Method actors are highly revered and garner the most recognition and praise with their outstanding, lifelike performances. But it is also one of the hardest acting techniques to nail.
It is not a child’s play to draw upon your personal experiences to stand out in your professional space but it is what audiences feast on as has been proven by years of cinema.
There are many method acting techniques and exercises out there that are designed to help you excel at it.
Let us highlight some for you:
Table of Contents
Relaxation
Do you know why most method actors have a ritual for relaxation in place before they enter their workplaces? It’s because relaxation allows you to unleash your full potential and wear the skin of your role without any inhibitions. It is what makes your performance come alive. The more relaxed you are, the better you would be able to dive into your role.
T’ai Chi is a good practice amongst others. Yoga too promises a lot of benefits.
Employing sense memory
One of the techniques of method acting is to concentrate on the memories of your senses; sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. For this, bring into focus any memory you would like.
Now dig deeper into this memory by venturing into the five sensory aspects of it. Which visuals associated with this memory? What can you hear when you recall it? What can you taste, or smell?
Take a walk down the memory lane
This technique can sometimes get too personal and thus, only experienced method actors employ it. But you are free to try it if you think you are thick-skinned.
Drawing upon your own emotional memories enables you to find some common ground and relate to the role you are playing. You will be better qualified to don your character if you have ever been in their shoes.
The eternal quest for bringing more life into actors performances is charged up by dissecting their characters and empathising with them. And what could be a better way to empathize than to go in search of some similar personal experience?
Embody your character
Why do you think Alia Bhatt wandered around without a shower for 20 days for her role in Udta Punjab as a poor labourer? It is because when you step into your character’s skin physically, it becomes much easier to do it emotionally too. That was the point behind Ranbir Kapoor incessantly calling Sanjay Dutt at ungodly hours during his shooting for the movie Sanju.
Imagine yourself as one with your character and walk, talk, sit and eat exactly like them. Do as much research on your character as is required to learn how they would go about a certain activity and then try that yourself. Amassing real experiences like this through your character’s eyes would translate into a seamless performance.
Learn acting online with Manoj Bajpayee
Manoj Bajpayee is another mesmerising method actor to have ever graced Bollywood. His roles in hits like Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh and Shootout at Wadala have been nothing short of iconic.
If you have ever dreamed of learning acting from this accomplished celebrity, let us serve you with good news. Manoj Bajpayee’s online acting course is available on unluclass. Go check it out now. Happy learning!
