ACTING IS NATURAL, OR YOU HAVE OR YOU DON'T, IS SOMETHING YOU ARE BORN WITH AND DEVELOP TO HIS FULLEST IN THE FIRST 6 YEARS OF LIFE, DON'T BE SCAM BY TEACHERS OR INSTRUTORS OR METHODS, ACTING IS EASY IF YOU GOT TALENT, IF YOU DON'T THEN FORGET IT....WHEN THE MOMENT COME ACTING SHOULD COME REALLY SMOOTH YOU EMOTIONS WILL COME OUT EASYLY IF NOT FORGET IT YOU DON'T HAVE TALENT...ITS LIKE MUSIC I TRIED 5 YEARS TO LEARN GUITAR AND I CAN'T BECAUSE GOD DID NOT WIRED ME FOR GUITAR PLAYER BUT I SEE A 6 YEARS OLD KID PLAYIN LIKE CARLOS SANTANA.....
SO FORGET THE METHOD AND THE MEISNER AND ETC ITS ALL BUSSINESS, AFTER YOUR MONEY, IF THEY THAT MUCH HOW COME THEY ARE NOT WORKING IN HOLLYWOOD MAKING MILLIONS?????

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 222–230

quote:

ITS ALL BUSSINESS, AFTER YOUR MONEY, IF THEY THAT MUCH HOW COME THEY ARE NOT WORKING IN HOLLYWOOD MAKING MILLIONS?????

Hmmm.... For one thing, not everybody who COULD make millions considers that the top goal as an actor. Some choose to do low-budget films, off-broadway, etc. to stay close to projects that interest them.

As far as natural talent goes, even people who buy horses because they clearly have "what it takes" have them trained, just as those who buy even the best diamonds have them cut by experts. Some people do have a kind of talent that needs no further development, but most need their diamond to be shaped, and many of those who ARE making millions have years of study behind them.

I strongly believe that people can be taught to act. I think Paul Newman was an excellent example of this. I read that he originally wasn't very good, and he worked his bum off and learned to be the legendary Paul Newman that he is today.

Well my kind lady
"Hell hath no fury like a womans scorn"

Who did what to you, might I ask?
Anyway, I disagree and agree with you. Yes either you get into acting or you don't, but all the greatest of all actors have had some kind of training or other. Yes, talent helps IMMENSLY but, like the guy said, you can have the biggest FREAKING diamond in the world, but you still need to hone it down into a beautiful shape before anyone sees just how big that diamond is.

There is a not-so-well hidden bigotry against actors contained in the original post: the idea that acting is not a scholarly field worthy of serious study.

It points to the classical bigotry against actors, that we are lazy, gluttonous, immoral, apolitical, stupid, etc.

As I say in one of my articles, psychology is the study of human behavior. Social psychology is the study of human interaction. There is an infinite amount to study and learn about these topics.

Acting is the study and communication of human behavior and interactions. To have a deep and meaningful, versatile career, the actor must have a vast psychological understanding, must have a deep awareness of what is going on on this planet, of literature, history, physical and mental prowess, and more.

Thus, there may be an infinite amount to learn about acting!

The idea that one is "born with it" is as absurd as the idea that someone is born being able to audition for the lead dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, with no training. ABSURD!

And it is as absurd as saying Einstein didn't have to study any mathematics, he was just born a genius.

I have seen students begin my classes who could definitely not be hired for any professional work. They were so bad on-stage, I had no expectation they would ever do interesting work. And some of these beginners, because the work in our acting classes is so powerful, do shockingly amazing work within MONTHS.

I have, dozens of times, been brought to tears when watching these actors grow like this. Sometimes, I get shocked to the core by how much actors can grow with effective training.

But sure, a lot of actor training is absolute crap -- and can be very damaging. And since I've been around the block at this point, I know that most people reading this probably haven't ever been in a truly great acting class, and they don't even realize it. After all, you don't know what you're missing when you're missing it.

A lot of the recommendations people who are "respected" on this board make about quality schools offer rather terrible training, by any of the great teachers' standards. But they don't know it. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Actually, it's not bliss. It's awful.

