Method acting, in the context of modern cinema, is now mostly considered a familiar term. Originating with the great Russian playwright, Konstantin Stanlisvaski in the early 20th century as a cultivation of his “art of experiencing”, this rather consuming approach to acting directs an actor to apply deep personal and emotional connections to a role in order to achieve a realistic and naturalized performance.
Of the greatest recognized practitioners are actors Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner, who each significantly contributed to the development of method acting in practice. Adler, significantly, taught her approach to cinematic icon Marlon Brando, opening the door for its introduction into the medium of cinema, effectively transfiguring the discipline of acting for the screen. In the years since it’s been famously pioneered by a handful of respected actors.
Robert De Niro
A student of both the Stella Adler Conservatory and Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio, veteran actor Robert De Niro is, by rights, arguably the most recognized practitioner of method acting in Hollywood. To make this case, we can naturally point to two of his most culturally prominent roles, that of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver and Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. Both roles, incidentally, were performed under the tutelage of the great Martin Scorsese, De Niro’s close friend and most recognized collaborator.
The esteemed actor’s vast success in the cinematic industry can be attributed to this reliance on the process of method acting. For his role as the mentally unstable veteran Bickle, De Niro obtained a cab license in order to study the behavior of cab drivers; lost 30 pounds in weight and engaged in firearm training to lend authenticity to his character’s violent tendencies. History would naturally repeat…