What Acting Is and Isn't

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Season finale! The problem with trying to learn acting in a linear way is that no creative art is linear. You can’t fit a lifelong craft into one box or one book. Therefore, there is no one secret, or one method, or one idea that will save you. We have to be able to take on board the fact that acting is multifaceted. It is not about right or wrong, but a matter of depth. And the more you’re able to challenge yourself, and integrate the many aspects of being human, the greater chances that the audience will walk away considering something new. WANT MORE? Become a subscriber on Spotify for bonus content! ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/subscribe⁠ Have a question for Milton? Send us a voice note below or email us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Also, check out our website: ⁠www.idontneedanactingclass.com⁠  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message

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In this episode, Milton shares an example of what it means to trust your creative impulses. This means allowing yourself the freedom to wander around until you find a connection to what you're talking about. Although you may know where you're going, you don't necessarily know how you're going to get there, or what choice you're going to discover that ends up bringing you to life. WANT MORE? Become a subscriber on Spotify for bonus content! ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/subscribe⁠ Have a question for Milton? Send us a voice note below or email us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Also, check out our website: ⁠www.idontneedanactingclass.com⁠  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message

“I’m so sick of Mark Ruffalo. Whatever that is, I’m so sick of it. I am so sick of him that literally there was a part of me that was flirting with disaster.” On the heels of his Academy Award nominated performance in the film Poor Things, Mark Ruffalo joined his former acting teacher and coach Milton Justice on the podcast I Don't Need an Acting Class to discuss his process. He has since been nominated for an Academy Award. “I’m always thinking I’m about four hours away from being fired!” He also lightheartedly admitted that his co-star Willem Defoe, and even the film’s director, Yorgos Lanthimos questioned his outrageous character choices. “Willem said to me first day on set, he’s like: “Are you out of your fucking mind?” In the end, Ruffalo was so grateful for the opportunity to take risks and push himself this far: “It was so liberating. You’re always trying to throw your elbows out to stay one step ahead of what people expect of you as an actor. I get bored, you know? And I wanna keep being challenged.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message

“I’m so sick of Mark Ruffalo. Whatever that is, I’m so sick of it. I am so sick of him that literally there was a part of me that was flirting with disaster.” On the heels of his Academy Award nominated performance in the film Poor Things, Mark Ruffalo joined his former acting teacher and coach Milton Justice on the podcast I Don't Need an Acting Class to discuss his process. He has since been nominated for an Academy Award “I’m always thinking I’m about four hours away from being fired!” He also lightheartedly admitted that his co-star Willem Defoe, and even the film’s director, Yorgos Lanthimos questioned his outrageous character choices. “Willem said to me first day on set, he’s like: “Are you out of your fucking mind?” In the end, Ruffalo was so grateful for the opportunity to take risks and push himself this far: “It was so liberating. You’re always trying to throw your elbows out to stay one step ahead of what people expect of you as an actor. I get bored, you know? And I wanna keep being challenged.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message

This week’s episode is based on a question we received about adding your own circumstances in order to increase the stakes, or help you connect. Here’s the question in its entirely: Is it acceptable to add your own specific circumstances or facts to bear down on generalities in the script?  Or is this dangerous embellishment? David Mamet says to invent nothing, and that the author has given you only what is germane to the physical action of the play, as the joke-writer gives you only what is germane to the punchline. For example act 1, scene 4 (Richard III). Murderers and Clarence. There is nothing that mentions how much time they have to kill Clarence in the scene but the actors may add the fact “we only have 5 minutes to kill Clarence” so as to make the present circumstance more engaging and difficult, therefore more entertaining?  WANT MORE? Become a subscriber on Spotify for bonus content! ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/subscribe⁠ Have a question for Milton? Send us a voice note below or email us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Also, check out our website: ⁠www.idontneedanactingclass.com⁠  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message

WANT MORE? Become a subscriber on Spotify for bonus content! ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/subscribe⁠⁠ This episode begins with the exercise of telling someone else’s story. It involves hearing a story from someone in class, and then retelling it as our own. This is a great technique exercise because it allows you to layer in your first impressions improvisationally. You don’t have to get it all the first time. And in the process, you find the details that stick with you— these are the choices that bring you to life, and what allows you to put your own unique stamp on the role. “This is what you all did with this exercise,” Milton says. “You allowed yourself to add things that became your contribution. Have a question for Milton? Send us a voice note below or email us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Also, check out our website: ⁠www.idontneedanactingclass.com⁠  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message

WANT MORE? Become a subscriber on Spotify for bonus content! ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/subscribe⁠⁠ Milton begins this episode by emphasizing the importance of observing human behavior— our own and others. The reason is, it gives us clues to everything, from character to circumstance to what “playing an action” looks like. Milton gives the example of an audition Diego recently worked on, where he struggled to play the action “to seduce.” This is where observation becomes so helpful. Looking at others helps us understand the nature of seduction. Have a question for Milton? Send us a voice note below or email us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Also, check out our website: ⁠www.idontneedanactingclass.com⁠  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message

This week, we go back to some of the fundamentals of acting technique. One of which is, The Biggest Sin: Thou Shall Not Make Performance Choices When You First Read The Script. But this is not something we’re always aware that we’re doing. We forget. Or— we have an immediate response to the character or the circumstances, and run with that first instinct. Or— because of our own personal beliefs and values, we unconsciously pass judgement on the character we’re playing. Regardless of the reason, what we end up with is something that lacks depth and complexity. The bottom line is: the mistake is almost impossible NOT to make. The key is: catching ourselves in The Biggest Sin, and coming back to the starting line, giving ourselves permission to really sit with the facts and see what questions occur to us, perhaps do some research and see what sparks some fire within us. If you have the luxury of time, allow yourself the space to build the role, piece by piece, layer by layer. WANT MORE? Become a subscriber on Spotify for bonus content! ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/subscribe⁠ Have a question for Milton? Send us a voice note below or email us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Also, check out our website: ⁠www.idontneedanactingclass.com⁠  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actingclass/message