- Jason Bennett

Acting like any art can be taught. Great painters aren't just born, they are trained. Whether it is training to learn how to audition (something Brando had difficulty with) or learning how to better project, etc it can be learned.
You usually have an in born passion yes, and some will be better than others, but the idea that you can't be taught something is just plain stupid.

not to mention the fact that some people who are well paid and well known arent nessesarily strong actors.
i think some people are born with a passion for it, but i think you can train them. as long as they have the initial want.

Of course acting can be taught, to say otherwise is just absurd.

"I drink your milk shake, I drink it up!"

I don't think acting can be taught to everyone, though. If you have no imagination or are unwilling to use it, forget it.

quote:

I don't think acting can be taught to everyone, though. If you have no imagination or are unwilling to use it, forget it.

A spore is a small hard lifeless thing until it is put into a hospitable environment, where it will germinate and has a good chance of becoming a flourishing plant.

I recall a woman in my Meisner class who came in constricted, guarded, completely closed up. By the end of the first year she was taking robust exuberant chances and now has a flourishing career singing her own material.

No doubt there are people who CAN'T be taught to act. It's just that no one ever really knows until a good teacher tries.

quote:

Originally posted by yummie:
ACTING IS NATURAL, OR YOU HAVE OR YOU DON'T, IS SOMETHING YOU ARE BORN WITH AND DEVELOP TO HIS FULLEST IN THE FIRST 6 YEARS OF LIFE, DON'T BE SCAM BY TEACHERS OR INSTRUTORS OR METHODS, ACTING IS EASY IF YOU GOT TALENT, IF YOU DON'T THEN FORGET IT....WHEN THE MOMENT COME ACTING SHOULD COME REALLY SMOOTH YOU EMOTIONS WILL COME OUT EASYLY IF NOT FORGET IT YOU DON'T HAVE TALENT...ITS LIKE MUSIC I TRIED 5 YEARS TO LEARN GUITAR AND I CAN'T BECAUSE GOD DID NOT WIRED ME FOR GUITAR PLAYER BUT I SEE A 6 YEARS OLD KID PLAYIN LIKE CARLOS SANTANA.....
SO FORGET THE METHOD AND THE MEISNER AND ETC ITS ALL BUSSINESS, AFTER YOUR MONEY, IF THEY THAT MUCH HOW COME THEY ARE NOT WORKING IN HOLLYWOOD MAKING MILLIONS?????

Its sadly to say its people like this who influence the world about things people can not do, just becasue they could not do it them selves they think the whole world cant..

Its very simple, people who worked there ass off and did not make it to there goal...it makes sense that they think that no one can for eg...

Someone who trained for years and years as an actor and got no wear near where he wanted to will inflict that opinion on everyone..

but ask any celeb and they will all say the same thing...it is very possible to make it and not to let other people who were not as fortunate tell you other wise... the reason is simple becuase one has seen first hand that its possible to accomplish their goal, and the other has seen first hand that they could not..which would both lead people to think in the seperate ways...never let anyones fate determine yours...if you as an actor listen to what people are saying than there is about a 90% chance you will fail becuase thats the attitude that most people who carry, especially non actors who just base their thoughts on what they hear...

another eg.. a women and man are dating and everything is fine and they like eachother alot.. then one day the man is caught cheating on her with another woman...now when ever that woman goes with another man there is a very good chance she will be on his back all the time assuming that there is a possibility he will be cheating even when he is not..so in conclusion she will think that every man is cheating on her in the back of her mind...this is only becuase experience..if she hasn't had that experience and broke up with her boyfriend becuase they drifted apart, than the next man she encounters she will not worry about..

long story short a comment like this bothers me becuase personaly i know quite alot of people who are not quite as optomistic as my self, and in that regard they would allow somthing like this comment above to absorb into there minds and one they start feeling its effects they spread it around like a virus.

p.s dont mind the spelling i think way faster than i type and im not going to even go back and correct spelling for a comment like the one above lol..

