I bumped into Jeremy Piven, who plays the hardnosed agent in the hit US TV series Entourage, at The Groucho Club in London.

Very cool guy. As it happens, one of my Young Actors is working with him on his next project which is very different from Entourage. He is filming a rival series to Downtown Abbey, which is called Mr Selfridge. It’s about the Selfridges family. He plays Mr Selfridge. It’s all set around 1909, hence the moustache!

One of the unsung qualities of successful actors is ‘helpfulness’.

Time and time again I have observed this trait up close and personal, with great actors.

It’s easy to dismiss this trait as perhaps not that important but believe me, the industry loves helpful people and as a result they get more work.

Recently, Johnny Depp visited a primary school in London because a young girl wrote to him and asked him to visit her school. She had heard he was filming Pirates of the Caribbean close by.
To her surprise he turned up!

I have put the newspaper clipping here for you to read: https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/johnnydepp.html

Being helpful stands out and you need to stand out in this industry.

Best wishes

Brian

On Saturday 4th of August Eva Mendes was spotted wearing a cute new dress, as she struggles with her purse to pay a parking meter. No big deal you may think.

Well the paparazzi love this sort of thing, don’t they? They can’t wait to get a shot of her in a flap in her new summer outfit.

What is really interesting about this story isn’t her dress, or the fact that even an A Lister has to dig into their purse to keep the traffic wardens at bay, it’s what she is doing in Westwood California on a Saturday afternoon.

She is going to ACTING CLASSES!

She gets paid millions to appear in Hollywood movies and she still goes to acting classes on a Saturday afternoon.

Does she need to?

Well she doesn’t have to, but she wants to. That’s what great actors do. They learn and keep learning to get the edge.

If Eva Mendes is still training then all aspiring actors should definitely be training. You don’t need to wear a cute dress, just turn up to do some serious acting work.

You can read the media story here: http://www.justjared.com/2012/08/05/eva-mendes-acting-class/

The truth about talent is that it is over-rated – or at least the concept is misconceived by many.

Many seem to think that talent is ‘god-given’, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Extensive medical and psychological research has been done and the evidence is overwhelming.

Talent = hours practiced.

Putting more hours into activities that enhance performance will inevitably increase your talent. You need to be constantly improving your ability by attending good acting classses and acting courses.

But talent alone is not enough. You need will and opportunity.

Recently an article appeared in a magazine on this subject which I found fascinating, so I have posted it here: https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/talent.html

It tells how top sports personalities have reached the top. It struck me how similar the process is to becoming a great actor.

In essence, the more you practice, the more of a talented actor you become.

So, get practising!

It’s that time of year again.

It won’t be long before we are watching a top actor blubbing about how they would never have made it without Mum, Dad and Mimi the family cat!

But I have to say, I love the Oscars.

Tears and tantrums to boot!

So, who are the movers and shakers this year?

What I can tell you is that 4 out of the 5 Best Actor nominations are method actors. Coincidence? I think not.

It looks like the statistic of 80% of Best Actor Oscar Winners won by method actors from the year 2000 is set to continue.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Rewind.

Over the coming weeks I will be sending you my views and predictions. Do with them what you will.

So, lets start with an outsider for Best Actor.

Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook.

Firstly, great film. A quirky, brilliantly acted, little gem.

Bradley is a one of the new wave of method actors. It was great to see him acting along side De Niro who put in a great performance himself. In fact he looks set to pick up Best Supporting Actor.

Watching these two method boys slug it out is great fun. Bradley recently told how in one scene the emotion was so strong they couldn’t use the take.

Why?

Well, in this particular scene De Niro has a right go at Bradley who is his son. Bradley was so shaken by the ferocity of De Niro’s rage that he started to cry and wail. The wailing was so loud that they couldn’t use the take.

This is testament not just to De Niro, who without doubt has enough rage to shake the bones of the hardest of men, but also to Bradley who has a very sensitive instrument and is willing to let himself be vulnerable and then to express it.

Long story short, they used a different take which was equally as powerful.

My prediction is that this year is not Bradley’s year. Why? Well, he is up against some very stiff competition… more on that soon.

My long-term prediction is that he will most certainly win an Oscar in his career. He is one of the most promising actors to come on the scene for a long time. He has a marvellous capacity to be vulnerable and to be real.

His time will come, but not this year.

More crystal ball Oscar predictions coming soon.

Leading Method Actors Robert De Niro and Eli Wallach are to receive industry recognition this year for their lifetime contribution to cinema, and boy have they contributed!

De Niro is to receive a lifetime achievement award at the golden globes. Kevin Spacey announced this by saying that  De Niro, 67, was ‘universally acknowledged as one of the greatest actors of all time’.

Eli Wallach will receive an Honorary Award at the Oscars this year. He has appeared in everything from ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ to ‘ The Godfather 3’. He goes way back to the first wave of method actors and was a good friend of to the writer Tennessee Williams.

These guys typify the amazing power of the technique they hold dear – method acting.

This email was going to be about another one of the Best Actor nominees but something happened the other day that takes precedence over that for the time being.

De Niro broke down in tears during an interview the other day.

You can watch it here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2273674/Robert-De-Niro-breaks-tears-discusses-plight-bi-polar-illness-portrayed-Silver-Linings-Playbook.html#axzz2K2AeNHRt

We are used to seeing him playing the hard man, so thinking about him breaking down in tears may shock you.

It didn’t shock me at all.

What many don’t realise is that when you train to become a Method actor, you become more sensitive to the touch. In some cases hypersensitive.

This is a good thing. In fact, it is what you should be striving towards as an actor.

De Niro was talking about his Silver Linings Playbook character’s struggle to deal with his bipolar condition. This touched him so much he cried.

