13 Times Actors Opened Up About Method Acting's Dark Side

Mads Mikkelsen is a dedicated actor. He has a history of putting in the hard work in order to prepare for film roles. For example, he learned how to ride a horse and adeptly wield a sword to play a knight in 2004's King Arthur.Mads Mikkelsen is a dedicated actor. He has a history of putting in the hard work in order to prepare for film roles. For example, he learned how to ride a horse and adeptly wield a sword to play a knight in 2004's King Arthur.He has a history of putting in the hard work in order to prepare for film roles. For example, he learned how to ride a horse and adeptly wield a sword to play a knight in 2004's King Arthur.King Arthur.

The Danish actor didn't hold back during a 2022 interview with GQGQMads Mikkelsen called method acting “bullsh*t.”

TheHannibalthe star said:

What if it’s a sh*t film—what did you achieve? Am I impressed you didn't drop the character? You should have dropped it early! How do you prepare for a serial killer? Will you spend two years checking it out?

The media says, “Oh my god, he took it so seriously, so he must be fantastic; let’s give him an award.” That is the talk, and everyone knows it; it becomes a thing.

To become “the perfect being” forGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Will Poulter had to makemany sacrificesThe British actor trained intensely physically to gain superhero strength. This meant spending much time at the gym.

Poulter said, “The whole social side of your life has to take a back seat. I follow a rigid routine so I cannot go out for dinner with friends. I look forward to being able to do that again.”

TheMaze RunnerThe star may be 100% committed to training for the Marvel movie. Still, he does not think an actor's “process” should harm other people:

If an actor’s process does not infringe on others and you are considerate, that is fine. But if your process creates an unfriendly setting, you lose sight of what matters. Method acting cannot excuse bad behavior—and it certainly can.

Robert Pattinson may have found fame playing a vampire in the romance sagaTwilight. However, the actor broke free from teen fame and showed his serious acting skills in gritty independent films likeThe LighthouseandGood Time.

Pattinson said he respects method acting during a2019 interviewforVarietyActors on Actors series. But it is not part of his personal process. He said:

I always say about method actors, you only see people use the method when they are playing an asshole. You never see someone being nice to everyone while deep in character.

Pattinson added:

I need to know when you are on stage and when you are off. I need to know that between action and cut, that is the thing. That is the safe space. I need to know it ends. I need to know a cut is coming, then I feel safe. If it feels like you cannot get out, that is when you go crazy.

No matter the role, Samuel L. Jackson looks like he is having a good time. The prolific actor with over 100 film creditsdoes not use method actingTo get into character, he prepares before hitting the set.

ThePulp Fictionstar revealed:

I do that work before I start. I know the emotional spot I need for a task. Other people take longer to get there. Maybe I push my way on them by making them laugh at the end of a scene, or not putting emotional energy into their performance. That is just me. I want them to have fun. Sometimes, working with people who invest deeply doesn't feel like they are having fun for me. It is acting a game. You do it well. You do it safely. It stays a safe space. You must enter this space, work, give emotion, and avoid harm.

Toni Collette built a career on big and small screens across many genres. She acts well playing terrified inHereditaryas she fishes for laughs in theUnited States of Tara.

However, the Golden Globe winner made clear method acting is not her personal process.

The Australian actress strongly opposes method practice.She said:

I am not method, whatever that means. I think that is total nonsense. People either try to sell that they do it, or convince themselves they do. Everyone has their own process. I am much more instinctive.

Sebastian Stan seems to show all of Tommy Lee in the Hulu seriesPam & Tommy. From tattoos to wild parties to his love affair with Pamela Anderson, Stan became the Mötley Crüe drummer.

However, theWinter Soldieractor did not use a method approach to figure out how to be believable as Lee. Stan explained his dislike of method acting during a2021 interview. He said:

I do not believe in making chaos for acting purposes. I know actors do that much. Many people do that... they make chaos on set or chaos with the people they work with to create tension or something. But to me, that just looks like a very irresponsible, self-centered, kind of self-indulgent thing. It looks like, "I am afraid, and I just want to hurt everyone else because of it."

Jon Bernthal plays real-life corrupt Baltimore police officer Detective Wayne Jenkins on the David Simon HBO seriesWe Own This City.

Bernthal studied Russian theater teacher Konstantin Stanislavski's famous method approach to acting. However, The Walking Deadthe star does not think Hollywood actors grasp the basic idea correctly.

Bernthal revealed during a 2022 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter:

Studying at the Moscow Art Theater in Moscow taught me something. I guarantee you, having everyone call you by your character name and not showering for eight months was not Stanislavski's idea for the Method. But those moments between action and cut—those sacred seconds—that’s all we get. I must stay near that role, close to those seconds. I avoid cellphones, Chinese food, and evening plans. Still, if I talk like Wayne and act like Wayne, it helps those seconds. That might take a day, a week, or five minutes. I do not act like that when George is only allowed to call me Wayne. I see no benefit in that.

