And by that I mean Method.
Capital Muh.
(Preface: I am not talking about the true Method Acting as professed by Lee Strasberg. That is a school, which, while I don't appreciate, is a valid form of training and the art.
What I am driving at is the audience and young actor response to the more sensational aspects of the Method and how it seems to be impacting a younger generation of actors)
For those who are curious:
Method is what all your favorite actors use.
You know the ones.
Daniel Day Lewis...
Heath Ledger...
And Shia the Beef.
No. Really.
Now, to be fair truly disturbing and vibrant performances have come out of these professionals.
Daniel Day Lewis is particularly prolific in harrowing performances that leave the viewer questioning,
"How does he do that?!"
We get countless reviews and articles that discuss their process:
Daniel Day pulls this.
And we, as audience, fall in love with him for it.
So what do young actors learn?
That they too can do it.
This Vanity Fair article discusses to what lengths Shia LaBeouf was willing to go in order to prepare for his roles.
And to be fair, it is not all that different than what Daniel Day Lewis does.
Mr. LaBoeuf refused to shower for weeks while filming for WWII trench combatant.
Mr. Lewis had people carry him for the entire shoot and spoon feed him!
So what is the difference?
Is it that Daniel Day Lewis is just an icon at this point? Beyond question?
Maybe.
Is it that he is just a better actor?
Maybe.
It is difficult to say unless we have a data pool to draw on that experienced both their performances and their backstage personae.
However, if the crazy stories are the same and the critical acclaim is totally different, then, I am left wondering, does it have to do with the method at all?
Maybe.
Everyone's process is their own and who am I to infringe on process?
Nevertheless, I am left questioning the validity of something that drives an entire ensemble to separate you from it as in Mr. LaBoeuf's case.
“He didn’t heed any of their warnings and found himself staying in a small bed-and-breakfast hotel away from the rest of the cast.”It must be incredibly isolating.
Recently, I dealt with an instance of similar behavior.
An actor was described as hurting his scene partner whilst onstage.
I was asked to intervene on behalf of both.
Within moments the conversation turned defensive in terms of work ethic and process.
We talk about creating reality onstage.
Reality is a dangerous thing.
I am going to perform Macbeth in a couple of hours, I would be in dire straits if my scene partner decided to portray reality and behead me.
Ergo it is not reality what we do.
It is made of different stuff.
But, we still deal in reality because we have no other medium in theatre.
That means respecting and limiting ourselves to the reality of our situation.
So we do not behead one another, we simulate fight choreography, we simulate pain because we, in theatre, cannot slap someone repeatedly eight times a week.
No one would survive.
I am left with this sobering quote from Mr. LaBoeuf in one of his more recent articles entitled
Shia LaBoeuf says method acting led to his recent troubles:
“I was reading about performance art of the ’60s and ’70s and so I thought . . . we’re all involved here. It’s not just your stage. We’re all in here and we’re all part of this,” he said. “I was wrong.”We are all the protagonists of our own lives.
But every life is vibrant and filled with hard work and dedication.
Particularly in this art form where no one is paid enough for the amount that they do.
To treat everyone else as less than and to determine that your performance and your process is more valid is the height of folly.
I am comforted by Mr. LaBoeuf's latest remarks.
They seem genuine.
Or maybe this is another performance.
Only time will tell.
I encourage everyone to treat their life as life and their craft as craft.
Not to say do not let them mingle for it is in life that we deal every day.
But, do not confuse the two.
That way madness lies.
No comments:
Post a Comment