You're NOT a ‘Method Actor’ That's Just an Excuse.

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Are method actors like Daniel day-lewis, Christian Bale, Jared Leto going to far to perfect their craft or is it just an excuse to behave badly? Looking into the Mia goth situation where she was sued and exploring the discourse of her using the method. Do other actors aspire to it or just find it annoying.

Chapters
0:00 intro
1:59 What is method acting
2:37 The joker a method actors dream
3:05 Heath ledger the legacy
4:35 But to what extent will they go
4:52 Mia goth situation
5:47 Difficult to work with
6:59 Daniel day-lewis
7:37 The conclusion
9:03 What’s the furthest an actor will go
9:07 outro

SOURCES :

Sebastian Stan - In the Envelope Podcast

Articles -

How Much Weight Christian Bale Has Gained & Lost For Movie Roles - Oct 2023

Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and More Actors Who Have Played the Joker Through the Years - Jan 2022

World Exclusive: The Joker Speaks - Nov 2007

Mia Goth in Trouble … was she method acting? - Jan 2024

Actor Who Claims Mia Goth Kicked Him in the Head Calls for Release of Unedited Footage- July 2024

Mia Goth Does the Work “All my characters are me, turned up or turned down” - Feb 2023

Mia Goth sued by MaXXXine extra, who alleges actor ‘intentionally’ kicked him in the head on set - Jan 2024

12 Actors Who've Done Verrrrrrrry Questionable Things Because Of Method Acting And 13 Who Have Spoken Out Against It - April 2022

Daniel Day-Lewis movies: 12 greatest films ranked worst to best April 2024

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[AbbieRee]

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[judasdubois]

I remember robert pattinson said no one ever method acts to play a nice guy which seems to be like the greatest indicment of it. "Oh man he's going method to play that nice guy, he bought me a really sweet watch."

[sassygrilledcheese]

I method act every day pretending like I have my life together

[spiceupyourafterlife]

Here's a wholesome fun fact. During the filming of Matilda, Pam Ferris tried her hand at method acting for the role of Miss Trunchbull by being as stern on set as possible, but she hated it because some of the kids were genuinely afraid of her and she didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so she stopped and just decided to act. She even got on such good terms with the kids that they hated throwing food at her during the filming of the climax because they loved her so much. There's even a cute reunion video that shows that they're still on good terms today. ❤

[themurrrr]

Cutting someone’s hair off without their permission is a form of assault.
Using method acting as an excuse to be an asshole to others means you were ACTUALLY PRETENDING to be nice before, but this asshole is the real you.

[wilmergimenez]

In an interview Michael J White said Heath Ledger was normal and relax during the filming of Dark Knight at the moment the camera stopped he was him again, and you can see he took pictures with crew members in Joker make up so he wasn't acting like the Joker off camera, so I wouldn't call him a method actor, definitely took his work seriously and prepare himself and was disciplined but definitely wasn't Jim Carrey in man on the moon

[I_Am_David_]

Method acting has definitely developed some negative connotations because of a few actors who seem to use it as a way to excuse their bad behaviour

[mish]

Sebastian Stan is right on with that comment. It think he's hit on exactly what the problem is. These actors are so afraid of doing badly and (in my eyes) are not skilled enough to "switch off" when the cameras are off, that they create a toxic environment. And there's no excuse for that kind of unprofessionalism. Every industry has standards and that applies to actors as well. No one needs or wants to have to work in a hostile work environment due to the fragile ego of an actor taking it out on everyone.

[totallydarthvader]

I really hate the atmosphere around Heath Ledger's death, it's so disrespectful. It was a tragic accident, had nothing to do with his choice in developing the greatest performance of his career.

[direcircumstances]

Heath Ledger was NOT a method actor. He took his job seriously and he was invested in his roles, but he was not "method." People who say he went method for The Dark Knight are just feeding into the false narrative that playing the joker somehow made him "crazy" and led to his untimely death, which is simply untrue.

[skippy]

I'm sure method acting is a legitimate technique, but it only gets brought up when someone is being an absolute asshole. You never hear about an actor going out of their way to be incredibly kind or generous to prepare for a role, only when it causes trouble for the other actors or crew.

[filmandcomposition]

I always liked the tale of Dustin Hoffman preparing for a scene in Marathon Man where his character was awake for 3 days, by staying up for 3 days. Shocked, his co-star Lawrence Olivier remarked, "My dear boy, why don't you just try acting?"

[sobekmania]

I remember when the allegations came out about Mia Goth being verbally abusive and kicking people on the set of Maxxxine, everyone on Instagram was like, "Yeah, that's just the role she plays. Deal with it." They were basically saying that because she played the intense, aggressive roles of Maxine and Pearl, then it's ok for her to act aggressive in real life. Big yikes.

[felicityfoko]

Hey! Actor here :) just wanted to give a bit of historical context to method acting for those who don't know since the whole notion of 'method acting' is misconstrued nowadays.

Method acting comes from Lee Strasberg's "The Method", where you focus on using your mental and emotional self to create your character and spark your imagination. It is therefore an 'inside-out' approach: you start with the inner life, which is then reflected on the outside (your body and how you act). It is in contrast to approaches from practitioners like Meisner, which are 'outside-in', where you focus on the other actor and your immediate environment to inform your acting. This allows you to react organically and listen to your scene partner actively, and will then naturally affect your mental and emotional self to build your character.

Both methods have their benefits and which one works best depends on how you prefer getting into character. However, both techniques merely share EXERCISES that help you get to truthful acting. The Method was never supposed to be a way to live constantly, they were exercises to explore and build a character when preparing to perform. The idea of "method acting" never mentioned that the actor must fully believe that they are the character they are playing or that they should live as such. It was simply a technique to explore your characters inner life.

[Matthew_Anson]

As an aspiring actor, I'm so glad you've made this video. People forget acting is still a career and that employee's safety should always be the main priority

[madcat]

Coming from a D&D background, the phrase "It's what my character would do" is not an excuse for bad behavior in game or at the table.

[LeaveBritneyalone]

I think Meryl Streep said she kinda went method for The Devil wears prada by isolating herself from rest of the cast to maintain everyone is afraid of Miranda, which in my opinion was ridiculous. Just being young actor standing in front of the Meryl freaking Streep would be intimidating enough

[wifflefilm]

I think the most obvious answer for actors who went too far was probably Jared Leto as the Joker, but I think my answer would probably be Shia LeBeouf in Fury. He took it to the point where he completely let his hygiene go and injured himself to try and get into character. I get why actors want to try and get into the psychology of their characters, but it absolutely goes too far when they start negatively impacting themselves and the people around them. Also, congratulations on the sponsor!!!

[bertvanbeterbed]

I dont remember who said it, and its not an exact quote, but it went something along the lines of: "You only ever hear about method acting when someone gets into the role of a prick/villain. You never see someone method acting a loving father."

The method of getting into the right headspace to portray a character differs from actor to actor. Going method isnt a bad thing per se, but that doens't justify treating people around you like shit.

[Lintupuu]

I am a professional actor with a MA degree in acting. Method acting is not a technique we are taught in my country.

If someone loses their control and sense of reality, it is more likely a psychosis – not any part of acting.
It is not desirable or cool, nor should it be viewed that way.

Actor should always be on control – even when something surprising happens (which is often), like an unexpected emotion or reaction – anything else is irresponsible an unprofessional.
And if the state of losing the control is agitated/pursued on purpose: it is pompous and immature as well.

It's fine to search inspiration and to get yourself familiar with your work by deep diving into it, but there is a clear line after which any "I am X, X is me" has NOTHING to do with acting.