When it comes to acting, there are several different approaches. Some go to work, become their character for a day, and then go home.
Others don’t even bother becoming a character, they just play versions of themselves in every role
And then there are the Method Actors. The term “Method Acting” is used very loosely these days. Wikipedia describes it as “a group of techniques actors use to create in themselves the thoughts and feelings of their character so as to create lifelike performances.” This “method” was originated by the great acting coach Constantin Stanislavski.
Joaquin Phoenix
The actor managed to convince the whole of Hollywood that he was quitting his career in acting and moving into hip-hop. After he grew his hair and beard and put in some erratic public appearances, the shtick was considered to be real. However, it was all proved to be a scam for his new mockumentary film I’m Still Here, which duly flopped.
Daniel Day-Lewis
The three-time Oscar winner is all about method acting. Whether it’s refusing to come out of character on the sets of Lincoln and Gangs of New York or intentionally crippling his body for My Left Foot, there’s no doubt Day-Lewis takes his roles very seriously.
Mickey Rourke
Despite enjoying a career in professional boxing prior to the film, Mickey Rourke turned to wrestling for 2008 film The Wrestler. Rourke performed a majority of the stunts in the film and injured himself several times in the process of pursuing the perfect take.
Shia Lebeouf
The American child actor-turned-fruitcake was a key player in Lars Von Trier’s Nymphomiac. It’s a four-hour film about sex, basically. Lebeouf reportedly insisted the sex scenes be completely real, with no simulation.
Dustin Hoffman
One of the legendary Method Actors of the 70s, a golden age for intense acting, Hoffman was famously rebuked by Laurence Olivier, a well-known critic of “The Method”. The story varies, but it always goes a little like this: In the mid-70s, Hoffman was filming “Marathon Man” with the veteran actor. The role called for the character to be severely sleep-deprived, having been up for three days continuously. As a Method Actor, Hoffman decided to take this on board and stayed up for three days in preparation. Arriving exhausted on set, Olivier is reputed to have said “Try acting, dear boy…it’s much easier”. Sadly, it seems this story is part-apocryphal – Hoffman’s partying was more to do with the break-up of his marriage and less to do with the role. But it’s still a great story!
