The Pros And Cons Of Method Acting
By D.L. White
Method Acting is based loosely on Stanislavsky's method,
but utilizes 'Sense Memory' for emotional preparation. Stanislavsky
himself experimented with 'sense memory' for the better part of his
career and abandoned it for being unreliable.
'Sense Memory' in a nut-shell being the use of personal
memories to affect and achieve appropriate emotional preparedness
before engaging in a scene. Stanislavsky (as well as Adler and Meisner)
eventually realized that personal memories and experiences alter
greatly with the passage of time, as in, what mattered to you a great
deal when you were four may present very little 'emotional' impact at
the age of 45.
As it is based on personal experience, the preponderance
of modern adherants tend to subject themselves to all manner of
potentially dangerous situations to achieve a truly realistic
experience to draw from. This has manifested in such things as
experimental drug use (which actually lead to addiction and death in
the case of River Phoenix) and placing themselves into actual,
immediate physical stresses or harm.
A famous story regarding Dustin Hoffman (a purported
'method' actor) during the filming of 'The Marathon Man' tells of Mr.
Hoffman running all around Manhatten during filming to force himself
into a true state of exhaustion (which would be true for the character
as well.) Sir Laurence Olivier on seeing this behaviour is quoted as
saying "Good Lord man, just act."
While I think 'Method Acting' can
be
a valuable tool, and many excellent actors are staunch supporters. Me
personally, I find it too dangerous and limiting to achieve a safe and
more importantly, sane acting career. The pros are very realistic
performances based on actual, lived experiences. The cons are potential
mental and physical harm from engaging in dangerous behaviour and
unreliable performances.
Whatever you decide to do as an actor, it is worth
mentioning that there are many safer methods in existance to achieve
wonderful results. Many of the finest actors of the last 100 years
(like Gregory Peck and Rober Duvall, to name a couple) were trained by
Sanford Meisner who employs an actor's most wonderful asset to achieve
emotional preparation.
That asset being your Imagination
If you want to learn more about how to get started in acting for film or tv, be sure to check out Acting For Film And Television.
As always, if you have any questions or thoughts, or would just like to share some of your successes, please feel free to drop me a line. I actually answer them.
Best of Luck out there and remember, you can't fail if you don't quit.
D.L. White