What Is Method Acting?
Method acting explained: how Lee Strasberg built it from Stanislavski’s system, the core exercises, how it differs from Meisner and Adler, and famous method actors.
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Method acting is an approach where the actor uses their own memories, senses and emotions to create a truthful performance. It was developed in America by Lee Strasberg from the ideas of Russian director Konstantin Stanislavski. Today the term is also used loosely for actors who stay in character for months, which is not what Strasberg taught.
Where method acting comes from
Stanislavski’s system. At the Moscow Art Theatre in the early 1900s, Stanislavski built a system to help actors behave truthfully on stage. Its tools include the “magic if” (what would I do if I were in this situation?), given circumstances, objectives and emotion memory. His books, starting with An Actor Prepares, spread the ideas worldwide.
The Group Theatre. In 1931, Lee Strasberg, Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford founded the Group Theatre in New York to put Stanislavski’s ideas into practice. Its members included Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Elia Kazan.
The split. Strasberg built his teaching around emotion memory. In 1934 Adler studied with Stanislavski in Paris and came back arguing that he now stressed imagination and action over personal memory. That disagreement shaped American acting: Strasberg taught the Method, while Adler and Meisner developed their own techniques.
The Actors Studio. Kazan, Crawford and Robert Lewis founded the Actors Studio in 1947. Strasberg became its artistic director in 1951 and led it until his death in 1982. The Studio made the Method famous through actors like Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman and Al Pacino.
The core techniques
- Relaxation. Exercises that release physical tension, so the actor’s impulses can come through. Strasberg saw tension as the actor’s main enemy.
- Sense memory. Recreating a physical sensation from memory, like the weight and heat of a morning coffee cup, until the body responds as if it’s real.
- Affective (emotion) memory. Recalling the sensory details of a past event from your own life to bring back the emotion it caused, then using it in a scene.
- The private moment. Doing something on stage you’d normally only do alone, to learn to be unselfconscious in front of an audience.
- Substitution. Replacing a person or situation in the script with one from your own life that carries the same feeling.
These exercises build over months in class. They’re meant to be practiced with a teacher, not tried alone the night before an audition.
Method acting vs Meisner and Adler
| Technique | Founded by | Where the truth comes from | Signature exercise |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Method | Lee Strasberg | The actor’s own memories and senses | Affective memory |
| Meisner technique | Sanford Meisner | Honest reaction to your scene partner | The repetition exercise |
| Adler technique | Stella Adler | Imagination and the play’s given circumstances | Script and world research |
Many actors train in more than one. If you’re choosing a class, our guide to finding your ideal acting class and the best acting schools in New York cover where each is taught.
Famous method actors
- Marlon Brando. The face of Method acting in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, though he credited Stella Adler as his main teacher.
- Al Pacino. A longtime member of the Actors Studio, which he now helps lead as a co-president.
- Robert De Niro. Studied with both Adler and Strasberg. He worked shifts as a New York cab driver to prepare for Taxi Driver.
- Daniel Day-Lewis. Known for full immersion, such as staying in his character’s wheelchair during the shoot of My Left Foot. He trained in Britain, not at the Actors Studio, which shows how broadly the word “method” is now used.
Is staying in character method acting?
Not in Strasberg’s sense. His Method was a set of exercises for preparing a role and finding real emotion in the moment. Staying in character off set, extreme weight changes and pranks on co-stars are personal choices some actors make. They’re often called “method” today, but they aren’t part of the training.
The risks
Reliving painful memories over and over can take a toll, and some teachers and actors argue it isn’t needed to act truthfully. Many modern coaches use imagination in place of personal trauma, and build in ways to step out of a role after work. If you practice emotion memory, do it with a trained teacher and choose memories you’ve already processed.
How to start practicing
- Take a class. The Method is taught through exercises over time. A class with a qualified teacher is the safest way in.
- Start with relaxation and sense memory. They’re the foundation and carry little risk.
- Read the source. Start with Stanislavski’s An Actor Prepares and Strasberg’s A Dream of Passion. Our list of acting books has more.
- Apply it to a scene. Use script analysis to find what your character wants, then use the exercises to make it real. Our guide to building a character goes further.
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