Theatre and Acting/Method Acting

Method acting is a style of acting which involves the actors trying to make themselves actually feel what their characters are feeling and not just portray the superficial appearance of the emotions. It was started by Lee Strasburg from the acting studio who took inspiration from Konstantin Stanislavski. It requires actors to use what they are thinking or feeling at the moment and their past experiences to shape their portrayal of their characters. It relies not on actors memorizing and repeating a script and a set of actions but on their immersing themselves in their characters and then reacting naturally to the circumstances they are put in. Its origins are American and it became popular in the 1940s and 50s. Paul Newman, Al Pacino, and James Dean were early actors following this technique.