective on WHY they do it is fascinating.

I like her point about Leo and Brad Pitt, every time I watch a movie with Leo all I can see is his smug face being his smug self. I don't even think about Brad Pitts performance, it just happens, and that's what's great about it.

Hi, trained Stansislavski actor here (the legit kind, not the watered down/heavily altered version) was so worried going into this it was gonna be yet another video full of misinformation about the technique… then breathed a huge sigh of relief in the first 10 minutes when you talked about the difference between “raw” Stanislavski and subsequent dangerous derivatives that take out the safety mechanisms that make it work. Not to say there weren’t any inaccuracies about the differences/line where “orthodox” Stanislavski and “badsh*t insane” Stanislavski begin and end, but I appreciate the effort to emphasize there is a _safe_ version of this that actors are choosing not to do. It got even worse with the publishing of “textbooks” on the technique in the 70s/80s by authors who had no affiliation or background in it, contributing to even more harmful and dangerous misinformation. These “textbooks” are what get taught in many university settings, which is where these dangerous types (cough, Leto, cough) come from. I learned from a trade school, where you’ll be more likely to find a professor with an actual background in the technique and therefore prioritizes safety. To quote my old professor “you can’t go on stage thinking you’re Hamlet.” If you totally remove yourself from the character, you’re not acting anymore. You’re just endangering your entire cast and crew.

Yo that background music tho... downright hypnotic. This is a pretty nuanced discussion. Your examples reminded me of a lot of actresses that I enjoy, but don't hear a lot about these days. I hadn't really interrogated my personal link of suffering and art until I watched this video. A lot of my preconceptions from my childhood informed how I should see art as lesser to other forms of work. While, on a surface level, I don't think anyone should suffer to work, something in me always assumed that good art sprung mostly from hardship of some sort. Thank you!

Your teacher _required_ you to write a deeply personal story, _share_ it with your class, then shared it _without your permission_ with another class?? Mind, if it were just some random essay about tree frogs or something and they redacted your name, it's okay, but anything _that_ personal? ugh. I would *not* do that to my students. If I'd assigned a normal essay and gotten a deeply personal one back, I wouldn't share it either, unless you specifically asked me to. It's a privacy issue.

Art is exciting, and it's natural for an artist to be excited about their craft. But drummers can't get on the kit and shred at 3 AM. Painters can't walk up to someone's house and start painting on the wall. Sculptors can't steal chunks of stone from world heritage sites. It doesn't matter if what makes you feel most inspired is tap-dancing on the feet of cancer patients, you're not the center of the known universe. Most artists get that.....but there are quite a few Hollywood actors (and some music stars) who aren't required by society to be good people. And that's a shame. Because most of the rest of us manage to get through life without constantly imposing on everyone who comes into contact with our art.

I love the little stage you made for yourself and the makeup!

I just found your channel today, and I truly love your videos and how you breakdown each topic.

I like that you call him "Plato's Socrates" because, of course, we know very little about the real Socrates who produced no writing of his own.

As a lay person, my issue with method acting is that I just don't understand what's the actual acting that you are doing if you've gone method. If you are portraying how disgusted/desperate/shocked you are while eating a raw animal liver, is it acting if you are actually eating a raw animal liver? If you are portraying someone who is almost dying from hypothermia, is it acting if you are actually suffering from hypothermia? If I want to see 100% realism, I'll watch a documentary or the news. I know that the movies are just stories, make-believe. This doesn't make them any less enchanting to me, and I suppose this is true for other regular audience members who have not have any acting training in their lives and just don't care about the method. We just want to get lost in a good story...Great video btw :)

