Before Al Pacino made it as an actor, he was a shy, introverted superintendent.
Hard to believe now, but that’s what he was like back then.
Then one day, something inside him clicked, and he knew he had to commit everything to become an actor.
It’s was a big decision riddled with risk.
If you are an artistic and creative person and follow that path, you are entering a high-risk profession.
It can mean a roller coaster life that doesn’t have the safety net that other careers paths offer.
Some aspiring actors, who lack the risk-taking gene create shadow careers.
Over the decades, I have spent quite a bit of time in Los Angeles and what struck me was how many people there who are not actors but want to be.
For example, there are thousands of lawyers who specialise in the entertainment industry in LA and all the ones I met wanted to be either an actor, writer, director or producer.
But, highlighted by the profession they choose, they lacked that risk-taking gene, so they created a shadow career. This is a job that is in contact with the one they really want but does not have any of the associated risks.
For true artists, they know they have no choice. Their lives would be miserable in a shadow career, so they risk it all and go down the path they were born to take.
A career in acting should not be taken lightly. You need to be sure that you could never be happy in a shadow career, because let’s face it, it would be a lot easier.
Al Pacino once said:
“You’re only as good as the chances you take.”
He is right. A great actor has to get used to taking chances in their life and work. It’s the inevitable fate of a true artist.
Of course, there is an upside to being a risk-taker. It’s exciting and unpredictable, and you certainly know you are alive. Plus, by taking risks in your work, you have the chance to create something unique and authentic to you that profoundly impacts others.
Now that sounds like the risk is worth it to me.
At the moment, due to the joys of lockdown, we are restricted in what we can do.
When I started my online Lockdown Acting intensive, I wasn’t sure how much could be achieved online, from an acting training point of view.
A lot can be done as it turned out, but there is no replacement for live and in-person coaching.
My teaching’s full power happens when I’m in the studio live with students watching their every move. I can see their whole body and watch their unconscious impulses and how they are expressing themselves.
You see, training an actor is not only about getting someone to think differently, it’s also about how they express themselves and move. It’s a massive part of training an actor.
If you can only see them from the chest up, which is often the case on Zoom, you can only get half the picture.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do a lot of successful online teaching, but it needs to go to the next level at a certain point.
That next level is me analysing and dissecting your every thought and move, and coaching you to enter into the eyes of the character and transform.
That’s precisely what I do on my Étude Xpress.
It lasts five days, and there are only ten people on it, and we go deep into my approach – Timoney Method.
If you think you learned a lot on the Lockdown Acting Intensive, wait until you have experienced five full, immersive, acting packed day’s under the watchful eye of The Master, live and in person.
This is what Sarah said after completing the last Étude Xpress:
“If you have completed one of Brian’s Lockdown Acting Intensives and want to take your learning to the next level then you should apply for the Etude Xpress.
I had completed a number of Brian’s Lockdown Intensives before the opportunity arose to apply for the Etude Xpress. And quite honestly it was the best decision I made. Putting into practice some of the techniques learnt during the Zoom sessions, having others in the room and being able to interact with them, react to them, and experience them helped me solidify what I had been leaning and improve on it.
Things that may seem simple and foundational are not overlooked because they are as important as any other aspect. And Brian knows that. His knowledge is second to none and I would take every opportunity I could to learn more from him. Now I can’t wait to take my learning even further and take his Ultimate Course.” Sarah Walker
But, I don’t take everyone who applies; there is an application and selection process to gain entry and I only take ten students.
This an interview with Marc Happel, who isn’t an acting teacher but Director of Costumes at the New York City Ballet.
Daniel Day-Lewis spent a year with him, nearly every day, learning how to be a dress maker to prepare for the film Phantom Thread.
It’s a fascinating interview which I highly recommend that you watch, as you will learn a great deal about how far Daniel goes in his prep.
Brian Timoney
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As a kid, I loved the TV series Kung Fu.
If you have never seen it, it’s a bit like Karate Kid but better.
Master Po, who is an old blind wise Kung Fu Master, instructs his young student, Caine, on how to become a Kung Fu expert.