Seth Rogen and James Franco were longtime friends. They worked together on several projects, includingSeth Rogen appeared in Freaks and Geeks.andPineapple Express.Rogen produced Franco's 2017 meta biographical dramedy.The Disaster Artist..

Franco directed and starred as Tommy Wiseau in the production. The movie centers on the making ofThe Room., a film considered one of the worst ever made. Yet, it became a beloved cult classic because it was so bad.

Franco chose to stay in character while filming. This meant speaking with an odd Euro accent. His move to method acting becamestrange for Rogen.

“He stayed in character the whole time we made the movie as Tommy. He spoke in the Tommy voice and wore prosthetic makeup while directing,” Rogen said. “This is maybe the first time anyone directed a movie in character. And in the film, he directs a movie, so it is weird too.”

Rogen admitted he struggled with Franco's process. “I could not handle it, honestly, for the first two days,”Rogen said. "People would come up and ask me, ‘Where’s James?’ And I was always like, ‘He’s right f**king there!'"

Robert Carlyle is areformed method actor.Heremoved twoof his back teeth forT2 Trainspotting.. Carlyle also lived as a homeless person for the BBC seriesSafe..

Carlyle explained:

Years ago, I was more method-driven. Every actor has his own methods. But when I was younger and less smart, I thought I had to do this to feel it: You must become this thing. I made a film calledSafe.a long time ago, about homelessness, and I have never beenhomelesshomeless before. I have been “without a home,” staying on my friend’s floor while moving to another apartment. But I have never been on the streets.

So, I lived on the streets here in London for two weeks. That felt like two months. I still recall that experience. I can still smell it today. Those were a very, very, very grim couple of weeks.

The Scottish actor eventually saw that method acting was not needed for his process. He added:

To grasp a character, I felt I had to do this. Method acting helps in that way. But you don't need to kill someone to know what a murderer is like! As you age, you drop that stuff. I cannot be homeless now. You can dress up somewhat, but people will say, “You’re Robert Carlyle!” and that ends it.

Jeremy Strong made headlines and sparked the method actor debate after hisBrian Cox gave a 2021 interview.The interview appeared in The New Yorker.Strong talked about staying in character as the often petulant Kendall Roy on HBO'sCox discussed Succession.Strong often acted at the expense of his fellow actors.

Cox spoke about The Trial of Chicago 7.Director Aaron Sorkin said Strong wanted the riot scenes in the biographical drama to feel real. “Jeremy begged me to spray him with real tear gas,”Sorkin saidhe refused.

Strong mentioned Cox.Cox discussed Succession.Co-star Brian Cox sees the value in Strong's method, but he admitted there is a cost. TheThe Scottish actor shared something.:

He performs brilliantly, but it is tiring. It tires him especially, but it tires us all sometimes. We endure it because we love him and because his work is always amazing, yet there is a double-edged sword attached.

I respect Jeremy as an actor and wish him well. He lives in much pain. He creates the pain in his role. That does not always help, but it does. There is pain at Jeremy's core, and I feel for that pain. He puts himself in risky spots, and with thatThe interview was in The New Yorker.article, he put himself in a very vulnerable position, and I think he did not need to.

John Malkovich is one of the most praised stage and screen actors now. The two-time Academy Award nominee plays villains and heroes equally well.

Despite his talent and believability,Malkovich was in Burn After Reading.Malkovich is a star.does not do much researchMalkovich prepared for a character.

Malkovich revealed, “I am not a Method actor. I do not think acting should be psychodrama. I look inside myself to find what I can use for the role. If I play a blind man, I do not go around blindfolded for days. Many good actors would, but I do not go that far. I just make it up as I go.”

In 1993, Will Smith reached his peakSmith was in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.He chose to play Paul, a character based on real conman David Hampton, in the independent filmSmith was in Six Degrees of Separation..

I used method acting onSix Degrees of Separation.,” Smith saidMethod acting means you sink into your character's thoughts. You eat what the character eats. You learn to like the clothes your character likes. You block out Will and live only as the character.

The method experience hurt Smith. The actor stated, “I don’t do method acting anymore. When that psychological ground disappears, it is horrible.”

Jennifer Lopez needs a clear split between her acting work and her real life.

The dancer, singer, and actress shared why keeping distance is important during aJennifer Lopez gave a 2019 interview.This interview was forVarietythe Actors on Actors series.

Lopez said, “Some younger actors feel they must stay in it constantly. After doing movies for many years, I wait for the day to let it go. I go home, get in the shower, and wash it all off.”