OMG hes crazy! I swear by my acting class. I am SO much better than when I started. Nobody promised I was going to make millions! Is that the only reason we are actors?? I am happy just to get a commercial.

Has anyone realized that "yummie" has not made one reply to this topic or the "STAY AT HOME" topic he/she started? I think you have been flounced yummie.

Acting classes are helpful but I tend to agree with yummie that acting classes are not always the end all be all. Acting has become like applying for a surgeon's position though -- the hiring parties want to see school credentials. Never mind the natural talent. I've seen here people posting that CD's will not even bother to read a resume -- they will scan it and if there is no schooling to impress them with they will just toss.

I'm not implying or saying that acting is belittled or mistreated or not taken seriously by not taking an acting class, but I also agree with another poster here who says without imagination and enthusiasm to use yourself, your memory, whatever it takes to create the mood your character has for the scene, will be useless even if they took a doctorate. Some people simply don't make the connection and a diploma does not guarantee a successful career in acting either.

I read what someone wrote here that listening to everybody can guarantee you failing 90 percent of the time. You can take advice and then follow your own star. If you doubt or second guess yourself constantly and need constant hand holding as to what to do next, you may not get anywhere. This business of acting is not for the faint hearted. You have to grow a thick skin and learn to wing it or make the best of what you have.

Well, theres two sides to acting. One side you have the artistic qualities, and on the other side you have the business end. I think for BOTH you need training. For the artistic side, you already have imagination, you already have energy, and yes, you already have the power to get onstage and perform and memorize lines and yadda yadda yadda, BUT, you need training to hone those attributes. Someone wrote a great thing above that someone can buy a racehorse that clearly has "what it takes" but that horse still gets training. Acting, is a muscle that needs to be strengthened, always, constantly. I think yummie just wanted to start a flare up in here so he/she/shim could read arguments. But somewhere along the lines, there was a split to the main point here. ACTING does not mean moviestar, millionaire, etc. It is a part of life. At work, we play the role of the employee, and home, we play the role of the dad, son, mother, grandma. At school we are the student or the teacher. We all act. But for a profession, we need to enhance the natural tools we've been given and classes would always be beneficial. Yes, you can't follow everyone's lead, but you can take from everyone and piece together your own interpretation to better your skills. As far as the business aspect of acting, its great to take classes on marketing. it will help you save time, and money on your professional endeavors. So, yes, you do need training for this field. you need training for any profession you enter into. peace-

I agree with what most people have said here. There are some cases where an actor becomes successful without an ounce of training, but the more common case is that an actor has some kind of training.
When I was little I was always writing my own plays and acting out scenes I saw in movies, but I never took an acting lesson until I was fourteen. When I went into that acting class, I was shy, reserved, a horrible auditioner, and I never did anything I thought made me look stupid. Now, four years later, I'm still shy but I'm able to put that aside and play exhuberant characters. I'm a much better auditioner, I take more risks, and I'm just a better actor. I've gotten some great parts in these last years that I wouldn't have had a hope of landing before I took lessons. Skills need to be honed most of the time.

Here is an article I wrote many years ago about this subject:

Those Who Know Little About Acting

The fact is that many "actors" auditioning for professional work in New York and Los Angeles buy into the delusion and bigotry that great actors are "born" being able to do it.

You know, even Meryl Streep had no access to vulnerability before her training. Isn't that amazing?

Actor training changed my life -- many, many times. It is the greatest journey I've ever been on. It is THE journey to liberation and consciousness. And when the work pays off, which it does consistently when you have great training, the HIGH that results is greater than anything one can experience. The work I have learned (and now teach) facilitates this high time and time again. I've seen it with my own eyes -- hundreds of times, thousands of times, in great classes.

You cannot learn the tools great actors use on the job. If you try to, you're in big, big trouble.

The sad thing is, many people who are auditioning know little about acting. Yet, it is clear they have no idea how little they know.