In his first lesson, Master Po easily defeats him in combat and they have the following conversation:
Master Po: Ha, ha, never assume because a man has no eyes he cannot see. Close your eyes. What do you hear?
Young Caine: I hear the water, I hear the birds.
Master Po: Do you hear your own heartbeat?
Young Caine: No.
Master Po: Do you hear the grasshopper that is at your feet?
Young Caine: [looking down and seeing the insect] Old man, how is it that you hear these things?
Master Po: Young man, how is it that you do not?
Master Po overtime teaches Caine to hear the grasshopper, which becomes his nickname.
I often experience something similar when I start teaching someone. To begin with, they can’t see or hear the acting grasshoppers at their feet, but with my guidance and their commitment, they start to see and hear. The development of these two senses along with the other three others, and of course, the sixth sense (which is another story for another day) allows them to heighten their powers of perception.
Heightened perception is key to being present, in the moment, which allows for deep and authentic acting.
Just like Young Caine, you need someone to coach you. Someone who is watching you, helping you develop the right skills and eliminate any bad acting habits. If you are ready to get to work with The Master, then walk this way.
The next Lockdown Acting Intensive starts Monday 25th January, the deadline to join is Sunday midnight.
Gwyneth revealed in an interview this week the reason she stepped away from acting.
She was lonely.
I know this may be hard to believe because she is a highly successful actor, and the temptation is to think that life must be peachy. The reality can be somewhat different.
Gwyneth went onto explain:
“I don’t want to be in a hotel in Budapest by myself, away from my family, for six weeks anymore.”
Believe it or not, loneliness can be quite an issue for an actor. You have to travel from one job to the next, sometimes being away from family and friends for long periods.
You also have to deal with the adrenaline rush. You may have to go on stage each night or onset during the day and your adrenaline spikes due to performance excitement. Then once you are done, you are alone in a hotel room.
I’ve experienced this myself. It can be hard at times to deal with this but having a strong support network of friends and family certainly helps. Plus, you have the camaraderie of your fellow actors and crew. It’s essential to make friends with them and socialise. It keeps you sane.
That’s not all of the downsides of being a successful actor, here is another one that actor, Ian Bartholomew, who has been playing an abusive husband in Coronation Street has been affected by.
Psychological association.
He has spent so long in the mind of the character that it began to affect his real life and he asked the producers if they could bring in a psychologist to help, which they did.
Personally, I think learning method acting is the way to deal with this. He did the right thing if he was feeling overwhelmed, which he was, but it needn’t get to that stage if you are method trained. You become familiar with the state of being them (the character) for long periods and being able to come out of them at will. It’s part of the daily practice of method actors. The constant practice of going into an imagined character and circumstance and out again.
So there we have it, being a successful actor isn’t all a bed of roses but then again neither is anything else usually. There is always some sort of downside to anything you do but the upside…well, it’s quite an upside. The thrill of acting and performing is an irreplaceable feeling.
Something to think about!
Brian Timoney
The Master Of The Method
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– Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron at the premiere of the film The Devil’s Advocate –
In the film The Devil’s Advocate, Al Pacino plays a wealthy hotshot New York lawyer called John Milton.
John is actually Satan, the Devil who has come in the form of man to cause havoc.
The story centres on a young lawyer, Kevin Lomax (played by Keanu Reeves) who wants to get to the top of his profession.
John, the Devil, has his eye on him because unbeknown to Kevin he is his son.
So he tempts him away from his small town where he is a successful small-time lawyer earning a decent income with a loving wife.
He wants to bring Kevin over to the dark side and starts to trap him into betraying all his beliefs and principles. He offers him huge amounts of money to work for him, gives him a massive New York apartment, gets women to seduce him and tempts him with power, fame and all sorts.
In the end, Kevin sees through all this an manages to overcome him…or so it seems.
At the end of the film, we see Kevin magically rewound to his life in the small town where he is in court defending someone guilty, and he knows it. This time instead of getting the guy off, he does the right thing and says he can’t represent him despite the chance of him being disbarred.
All is well with the world again.
