The pros and cons of ‘method acting’
Method Acting is loosely based on Stanislavsky’s method, but uses ‘Sense Memory’ for emotional preparation. Stanislavsky himself experimented with “sensory memory” for most of his career and abandoned it as unreliable.
‘Sense Memory’ in a nutshell is the use of personal memories to affect and achieve proper emotional preparation before participating in a scene. Stanislavsky (like Adler and Meisner) eventually realized that memories and personal experiences alter greatly over time, as in the case that what you cared about a lot when you were four years old can have very little impact. “emotional” at the age of 45.
Because it’s based on personal experience, the preponderance of modern adepts tend to put themselves through all sorts of potentially dangerous situations in order to achieve a truly realistic experience to build on. This has manifested itself in such things as using experimental drugs (actually leading to addiction and death in River Phoenix’s case) and being subjected to real and immediate physical stress or harm.
A famous story about Dustin Hoffman (a so-called ‘method’ actor) during the filming of ‘The Marathon Man’ tells of Mr. Hoffman running all over Manhattan during filming to force himself into a true state of exhaustion (which would be true for the character too). Sir Laurence Olivier upon seeing this behavior is quoted as saying, “My God, he just acts.”
While thinking about ‘Method Acting’ can be a valuable tool, and many excellent actors are staunch supporters. I personally find it too dangerous and limiting to achieve a safe and more importantly healthy acting career. The advantages are very realistic representations based on real and lived experiences. The downsides are the potential mental and physical harm from engaging in dangerous behaviors and unreliable performances.
Regardless of what you decide to do as an actor, it’s worth mentioning that there are many safer methods to achieve wonderful results. Many of the best actors of the last 100 years (like Gregory Peck and Robert Duvall, to name a few) were trained by Sanford Meisner, who employs an actor’s most wonderful resource for emotional preparation.
That asset is your Imagination