Moscow Art Theatre, though he soon abandoned it.[29] Some method actors employ this technique, such as
Daniel Day-Lewis, but Strasberg did not include it as part of his teachings and it "is not part of the Method
approach".[30]
While Strasberg focused on the memory recall aspect of the method, Stella Adler's approach centered on the
idea that actors should find truth in the script, inner emotions, experiences, and circumstances of the
character.[31] Her teachings have been carried on, today, through Larry Moss, a successor and student of
Adler. Moss is the author of the acting textbook, The Intent to Live, in which he maintains the basic training of
Adler's techniques.[32] The book introduces "given circumstances", which are the facts about the character
given in the script, and "interpretation", which is the truths about the character not given in the script. This is
the actor's assumptions about the character they are playing.[32]
According to Moss, there are three things that an actor needs to know about their character to find truth in their
performance. These things are objectives, obstacles, and intentions.[32] The "objective" is what a character
needs to fulfill in a given scene. The "super objective" is the character's wishes or dreams throughout the entire
story.[32] "Obstacle" is what stands in the way of the character's objectives.[32] Lastly, "intention" is the
actions a character takes to overcoming obstacles and achieving objectives.[32] Moss preaches that if an actor
understands these facts about their character, they will be able to find truth in their performance, creating a
realistic presentation.[32] Moss emphasizes this by claiming that the actor does not want to become the
character, rather, the character lives through the actor's justification of the character's truths within
themselves.[32]
When the felt emotions of a played character are not compartmentalized, they can encroach on other facets of
life, often seeming to disrupt the actor's psyche. This occurs as the actor delves into previous emotional
experiences, be they joyful or traumatic.[33] The psychological effects, like emotional fatigue, come when
suppressed or unresolved raw emotions are dredged up to add to the character,[34] not just from employing
personal emotions in performance.
Fatigue, or emotional fatigue, comes mainly when actors "create dissonance between their actions and their
actual feelings".[34] A mode of acting referred to as "surface acting" involves only changing one's actions
without altering the deeper thought processes. Method acting, when employed correctly, is mainly deep acting,
or changing thoughts as well as actions, proven to generally avoid excessive fatigue. Surface acting is
statistically "positively associated with a negative mood and this explains some of the association of surface
acting with increased emotional exhaustion".[35] This negative mood that is created leads to fear, anxiety,
feelings of shame and sleep deprivation.
Raw emotion (unresolved emotions conjured up for acting) may result in a sleep deprivation and the cyclical
nature of the ensuing side effects. Sleep deprivation alone can lead to impaired function, causing some
individuals to have "acute episodes of psychosis". Sleep deprivation initiates chemical changes in the brain that
can lead to behavior similar to psychotic individuals.[33] These episodes can lead to more lasting psychological
damage. In cases where raw emotion that has not been resolved, or traumas have been evoked before closure
has been reached by the individual, the emotion can result in greater emotional instability and increased sense
of anxiety, fear or shame.[36]
Hari Bansha Acharya[37]
Adria Arjona[38]Will Arnett[38]
Manoj Bajpayee[39]