The Kevin goes to the loo at the courthouse, and there is a journalist in there too. He says how he admires him for doing what he did and would he agree to an interview that would reveal to the world how principled and brave he was.
Kevin agrees and leaves.
Then the journalist magically turns into John Milton, the Devil, and says to the camera:
“Vanity, definitely my favourite sin.”
So the moral of the story is that vanity is ultimately very destructive, and people fall for it over and over again.
Now, this is very applicable to the acting process.
Some actors are admittedly vain and will fess up to it and even wear it as a badge of honour.
Others fall into the trap unwittingly.
They become self-aware and control their expressions and delivery so they can come across in a good light, or so they think.
Some need constant propping up, asking people if they thought they were in a scene.
Others try and control their fellow actors by getting them to do deliver their lines and actions in a certain way, so they can try to control the outcome.
All of this is pure vanity and very destructive to achieving high acting art.
Eugene Vakhtangov, a director, actor and teacher at the Moscow Arts Theatre in the early 1900s, used to carry little cards around with him and when he saw any such behaviour would give the student in question a card which read:
“The muses do not tolerate vanity.”
Which was a very clever observation that focused on the self-interest of the actor. What he was saying is that the more you allow vanity to be present, the less inspired you will become. The word ‘muses’ in the quote really means inspiration.
Inspiration does not tolerate vanity.
Of course, if a student received one of these cards, they fell into line. If they didn’t and repeated this behaviour, they were asked to leave for good. This ensured the right environment for the actors to allow creativity to flow.
Great work will never occur in an atmosphere of vanity or conflict.
Something to think about!
Brian Timoney
The Master Of The Method
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Now you may have recently seen that the singer Adele has created a new image for herself predominately by losing 7st in weight.
Rumour has it (see what I did there?) that the real reason for this dramatic weight loss is that she has her sights set on becoming an actor in Hollyweird.
Nothing wrong with that, plenty have gone before her, but I have two words of caution for her – Jennifer Lopez.
Jennifer, back in the day, was the biggest name in the music industry and then decided to become an actor in Hollywood films. The result was acting so bad that it would make your toes curl.
There was one particular beauty which was the film U-Turn, where she starred opposite one of the best method actors in the world, Sean Penn. Now, I’m not sure where her agent and/or manager were when she accepted this because they should have sat her down and said, “Are you absolutely sure you want your acting to be seen side by side with Sean’s?”
Still to this day (I saw the film in 1997) I have PSTD type symptoms around that film. I get flashbacks now and again of acting that is likely to haunt me to the grave.
Now, you may think I’m hard on her, but at the end of the day, there is no reason why the acting has to be that bad. If you are about to work with one of the worlds best actors, and you have barely acted a day in your life, then you should engage in substantial acting training with excellent teachers. She may have taken lessons, I don’t know, but whatever she did, it wasn’t enough by a long-shot.
My fear is that Adele may fall into the same trap.
She has an immense talent as a singer and who knows maybe she has a talent for acting too, but the danger is that she approaches acting the same way she has her singing career. That’s what Jennifer did. She thought I’m a legend at that, so acting should be a walk in the park.
Writing and signing your own songs is very different from becoming another person, i.e. a character, and living their life and seeing the world through their eyes and being able to express that. I’m not saying one is harder than the other I’m saying they are different. Different skills and abilities are required and in my experience no-one is a born actor. You have to work hard to get brilliant at it.
Al Pacino studied method acting for decades. I’m not joking. He embraced the method acting credo that the learning never stops. He was coached by Lee Strasberg and later mentored by Charles Laughton even while he was recognised as one of the best actors in the world.
Now, there is one singer that Adele should be looking at very closely because there does exist an excellent example of being able to make the transition she is looking to make – Lady Gaga.
No one could quite believe how brilliant her performance was in A Star is Born opposite Bradley Cooper (who btw, is a method actor who studied for years, probably still does).
What many don’t know is that Lady Gaga studied method acting for five years before she became a singer. Hence the level of her performance.
There is no short cut if you look at the best actors in the world they all studied and dedicated themselves to the art and craft of acting.
Something to think about!
