18 Feb WHY METHOD ACTING ISN’T FOR EVERYONE
Many actors swear by Method Acting: an acting technique by which an actor strives to achieve complete emotional identification with their part, usually by evoking a real-life memory to trigger the emotional reaction. While this technique may seem favorable for achieving the proper emotional frame; it can be challenging, confusing, traumatic, and exhausting for many actors. Brad Heller explains it this way:
“For example, if I’m playing a character who’s very angry, and I am a ‘method’ actor, I would find something in my own life that makes me angry. So, I would think about that thing, and use it as a trigger to launch me into the scene. This for me was a very tough thing. First, did I want to reflect on this every time I play this role? Of course not. Also, when I’m on a set, if I’m using a personal experience for me, Brad, I’m not playing Brad. I’m playing a different character. So sometimes, it can almost feel like you’re schizophrenic when you’re acting…bouncing back and forth between the character and me. This was another reason I didn’t like this way of working. Who am I? Am I the character? Am I Brad? I’m bouncing back and forth. And, the events that I’m using to launch into the pool of the scene, the actual event of the Brad life, doesn’t always fit the scene, like the amount of anger, for example, I have in my own life, from my own personal history, may not work for the scene.”