I have no idea if you or anyone is still reading comments, but I notice your critique predicated on the desire to self-mythologize in aim to otherwise compensate for a "sissy" career choice (a quote from Bale seemingly attributed to all male method actors?) is a one-sided depiction considering all the female actors who dove headfirst into the character to the expense of themselves or their co-stars. You mentioned Portman in Black Swan as one, but there was also Meryl Streep who was cold to her co-stars and sunk into depression for The Devil Wears Prada (despite her statement), Anne Hathaway who went on a crash diet for Les Miserables (Christian Bale example) Kate Winslet sought counselling after The Reader (Michael B. Jordan example) and isolated herself for Ammonite (Tom Hanks, Heath Ledger examples) Jodie Foster doing FBI training for Silence of the Lambs (despite her statement) Hilary Swank who gave herself a staph infection for Million Dollar Baby (Tom Hanks example) Lupita Nyong'o (BIPOC) who wouldn't, at times, talk to her onscreen daughter on Us (Al Pacino example) Margot Robbie herniating a disk (Leo DiCaprio example) and without prior agreement punched Sebastian Stan (who has decried method acting) for I Tonya (Edward Norton example) Angelina Jolie who was combative and distant with her co-stars on Girl Interrupted (Tom Hanks example) Nicole Kidman smoked a shitton of cigarettes for Being the Ricardos (Gary Oldman example) just to get the voice right Halle Berry (BIPOC) who stopped bathing for Jungle Fever - (Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks and Shia LaBeouf examples) Rooney Mara who received multiple piercings and lived in imposed isolation to be Lisbeth Salander (Heath Ledger example) Lady Gaga allegedly not breaking character for eighteen months for House of Gucci (Daniel Day-Lewis example) Zoe Kravitz (BIPOC) who, uh, drank milk from a dish and hung out with a bunch of cats for Batman (Nicolas Cage example?) and everything Charlize Theron did for Monster being pretty self-evident. And she was raised, but Bale was used as an example too. Among many other anecdotes. None of those women were, as far as we know (and it seems unlikely), terrorized, coerced or browbeaten into their emotionality. Almost all those examples are also all, comparatively, pretty recent. Or at least much more so than the even more problematic days of Monroe, Duvall, Hedren, etc. Some are newer than this video. And they're not women, but black actors such as Chadwick Boseman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover and David Oyelowo (on top of the mentioned Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Forrest Whittaker) and renowned Asian actors who don't work much in American/Anglo-centric cinema like Irrfan Khan and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai have done or identify as method actors. I suspect a big part of why method acting seems disproportionately white is because high-profile actors are disproportionately white, so there's a much bigger sample to take from. There have also been a large number of white male actors to not employ method acting. There are just a lot of white actors. You can find method actors of all kinds; I don't think this is as gendered or race-related an issue as you present, at least not in the more modern era. But I do agree much of this probably stems from the actor's desire to "prove" their dedication to the character/role/craft and "validate" their performance, even when it goes well beyond what is necessary or, indeed, healthy or socially appropriate. Clearly a good deal of very accomplished, talented actors, regardless of sex or race, treat this as a right of passage even up to today. A lot start out thinking it's the path to being taken seriously or provide the best performance, and some reconsider down the line, while some don't.

Very well done video. As someone who briefly attended an acting conservatory and left I can relate to experiencing the toxicity associated with the method. I very distinctly remember not being able to cry in class after we were instructed to do a sense memory exercise where we were supposed to "trigger" ourselves in front of the class. I felt awful like I could not be a good actor after this and I remember my professor coming up to me after class and telling me I did not let go enough. I promptly went to the bathroom and burst into tears afterwards. The experience of being at the place almost made me give up acting but I am happy to say I haven't and am now playing John Merrick aka The Elephant Man in a local theater production and it has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Acting can be an experience that brings people together in warmth and community rather than being a way to torture yourself. I am so happy I left that place and I will never give up my dreams of being a professional actor for as long as I live.

The thing about "Method" acting is that it was a really stunted and one-sided interpretation of Stanislavsky's method which was much more reasonable and well-balanced. Basically based on bad/incomplete translations into English of his groundbreaking work. Also, anyone who has worked on a movie set can immediately understand why that type of total immersion just cannot possibly work on a set. Like, you spend 10 hours waiting around for maybe 1 hour of acting, and you repeat the same scene 5, 10 times, maybe more. There's no way you can seriously believe you *are* the character in a literal sense under those conditions.

"You went full method, man. Never go full method."

Holy smokes - Omari Hardwick's comment hits hard 36:08 "I don't want to be pulled over for driving while method".