Brian Timoney
The Master Of The Method
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I was on set once where I watched the most painful thing imaginable.
It was an actor trying to squeeze out a tear.
He was playing a character that had just witnessed the death of a family member and the director wanted him to break down and cry.
Oh, the fun and games that ensued can’t be done full justice in this email but let me try.
They went for the first take and there was nothing. No tears.
The director had a word and they did another take. This time he tried fake crying and grimaced a bit then covered his face.
(Honestly, I couldn’t watch.)
The director went over and told him to go for a walk and think deep and dark thoughts. Five minutes later, he came back and they went for another take. There was just more faking and face contorting.
(I began to think even a sociopath who doesn’t experience much emotion, could have done a better job than this guy.)
Finally, as a last resort, the make-up girl produced a wee stick; it was a tear stick and she put some under his eye, so fake tears would water up in his eye.
The director walked away behind the camera looking mighty pissed off and defeated.
This is all so unnecessary but so many actors just have no clue on how to consistently produce emotion on demand.
That fact is there is a way to do this that requires zero inspiration. It’s a scientific process guaranteed to produce real emotion.
In the method, we use a little thing called emotional memory to do the job. It will make you emotional at the drop of a hat and once you have mastered it directors will absolutely love you for it and will want to work with you over and over because of it.
Ready to learn how?
Then you need to qualify for my Ultimate Acting Programme:
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we humans don’t like being alone. It causes a lot of mental anguish particuarly when it comes to acting.
There is a type of loneliness that exists even if you are around other people, which is the loneliness of the lone aspiring actor.
Many aspiring actors carry around with them this burning desire to act but keep it hidden, even from their nearest and dearest sometimes.
The Man Who Hide His Desire To Be An Actor From His Wife
A few years ago I had this guy come up to me at a seminar I was doing, and he said that he had wanted to act as long as he could remember, but he had never told anyone, including his wife of ten years.
This is an extreme case, but it happens. The more common affliction of a lone aspiring actor is they are never around people who are like them, which makes them feel very alone even if they have tons of ‘normal’ friends.
The long and short of it is that if you are not around other like-minded people, people who are passionate about acting, then you will never act and instead suffer this (usually hidden) acting loneliness.
I have seen peoples lives transform because they started to be around other aspiring actors and doing the thing they love most in life, which is to act.
When I held the first Etude Xpress, and I can tell you the quality of the people who attended was excellent. They were committed, dedicated, caring, inspiring people.
This time around I expect the same thing to happen.
So, the dance troupe Diversity performed on Britain’s Got Talent last night and their performance sparked 10,000 complaints the most ever recorded for a TV show.
Why?
Well, the answer to that question that goes deep into the collective unconscious. The stunning routine they performed (you can watch it here) was a powerful expression of everything that has happened in the world over the last six months. They observed the planet around them and turned it into art. That’s what they do, they are artists. It’s in the job description.
They also used a medium which in my opinion, is one of the most powerful, which is physical expression. It goes deep into the human psyche. Their performance was so powerful, and I won’t lie, it made me cry. Which is part of the reason it has had such an impact?
And that is precisely what artists should be doing—making an impact. Expressing themselves and the world they live in, in a way that has a profound effect on the audience.
Otherwise, what are we doing here?
Is it the case, that the masses just want performing dogs, instead of thought-provoking, insightful, moving art? I fear that is the case, but many like myself would disagree.
Apparently, the uproar is because they mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement and how there is racism in our society. Well, if anyone needed proof of that, those 10,000 complaints speak volumes which is why their work needs to be seen. They not only expressed that but also made other observations on how society is going in the wrong direction—beautifully done.
To add insult to injury, some of those complaining believed that BGT was not the platform for deep and insightful work. They could be right there; perhaps we should leave them to their performing dogs.
For those of you who are artists I strongly recommend you watch their performance. It’s instructive about what you should be doing as an artist as well as the powerful content it expresses.
At the moment, due to the joys of lockdown, we are restricted in what we can do.
Gwyneth revealed in an interview this week the reason she stepped away from acting.
– Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron at the premiere of the film The Devil’s Advocate –