You see, your vulnerability is a strength. So many people think it is a weakness – but that vulnerability connects you to people in a deep way.

The funny thing about this interview is that he was with co-star Bradley Cooper who, as you may recall from my last email, wailed during a scene and they consequently couldn’t use it.

These men have worked hard at making themselves sensitive. This makes them sensitive not just in their acting but in their own lives. In fact, maybe a better word than ‘sensitive’ is ‘connected’: connected to their feelings and emotions.

This is one of the most powerful abilities you can develop as an actor.

Oscar Nominee, Paul Giamatti with Brian Timoney

Last week, I was invited to a special screening of a new film called Barney’s Version starring Paul Giamatti (famous for his role in the film Sideways).

Firstly, this is an amazing film, and Paul turns in an Oscar-winning performance. I predict he will most definitely be nominated for this performance.  The film isn’t released in the UK until the end of January 2011.

Paul plays opposite a number of big actors in the film, including Dustin Hoffman.

I got to hang out with Paul after the screening.  I was very curious to learn how he got on with Dustin Hoffman.  Dustin is renowned for his method performances, and I wondered how he approached this role opposite Paul.

The response was very interesting indeed.

Paul said that working with Dustin Hoffman is like working with Picasso.  He said, ‘’Dustin would tear up the scene and put it all back together again, and when they did the final takes it was a completely different type of scene.’’ He goes on, ‘’The man is 73 but has an immense energy.  He would stay in character during filming which had its funny moments.  His character is a lecherous ex-cop who tells dirty jokes all the time.  In between filming takes he would tell dirty jokes to the cast and crew.’’

Hoffman was using tried and tested method acting techniques.

It’s interesting that a man in his seventies, who is regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, still works so hard and diligently at his craft.  He no longer NEEDS to – it’s because he WANTS to.

A true acting artist – as is Paul.

I urge you to go and see this amazing film on its first weekend of release in January in the UK.  Films like this need to be encouraged and the first weekend is so important for smaller films such as this one.

Send a message to Hollywood that we want to see more great, in-depth, thoughtful work like this by seeing it the weekend of its release.

Best wishes,

Brian

The other day I saw the film Flight starring Denzel Washington.

I have a special connection to this film. Victoria Burrows, the US casting director who cast Flight, comes to our studio in LA to visit the students each year.

For the last 18 months, she has been telling us about how great Flight is. It’s taken that long to get it distributed and out in the UK. She also told us the story of how she managed to get Kelly Reilly, a UK actress who appears in the TV programme Above Suspicion, a leading role in the film.

Victoria really believed in Kelly and fought to get her the part. You see, sometimes, if you’re right for the role, you will have casting directors in your corner helping you to get cast.

That aside, Flight is an outstanding film. Denzel deserves his Best Actor nomination, and, in my opinion, is the only true contender to Daniel Day-Lewis for the Oscar.

He plays an alcoholic airline pilot who manages to crash-land a plane but comes under scrutiny for his drinking.

Denzel plays a brilliant drunk and you really feel for him—as you do for all the characters. It’s a great script and cast. You should go and see it.

To be honest, it’s hard to choose between Denzel and Daniel. They are both great Method actors who have put in outstanding performances.

However, I don’t think Denzel will win the Best Actor Oscar this year.

Why not? I hear you scream.

More on that soon.

This post raises a very important point within acting that you need to know, so I would recommend reading it the whole way through.

At the weekend I went to see the critically acclaimed film ‘Black Swan’.

It was a very interesting film and I recommend you see it. Not only is it a great film but it also highlights a particular acting challenge all actors face.

If you haven’t seen it yet, let me fill you in. It centers on a ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) who has worked very hard at her craft but has failed to land a leading role. Why? Well, she is technically brilliant but lacks artistic flare.

An opportunity arises when the Artistic Director (Vincent Cassel) decides to stage ‘Swan Lake’ and needs someone who can play the white and black swan. As you would imagine the white swan character is angelic and fragile while the black swan is, well, a bit naughty. A bit of a simplification but you get the picture.

Portman’s character is great at the white swan. Her character type fits the white swan. But when she dances the part of the black swan she just can’t crack it. It’s too controlled and analytical. Her character hasn’t fully lived yet and is a goody two shoes who struggles to relate to the darkness of the black swan. (It’s worth noting how her real life affected her dancing life, which is very often the case with actors too.)

There is however another dancer in the troop of ballet dancers (Mila Kunis) who is very good at doing the black swan. She comes across as a mischievous and sensual person who can identify with the black swan.

But here is the Directors problem he needs someone who can play both. In ‘Swan Lake’ one dancer plays both roles.

He opts for Portman and tries to educate her on how to play the black swan.

I won’t ruin the film for you so I will stop there, but this raises a crucial acting issue.

Sometimes actors are not aware of how they come across and how much they need to change in order to play a role.

The casting of the film itself highlights this. Portman plays the ‘nice’ girl beautifully and manages to pull off the bad girl routine as well, but not quite as well as Kunis who was cast as the bad girl of the film. You can see that she is very comfortable with that kind of role.

In order to play a range of roles you need to transform because if you don’t someone will walk into the casting room who is exactly like the character.

Here is my pivotal question.

Can you do that now?

Do you have the skill and technique to pull off a performance at the highest level and completely transform?

If you can’t then there is someone out there who can, I can assure you.

If you want to develop this sort of skill and achieve this sort of level of performance then you need to start training.

Natalie Portman employed some hallmark method acting techniques. She also trained in ballet dancing for 10 months before the acting process began showing true commitment to the role.

I predict an Oscar for her performance. Bravo!