Does method acting screw people up?

[Zeste]

Originally Posted by Welwood

They're NOT different, only people who know absolutely nothing about acting techniques would think that there is some mystical bs going on that makes you forget who you are. I'm sorry, it's acting, not hypnotism, it's not brainwashing.

And yes, thinking that an acting technique could somehow kill you is exactly like thinking that a strumming technique could drive you mad and kill you, both are inane fallacies that only those who are completely stupid would believe.

You're pretty dumb. I think eveyrone here will agree.

There have been clinical psych studies where subjects were asked to act very angry and strangle a very realistic fake infant. Most people wouldn't make themselves do it, and those who did reported extreme distress and disgust. Very few were able to avoid an adverse reaction.

I am sure you'll have some lame rebuttal, but there are plenty of smart people here who will understand what I am saying.

[Etwynn]

Originally Posted by brekk

causation versus causality.

Does method acting screw someone up, or is it that screwed up actors choose to use it.

And by screwed up i mean mentally unstable, possible signs of psychosis. Not necessarily crazy... but not quite right.

I see you what you mean and I agree with you. Christian Bale is probably completely nuts (he's also one of my favorite actors, incidentally). He lost dozens of pounds for the Machinist and he made a film with Werner Herzog trudging through the jungle with little more than a small camera crew. I'm pretty sure I remember reading that the leeches we saw on Christian Bale in that movie were real. Because he's nuts. (They're both nuts actually, him and Herzog.)

With that said, I still think it's a compounding effect: you'd have to be a few ticks off normal to be able to method act, but at the same time method acting isn't going to make you any more normal, especially if you're playing a villain of sorts.

Originally Posted by Faille

From what I've read Ledger wasn't even doing method acting for batman. Most interviews I've said from the cast say how remarkable it was that he could be completely normal and himself up until the camera's started rolling and then instantly drop into the character.

For me, method acting is just the attempt to become a character emotionally. Rather than reciting lines based on how you think the character would respond (or based on how the director tells you to do it), an actor actually attempts to enter the mental state of a character and performs (whether reciting or improvising) our of that space. I think that there are different degrees of method acting and it's silly to say Heath Ledger wasn't method acting just because he wasn't in character all the time. With that said, the more time a person spends in character, the deeper into the character's head they get (it's said that Daniel Day-Lewis takes months to 'recover 'from his roles). In any case, spending a month alone in a hotel room just reading comic books can't be good for your psyche.

Maybe this is me just romanticizing film, but I tend to see this type of acting as a conscious choice by an actor/actress to undergo some seriously messed up shit in order to create something beautiful ('art').

[Welwood]

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[Etwynn]

Originally Posted by Vorph

The Bale example doesn't really belong with the others. Playing Batman isn't exactly that much of an acting challenge, and I'm pretty sure that if something really bad was to happen to him because of method acting it would have been because of The Machinist, not Batman.

Originally Posted by kegkilla

also where has it been said that bale used method acting to get into character for batman?

Well, if you know much about Christian Bale you know that he's a method actor of sorts. I just thought it was interesting that allegedly flew off the handle around the time when he was playing a vigilante badass.

[Nerion]

What kind of family members does he have? I mean, if someone goes crazy and you are in danger you call the cops obviously. To go down to the station after it is all over and make a report sounds like tattling or some BS.

[Etwynn]

I'm surprised nobody wants to talk about the Owen Wilson example. I have no idea if he's a method actor or not but if you've seen The Darjeeling Limited, that shit gets real when he tells his mom that he crashed into a wall on a motorcycle 'on purpose.'

[Occido]

Originally Posted by Welwood

Zeste I'm sorry, but having studied this technique for years now, in addition to several others AND having worked in film, theater and television I'm uniquely qualified to say that you have absolutely no fucking clue what you're talking about.

Prove it.

[Welwood]

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[Occido]

I'm referring to your work in film, theater and TV. I don't give a fuck what you think killed Ledger.

[Welwood]

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[Occido]

So you say acting doesn't kill people....
Tell that to Owen Hart and Booker.

[jayrebb]

Originally Posted by Occido

I remember reading somewhere that "Method Acting" is the most dangerous form of acting. Most actors don't recommend it.

Can't remember if I read that here on these forums or somewhere else.

This, and method actors are also usually devoid of natural personality.

Christian Bale is a great example. His interviews are Zzzzzzz. I couldn't believe how deadpan the guy was. Then I found out about him being a method actor and it explained everything.

There are more examples to support this I just can't think of them now.

[Awanka]

So he had to straighten out some hos, what's the big deal? Batman has to do that sometimes to get his job done.

[Awanka]

I don't believe in coincidences. They were probably asking him for money after this movie broke records. The proper response is a pop in the face.

[Dethfang]

Originally Posted by Etwynn

Well, if you know much about Christian Bale you know that he's a method actor of sorts. I just thought it was interesting that allegedly flew off the handle around the time when he was playing a vigilante badass.

Except he hasn't "played" a vigilante in quite a number of months... its not like Batman wrapped two weeks ago...