Blog
Welcome to Brian Timoney’s Acting Blog. Here you will find important information on acting and the acting industry, including breaking news! We are an acting school dedicated to method acting and business of acting techniques. Our updates and posts are like mini acting classes so don’t miss out and join us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for our regular updates!
Acting Advice – Using the 80/20 Rule
There are hundreds of self-help books that promise to transform your life. The 80/20 rule, though, is too powerful…
What is the Lee Strasberg Method?
Born in 1901 to Jewish parents in what is now the Ukraine, Lee Strasberg’s family could not have guessed…
Acting Career Advice: Are You About to Give Up?
From time to time I’m approached by old students or colleagues who gave up acting for a “normal” life.…
Constantin Stanislavski: Techniques of a Legend
Born in Moscow in 1863, Constantin Stanislavski was to become perhaps the most famous figure in theatre. He not only…
What is Method Acting?
What is Method Acting, and Why is it Important? When the media talk about method acting, they often like…
Case Study: Jack Nicholson’s Method Acting
Jack Nicholson has been acting professionally for nearly 60 years, having made his professional debut in 1958’s The…
The History Of Method Acting
Understanding ‘The Method’ – The History of Method Acting Many modern-day movies that we watch boast outstanding performances by…
Acting Techniques: How to Put Your ‘Uniqueness’ to Work
One thing that’s fantastic about working with our students is that they are all unique. They come to me,…
What Type of Actor Are You?
Know thyself. An ancient saying, and the first thing on the list of our Ultimate Acting Rules. To know…
Are You Failing To Commit To Your Acting?
“There are no small parts, only small actors.” – Laurence Olivier. Have you ever been watching a play or…
Acting Career Advice: The Business of Acting
Acting is an industry and, like any industry, you need more than just an understanding of your craft to…
5 Common Audition Mistakes Actors Make
If you’re struggling to land your dream role – or any role – it might not be because you lack…
Acting Advice: The Importance Of Being Yourself
“The person you are is a hundred times more interesting than the best actor you could ever become…..” –…
Building Your Acting CV
For actors, a great CV is just as important as it is for any other profession. Your CV (or…
The Art of Acting – Why Truth Matters
You might be surprised to learn that I’m a fan of Master Po from the 1970s TV series Kung…
Acting Jobs – A Guide to Getting Your First Acting Job
Getting your first paid acting job can seem impossible when you’re new to the industry, but remember, every successful actor…
Acting Commitment: Mickey Rourke Does Time
If you want to be a great actor you need commitment. Sounds simple, right? But what does it actually…
How to Create An Acting ‘Process’
Whether you have an upcoming acting job or a pending audition, you need to be prepared, and part of…
How to Build Acting Confidence
Confidence is hugely important for an actor. You need to have a lot of self-belief if you’re going to…
Episode 44: How to Rehearse like a Pro
In this episode, Brian and Joe sit down to chat about honing your rehearsal skills, with tips and guidance…
Why You Shouldn’t Become an Actor
“Showbusiness is not so much dog eats dog, as dog doesn’t return other dog’s phone calls.” – Woody…
6 Method Acting Facts that Show it Works!
Method actors have won over 80% of ‘Best Actor’ Academy Awards in the last decade. Method acting is…
Becoming an Actor – Where Do You Start?
Lots of people love the idea of becoming an actor, but how do you get started? Whether you are completely…
Stanislavski and Naturalism – A Short History
Realism versus Naturalism Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference we must establish. Realism is the…
Does Method Acting Work?
Many of the most well-known actors in the 21st century use ‘The Method’ in order to create outstanding and…
Acting Skills: How to Learn Your Lines
Just how do actors learn their lines so easily? This is one of the things people new to acting…
The Professional Actor: Why You Should Always Keep Your Dignity
“be someone that everyone wants to work with“ Acting can be a tough business. Bagging a promising…
What They Won’t Teach You At Drama School
All I can say is that I wish that I had known about this course before I started three…
How the 21 Day Rule Can Make You a Better Actor
“The habits of highly successful people allow them to consistently perform behaviors that breed success.” – Forbes It…
Learn the 5 Key Traits of Method Actor Oscar Winners
“Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself…
Head Shot Horrors – How to Get Your Head Shots Right
Head shots are an essential part of any professional actor’s arsenal as these are often the thing that first get…
Stanislavski and Emotional Memory
“The person you are is a hundred times more interesting than the best actor you could ever become…”…
Acting Auditions – How To Get It Right
The first step to a better audition is to give up character and use yourself. ~ Michael Shurtleff …
Fake or Real: Why You Need to Stop Acting
“With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise…
An Acting Lesson from Jack Nicholson
The next woman who takes me on is gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver…
The Wheel of Emotion
“Acting is the most personal of our crafts. The makeup of a human being – his physical, mental and emotional…
The dark and murky side of method acting
I got this email the other day. Now, it was a long (but interesting) email, so I have cherry picked…
Marlon Brando’s unusual (and secret) on set acting technique
Now, last week I talked about how Steve McQueen took lines out of scripts and how Marlon Brando didn’t learn…
It’s not how long it is, but what you do with it that counts
At the weekend, I was talking to one of my former Ultimate Acting students who is now a pro actor.…
Why you are awesome
I don’t particularly like the word “awesome”. Overused and a tad American. Not that I have anything against the Americans.…
Gangsta Shakespeare Rap
Mark Rylance (probably the best stage actor ever) had this to say about how Shakespeare is done today in the…
Why acting fairness is overrated
Now and again, I will get an email from a mush cookie saying that I’m not being fair. It’s usually…
Why I don’t believe in acting dreams…
What are dreams? Here are some definitions from the dictionary: 1. A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in…
Do you kneel before acting Zods?
One of my favourite film baddies of all time is General Zod. He appears in Superman II and tries to…
Emotion Free Acting (EFA)
Over the last decade, we have seen a mass influx of things that are free of. For example: Gluten Free…
When it’s appropriate to be inappropriate
Not so long ago the Turner Prize-winning artist, Grayson Perry, built a house. It’s no run-of-the-mill house; it’s an artistic…
The case of the girl too scared to kiss
Many moons ago, I was teaching a young lady who (due to her conditioning) found it very difficult to be…
How do you fancy 60 years of torture?
One of my favourite books is The Fountainhead. It’s about a couple of aspiring architects trying to get ahead. Here…
Why Ed Sheeran doesn’t believe in luck
Ed was interviewed this morning and came out with some interesting views on luck and success. This is what he…
My favourite quote of all time is…
I bet you have a favourite quote. I do. Here it is: “To be normal is the ideal of the…