I remember, about 10 years ago, being in an acting class in New York taught by a very respected teacher -- an author of a book about acting. And that teacher taught so little...so very little. And that teacher had so much respect. And those poor beginners who studied with that teacher. They were so satisfied with how little they were learning, because they had no idea how little they were learning. Ignorance can seem like bliss, I guess. It was tragic to see these young actors believe they were being prepared for success when they obviously weren't. It was also fascinating. And I've seen this in many acting classes. It's part of why I founded a school at about the same age as all the great teachers in the 20th century. I couldn't go to work for all the antiquated, out-of-date, shallow schools all over the place.

Because there is a far, far better way.

- Jason Bennett

JB, I'm not one to knock anyone, especially one who loves the craft of acting for all the greatness that is encompasses, but I can't shake the idea that you have an elitist attitude that, in a sense, contradicts what you are promoting. You are right when you say that learning acting and working as an actor is a liberating experience, which sometimes hindering, can be a sweet self-indulgence of power. It is a beautiful art that is alive and awe-inspiring, but I constantly see you cutting down other methods and teaching styles that don't agree with yours. Yes, we're all entitled to our opinions, so you have to realize, what you may think stinks, someone else may really take it in a different direction. We all have our own ideas as to what works and what doesn't. Different teaching methods work for different actors. There is no one right way to pass on your skill and knowledge of the craft of acting. This is something I don't agree with:
Here is an article I wrote many years ago about this subject:

Those Who Know Little About Acting

The fact is that many "actors" auditioning for professional work in New York and Los Angeles buy into the delusion and bigotry that great actors are "born" being able to do it.

You know, even Meryl Streep had no access to vulnerability before her training. Isn't that amazing?

Actor training changed my life -- many, many times. It is the greatest journey I've ever been on. It is THE journey to liberation and consciousness. And when the work pays off, which it does consistently when you have great training, the HIGH that results is greater than anything one can experience. The work I have learned (and now teach) facilitates this high time and time again. I've seen it with my own eyes -- hundreds of times, thousands of times, in great classes.

You cannot learn the tools great actors use on the job. If you try to, you're in big, big trouble.

The sad thing is, many people who are auditioning know little about acting. Yet, it is clear they have no idea how little they know.

"I remember, about 10 years ago, being in an acting class in New York taught by a very respected teacher -- an author of a book about acting. And that teacher taught so little...so very little. And that teacher had so much respect. And those poor beginners who studied with that teacher. They were so satisfied with how little they were learning, because they had no idea how little they were learning."
Maybe they were learning. Sometimes what is being taught takes some time to sink in. And like the bible, we all read things differently. Someone could've walked away with that instruction with a world of difference that put them in the next step in their journey to building their craft. I'm sure your classes are great, but they may not work for everyone...just like that instructor of yours 10 years ago. Just a thought.

Avidactor,

First, because you are an acting teacher, would you mind identifying yourself? I put my name and reputation out there for everyone to see. And everyone gets to read my biography and scrutinize everything I say. Would you mind playing by the same rules? I'd like to know what training informs your perspectives on these subjects.

Second, this article is certainly the most provocative article I've written. It was designed to rattle cages. I confess this.

You accuse me of some things I will agree to, but some others I will deny.

A) I do have an elitist attitude, in the best sense. First of all, I never abuse actors. I am respectful of and interested in all kinds of opinions. In my classes, students are free to disagree and challenge me on anything I say. This is why my classes are filled with professional actors. Professional actors are opinionated, intelligent, powerful and capable of being really confrontational. In fact, being confrontational is a requirement of most characters. But they are also trained to balance this with humility, respect for their peers, and a profound ability to listen to one another. And I believe I model this as a teacher.

So however, elitist I might come off, I know the actors and directors I work with feel safe, encouraged and open with me. And I also know they feel independent and respected.

I'm a little confused by your post here, I can't figure out which part of what you wrote and quote you agree with and disagree with. But I'll do my best to respond.

First of all, if you read through my website, you will see that I teach the principles and philosophies of ALL the great acting teachers of the past. Without their work, I couldn't do what I do. I also UPDATE their work, which is my job. So some statements they make no longer make any sense, in terms of modern psychology and the culture we live in. Thus, those statements are evolved in my work.

