Here’s how method acting can ruin your acting career.
Method acting. It’s the acting technique that many A-list actors use on a daily basis to get into character and making movies, TV shows and even commercials more interesting. But, is that the best acting technique for you?
Well, one casting director spilled the beans and revealed that method acting is not always the best acting technique. During an AMA on /r/acting, a NYC casting director revealed horror stories about actors that choose to go “method”.
One user asked, ‘Do you like it when someone shows up in character? As opposed to an actor that comes in, and then puts “on” the character?’
Here’s what she had to say:
Some people show up in costume. This is more popular in the local markets and therefore more accepted, but in NY or LA…if you show up to audition for a cop on L&O and you are in a cop uniform, they will just sort of chuckle a little. As an actor you shouldn’t need the uniform, I should be able to tell you are a cop if I put you in rain boots and a tutu. Again, save your money.
You should have a few basic outfits that are your “audition outfits”, maybe one of them even lives in the car just in case. A casual look, a business casual look, and a business look. This should really cover you for any audition. They idea is to dress TOWARDS the character, mainly to help you feel the character. But yea, imagination, we use it 🙂
But, when it came to method acting. It’s not always a good idea.
So he was trying to get into character early, which some people need for their process, but it ended up reflecting poorly on him.
I actually had a time when an actor was waiting to audition, and I’m in the casting room and I’m getting frantic texts from my assistant about this particular actor in the lobby causing trouble, getting loud, and being an overall shit. They had tried to “handle” it but he was being unreasonable.
This is an actor I have auditioned a lot in the past so this sounds very odd to me, he’s one of my go-to guys, WTF?! So I go out there and I drag him outside and say pretty frankly “Okay, why are you being a total douchebag??? NO ONE LIKES IT!”….he went on to explain to me that he was trying to be method and “in character” and the role was a bully.
So he was trying to get into character early, which some people need for their process, but it ended up reflecting poorly on him. A professional puts it on and takes it off like an overcoat.
I’d rather see you as you and who you are and then see you act. Then you always have the opportunity to surprise the casting director or show them something they may not be expecting (as they would be if you came in in character), and we usually like to be positively surprised.
Awkward.
