The Importance and Development of Method Acting by Helene Goldnadel "Method Acting" as it is popularly known, has since its inception courted controversy and fascination. The so called "Method Actors" past and present, have arguably produced some of the most stunning and truthful performances in cinematic and theatre history.
To quote the famous acting teacher Sanford Meisner, acting is "Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances". This living truthfully has remained the pivotal focus of great acting and the driving force behind the development of the method.
So what is Method Acting, and how did it develop?
When the term "Method Actors" is referred to, most people think of the greats of modern cinema, such as Robert De Nero, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, among many others. A whole legion of actors studied with the famous method acting teachers of the day, Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, Sanford Meisner, Robert Lewis to name a few. These teachers were all great actors in their own right, who later became collectively known as the Group Theatre. However, it wasn't until a group of actors from The Moscow Art Theatre, visited New York in the 1920s, that America experienced what was to become the birth of "The Method". The visiting actors were led by the person who would become known as the father of "Method Acting", Konstantin Stanislavski.
It is said that as a result of personal frustrations towards the ham, wooden acting performances of his day, and in fact the inconsistencies of his own acting performances, Konstantin Stanislavski sought a system whereby he could almost guarantee a great performance at will. His