For example, old-fashioned teachers taught Sense Memory only for use for memories. Modern teachers, like me, teach SENSORY PROCESS, because we recognize that it can be used for MORE than memories. OLD teachers didn't teach a very SPECIFIC sensory process. What I teach now is far more fleshed out and developed.

Older-fashioned teachers don't understand how Archetype Work ties the work of ALL the 20th Century teachers TOGETHER. Well, our faculty DOES understand that and we teach it with profound results that I didn't get from my awesome teachers when I was younger. It's the truth. And it both respects the past and evolves the future. You can do both.

When you write, "Different teaching methods work for different actors."

A) I agree -- and this applies especially to the old-fashioned schools. When you go to an old-fashioned school they only teach one approach.

B) It is less true when you go to a school that teaches a comprehensive approach. Then, there is a FAR FAR better approach that that school will work for many, many more actors.

It is probably more helpful to say that each TEACHER works for particular students. Personalities play a big part in this.

Honestly, I don't see my work failing for ANYONE, avidactor, ANYONE. It's true. The only thing that happens at our school is this -- sometimes actors don't want to do the kind of work we teach, OR they have personal obstacles in the way of doing it. But I don't see the comprehensive approach we use failing for anyone, because basically it includes the principles from all the other schools! I know it because I studied most of them...

You wrote, "There is no one right way to pass on your skill and knowledge of the craft of acting."

I agree, and never wrote anything to contradict that.

You wrote that maybe those students in that class from 10 years ago "were" learning. I didn't say they weren't. They WERE. It's that the teacher was hardly teaching anything! Those beginners didn't know it. Sure, they were learning. But they were under the impression that they were at a professional school preparing them for the real world. Well, it wasn't true. Yes, they were learning. It's easy to learn when you arrive knowing NOTHING. But they were hardly learning anything compared to what they NEED.

You say I "constantly cut down other methods and teaching styles" that don't agree with mine.

Hmm. Not sure what you've been reading. But my job is to promote the work I believe in. And the fact is, I've seen hundreds of actors, myself included, damaged by outdated training from the past, passed off as current. I've seen many acting teachers who are lazy and mediocre. And I get many students who graduate from the best schools around who then get out in the real world and find out they aren't really prepared. Do I speak out loudly about all this?

You're damn right I do.

Are there great acting teachers out there? SURE ARE. I know a lot of them. We respect each other. We talk to each other. I've learned from them. They've learned from me.

But are there a lot of lazy charlatans out there hurting young actors? Sure are. And I'm not going to stop speaking out against it anytime soon.

And are there a lot of young aspiring actors out there who know almost nothing about acting but who calls themselves actors? Sure are. Let's not play games about it.

Look, some of my posts might come off as fiery and angry and rebellious. So again, let me say this...

I'm a happy guy. I love what I do. I LOVE my students. I'm HONORED to work the professional actors I serve. I view my job as service. I don't get paid to post on this board. I view it as service to my community. I am honored to receive the thank you notes I get for my posts on here (I get a lot of them). I am HONORED when acting teachers contact me with questions (they do a lot).

I am honored to have founded my school. It is a dream literally come true. And to have the faculty that works for me, what a privilege and honor that is!

If you knew me, you'd describe me as passionate, happy, respectful, humble, and things like that. No one would describe me as bitchy, arrogant and mean, or anything like that. But hey, this is a message board! We project our own thoughts and feelings onto posts, beware.

I DO have an elitist attitude about the POWER of the ACTOR to effect change in our world. It is an awesome privilege. Wow. And I serve those actors with my work. At last count, I was working with actors on national TV, in film, on Broadway, on all kinds of cable channels, politicians, lawyers, activists. It's amazing.

But I do NOT have an elitist attitude about me...You're right, that WOULD contradict what I teach. I teach SERVICE -- I serve my actors. My actors serve the audience. To be an actor is to serve humanity.

Hey, give me a call sometime if you want. You'll find out I'm a nice guy. - Jason