Ellie! I screamed when she came on screen. 😱 I live in Toronto, and I’ve taken acting classes with Ellie. It was such a pleasant surprise to see her pop up in your video. I didn’t know you’re based in TO. What a small world. Love this video by the way, excellent analysis and commentary. 👩🏽‍🍳👌🏽

I was waiting for the Marilyn mention, thank you. I hate that family, The Strasbergs and Arthur Miller (her last husband) were the type of """"friends"""" that can suck all the life out of a person even if the intention is good. Their "intellectual" view on art was very detrimental to her career and mental health. Instead of helping her with her serious traumas they wanted to use it to ""elevate"" her artistry and for me that was her downfall. They didn't respect boundaries and pushed her too much. I don't believe they were malicious but, nonetheless, their impact were harmful. They were like parents to her, 75% of her estate was left for Lee. That search for deep old pain just created more suffering And don't sit right with me they (actually Strasberg second wife) selling Marilyn's image rights to a company that manages dead celebs....

I used to be a working actor, mostly local theatre in Montreal, mostly unpaid. I had to stop acting a few years ago in my early 30s because I used to use emotional memories in all my performances and it took a major toll on me. I'm not going to elaborate, but it was bad. Really bad. I have since been diagnosed with many mental illnesses, which I guess makes sense as to why using that technique lead me down a dark road especially for someone who was mentally ill and didn't know it. That's the thing though, isn't it: mental illness often goes undiagnosed. I'm definitely not the only actor who had to stop acting because they kept re-traumatizing themselves to get the performance directors wanted. I'm doing better mental health-wise and I hope to be able to act again one day. I think your guest speaker was right: I think I need to be in a very good, stable place and for a while before I can consider acting again. Because they were right: only when you know you have something safe to come back to, when you're totally stable, can you explore the darkest parts of the human experience through storytelling.

thank you so much for this. you hit every single thought I've had over the years about method acting.

I LOVE this video. I just discovered your channel and I'm really into it. I so appreciate the amount of work you obviously put into this and all of your videos. I'm catching up on so many interesting and controversial topics. Keep up the good work!

You really covered everything! I went to an art highschool (partially) and its insidious to think how the culture is when teachers and admin could combat it SO easily by just teaching how to see the toxicity and so on.

The timing of this is impeccable. Just started taking and acting class where they were talking a little bit about this. And the teacher mentioned what your friend was saying:"to be a better actor, you need to find balance and truth in your life. Your best performances will be when you yourself are in balance" is what the teacher was saying. And there is no one single method. We are all so different that there is really no good way to teach acting. What works for some might not work for me and what does work for me might not work every single time. Loved this video!!!! These are so well made!!!!

This video is amazing, so well researched and edited. Congrats, queen!

Totally agree. I'm an actor and have never prescribed to the method. I find that just finding the honesty and the connection to myself in roles much more important.

9:39 this makes me think of a story my teacher told. So he was saying that there was this one director who told one of their actors who had to be sad in a scene that their father had died and the actor was so traumatized he broke down in the middle of acting and they didn’t find out that it was all a lie until after it all happened. And my teacher brought that up as a good reason to join actors unions and as to why there are actors unions and laws of ethics or something like that in the acting world. Because that person was traumatized solely for a scene.

i just can't get over how literally no one asked leo to eat that bison

I'm an artist from Brazil and I love your videos. I fell that there's a very thin line between take inspiration by sad things and being depressed by it. Also when you fell sad, sometimes you can create some powerful art, but when you too sad or depressed its just a limbo where you can't create anything. (I'm on the part you're talking about artists and sadness, singer, painters, etc...)

EXCELLENT video. The way I look at acting is that it is about what you SHOW. Not that there isn't an internal connection, but the craft of putting together a performance requires only what is needed to show what needs to be shown. If you develop a series of specific actions that achieve this, what is going on internally doesn't need to be relied upon so much to make it happen.

Seeing the Netflix documentary about Man on the Moon a few years back has led me to conclude that Jim Carey must be insufferable to be around in real life.

"Babe wake up. New Broey Deschanel video."

My BFA Program gave us Emotion Memory as, as you said, a last resort. They trained us to be stable and accepting of ourselves, to treat our good and bad with love and kindness, & that our Acting process should be a balance between experience, imagination, and most importantly, the moment at hand (in context of the scene).

Thank you so much for all the work you have put into this! Im not interested in becoming an actress, but the craft itself always fascinated me. I hope you are doing well! 💕💕💕💕