How method acting led Hollywood’s biggest stars to behave bizarrely
nypost.com“The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act” (out Feb. 1), theater historian Isaac Butler reveals how the Actors Studio, under the direction of the acclaimed late acting teacher Lee Strasberg, went on to shape the modern world’s most influential performers.Butler told The Post that despite what “method acting” has come to signify in pop culture — transforming yourself for a role, à la Daniel Day Lewis or Jared Leto, and living as that character for months or even years — it’s actually something entirely different.
The Method, he said, “was driven by delving into the self, into your psychology and your emotions, and using that to build a bridge to the character.”Still, it has yielded some pretty intense performances, including Dustin Hoffman’s in “The Graduate” and Al Pacino’s in “The Godfather.”Read on for wild tales from the Method’s most famous followers.Eccentric Brando brought “unbelievable natural talent and genius” to his roles, Butler said — but that didn’t mean everybody liked working with him.
His acting style — filled with luxuriant pauses and unpredictable, improvised flourishes — was downright infuriating to some of his co-stars.
Take Jessica Tandy, who appeared opposite Brando on Broadway in a 1947 production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Tandy, a classically trained English actress cast as Southern belle Blanche, was horrified by what she perceived as Brando’s on-stage indulgences.
Read more on nypost.com