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.

Imagination is a key element for any actor. To people outside of the profession, imagination would play a vital role when working with special effects and though this is true, imagination is at work at all times. Method acting classes as well as other styles work with actors to develop their imagination throughout acting courses.

Method acting classes, provide actors with exercises that utilize their imagination from the start. Actors have to be able to be comfortable at pretending to be in any kind of environment, and on occasion this environment may no longer exist, or have never existed as it is a fictional futuristic one.

It is not just because of sets and environments that imagination is so crucial to the success of any actor. If an actor picks up a prop or even pretends to have an object in his hand, the actor has to convince an audience that it is real. Method acting classes, subsequently teach this aspect of the profession, and configure exercises and courses that all hone the imagination of their students.

Despite the emotional connection method actors have with themselves, as they use their own experiences to generate real emotion for their performances, if an actor cannot appear to be natural in a given environment, or if they fail to convince that there is a person on the other end of a phone call, the game is up. This is especially prevalent in stage acting, where generating and maintaining the illusion is crucial to the success of the performance.

Imagination also helps an actor connect to a character. Many of us may not know what it is like to be a King, however, method acting classes teaches the actor the elements that make a King: Great Power, followers, wisdom, motives, and desires, which in effect make the character human, enabling the actor to relate and to portray the character in the proper light. Imagination is at work here at all times, and often it works in a sublime fashion in the background, but it is always essential to an actor giving a good performance.

Arguably, imagination is the fuel for an actor, and the other techniques taught in method acting classes, are powered by it. Generating the real emotion that sets method actors apart from other actors is made possible through the actor’s imagination.

Would an actor be able to bring fourth real emotion and deliver that emotion together with their lines and appropriate gestures without imagination?

The complexities of method acting are considerable. Actors not only have to be able to connect to emotions they have experienced in the past and recreate them for their part, but they also have to be able to analyse a character, and decide how to portray that character in any given scene. Often, the imagination of the actor will govern how convincing they were in doing that. This is why method acting classes put a great emphasis on this element of the style.

There are many elements that make a method actor. Imagination is one of the most important ones.

Method acting is a style that was pioneered by inspirational teachings from Lee Strasberg, who taught method acting up until his death in 1982. The teachings showed an actor how to connect with his or her own emotional experiences and recreate them for their performances.

No actor can learn their craft without attending a drama school, and this is especially important for method actors, as they have to deal with the emotions they are recreating for their performances. Once a drama school has been found, what can a student of method acting expect?

Emotional Management

Emotional management is a key element in ‘The Method’. Drama schools will show an actor how to take their own emotional experiences, analyse and explore them, and then bring them fourth for the performance. Just as importantly, drama schools will show an actor how to deal with revisiting experiences he or she may find unpleasant.

When a method actor starts the process of finding the right experiences that match the needs of the role they are playing.

Connecting With a Character

Once a method actor has landed a part it is important that they can break down the elements that make up that character. This way, they can learn every aspect of the character and make the part far more believable for audiences. Some key elements which drama schools teach a method actor are motive, mannerisms, beliefs, and emotional state.

When combined with real emotions, the part played is often highly believable.

The Acting Business

Acting is a business and actors are self employed. It is important that an actor learns how the business works for a variety of reasons, including performing purposes and administration.

This part of the acting profession is vast! It deals with choosing an agent, audition preparation, taxation, showcasing an actors talents, and expectations of casting directors. This barely scratches the surface of what is involved!

Actors who are ignorant in these areas rarely find success as an actor, unless they have someone who does most of this type of work for them, or they are very lucky. For the majority of actors, the teachings of their drama school will help them cope with this side of the business.

Criticism and Rejection

Criticism and rejection are two areas of acting that are encountered on a regular basis. Many actors we know and admire today had plenty of rejections and received plenty of criticism before they landed the dream part. Drama schools help actors accept and learn from these experiences, and as method actors, they often incorporate these feelings and how they deal with them if future parts require it.

All good actors learn from their mistakes, and it is vital that an actor forgets about the last audition he or she did not land, and concentrate on the one that is happening next week!

Through coping with rejection and criticism, actors become better actors.