September 28, 2026 • 25 mins
It's awards season, so Anney and Samantha talk acting, and particularly, method acting. In this spicy classic we talk about how method acting has typically been the domain of men, and is sometimes used to abuse women (and others).
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
And Samantha.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
And welcome to Stuff Never Told You, a production of iHeartRadio.
And today we are bringing back a classic happy hour
that was very much me venting about something that annoys
(00:27):
me greatly, and it's method acting. And there are a
couple of reasons I wanted to bring this one back.
One is we just had the Emmys. That just happened.
So it was awards season. It came up in a
conversation with Samantha and I about Jared Leto and the
(00:48):
Joker and all that. But also I had a friend
that sent me a reel of Kristen Stewart talking about this.
And she had a really interesting take that we didn't
get into here. But her opinion is that a lot
(01:13):
of male actors who do this like to present it
as some kind of thing that is untouchable, unreachable, like
they have to do.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
She gave her a lot of great examples, but it
was something like this many push-ups and punch themselves in
the face and do all this stuff because you could
not possibly achieve their genius. When ultimately, being an actor, acting,
is a very vulnerable, emotional thing, which is something that
men kind of try to stay away from. And so,
(01:47):
and she even used the word embarrassing. Like, it's embarrassing sometimes.
And they don't want that. They want to be the
only one who can do this. And look how tough
I am. And that's why I can have this emotional,
vulnerable scene, which... If you could just get in touch
with your emotions. Right.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
You should be able to do that. It pretty much
says it's only men. It's basically just men who did this.
And that's not actually true. There are others who have
come out and been like, but this person. But interestingly,
her counterpart, and I think of him as a counterpart,
Robert Pattinson, actually said, you never see them method acting
a good guy.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Ooh, that is a good point. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So there could be like some wanting to put it
like a distance there or like have like a real
tough edge or something.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
But I mean, that's true. And we do talk about
that in this episode is that a lot of women
actors have come out and said, you know, I can't
show up to pick up my kids like still in character.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
That's just not a thing I can do.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yes. Yeah. So you can hear my rants. I'm not
a fan in this classic episode. Hey, this is Annie.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
And Samantha.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
And welcome to Stuff I've Never Told You, a production
by HeartRadio. and welcome to another edition of happy hour
as always if you choose to drink or whatever you're
doing please do so responsibly what are you doing samantha
(03:40):
are you doing it responsibly.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Always, because I get sleepy. I just love how I'm
now into the point of adulthood where I'm like, I
don't party anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Really, I never really party. Let's be very honest. But
I barely do any of that.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I went to clubs for a short span of time
because I do love dancing.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I do love dancing.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
And now my clubbing is Zumba classes with the other 40, 50-year-olds,
and we get into it.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Just so you know.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Anyway, but yes, I'm drinking coffee because I am tired
and it feels groggy and it's cold again.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Why is it cold for the dear love of God?
Speaker 1 (04:13):
It is very cold here. And I, oh, I made
the mistake of turning off my radiator because it was hot.
It was warm for a while.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I'm really worried about that radiator, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I am too. We have a very adversarial relationship, me
and this radiator. But now it's steaming up so much,
I can't see out my windows. And this morning, a
friend of mine texted me and she's like, it's snowing
where I am. And I was trying to look out
the window. I was like, I can't tell. I'm too
cold to go outside. So we'll never know. I am
(04:50):
drinking wine because today it's a * * * * * * wine.
And I want to make this clear at the top.
This is my opinion. This is my personal opinion. Okay.
And I might ruffle some feathers in the acting community
if we've got any actors listening. But, all right.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Are you really doing something, huh? I feel like that
was such a big warning. I love drama.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Let's do this team.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Oh, my gosh. I've gotten into so many arguments with
other actors about this.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
All right.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
So it is awards season. as we record this and
i also want to say it does feel strange um
i think my monday mini upcoming will be about this
kind of but it feels strange to talk about this
when it feels like the world is falling apart but
we're going to talk about it um so it is
award season coming up and um i've had this in
(05:45):
my on my list of possible happy hour topics for
a while but this was a ways back uh natalie
portman made this comment where she said method acting is
a luxury that women can't have. And she was mostly
commenting on how women are still expected to do a
lot more domestic work and especially raising kids. So she
(06:07):
was saying like, I can't show up at the pickup,
like covered in blood or whatever. I was like, thank you,
someone finally said that.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Right, right.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I will get into it, but I've got a lot
of thoughts about method actors. Some of them are very
good and have produced really good performances. I will break
it down in a minute. But I've always kind of
had an issue with it. And I know for people,
(06:38):
I think you know what method acting is. It's when
someone like, quote, becomes that character. And they ask people
to call them by that name. Like a lot of
stuff like that. I do want to differentiate between that
and doing your research. I think doing the research part
is good. Like going to work at a factory for
(06:58):
a month or whatever, as long as you're not a
total jackass about it. I think that's good. I got
a lot of thoughts about this. But that's different than
what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Jared Leto is
like one of the most famous examples of recent times.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Oh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
When he was in Suicide Squad, he was in there
for 10 minutes, by the way. He basically... just harassed
the rest of the cast he had like a assistant
that would sneak into their dressing rooms and put things
like rats or used condoms or fish heads because he's
playing the joker and he was like it adds a
(07:38):
level that's what the joker does it adds a level
of surprise and a lot okay a lot of the
other actors have spoken about it and said it made
them feel really uncomfortable makes sense He's kind of said
it's been over exaggerated. I am leaning more toward he
probably did do that. But, you know, I wasn't there.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
But that's what I'm talking about. That kind of behavior
is what I'm talking about. I just feel that as
a viewer of something, I can have the capacity to know, okay,
you're the Joker and you're a good actor and I'm
scared of you. But I actually appreciate this more because
(08:22):
I know as a human being, you're not that. You
know what I mean? Right, right. Like, I have the
capacity to differentiate between those two things.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
You don't have to convince me you are the Joker.
If you do, you've really freaked me out more than
I think you wanted to. You can be a good
actor and not convince me that, like, maybe you shouldn't
be allowed near people.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Like, there's a difference.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
There's a difference. Right.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I think this all comes back to the understanding that
if you're good at your craft, you don't have to
change your personality. It doesn't have to be that way.
It also kind of comes to people who are like,
if you truly do this, then you're truly this. As
in you're not validated until you're willing to push to
a boundary.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
That's not healthy.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
No, it's not healthy. And there have been a million
examples of how it's not healthy before. And there is
a quote, it's frequently attributed to Laurence Olivier, but I
don't think it's ever been proven he was like the
one that said it. But it's, you know, my dear boy,
have you tried acting? Like, you don't have to do
(09:32):
these things. And it makes people, not just the other actors,
it makes people on set uncomfortable. Like one time I
was working with somebody who said they were a method actor.
He was playing a rapist. Oh, you know how uncomfortable
that made everyone.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
What does that mean? This method acting? Like, what are
you talking about?
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Exactly. And it's just it's one of those things. where
I think, and I have, when I was kind of
lightly researching this, I found a BuzzFeed list, and it
was like 17 worst examples of method actors. They were
all white men. And I just feel like if a
(10:17):
woman or a person of color did this shit, The
set wouldn't stand for it. They'd be like, she's crazy.
Get her out of here. Right. But instead it's like,
look at this genius work. Right.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
What?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
I don't know. Did Michael B.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Jordan, did he do, he didn't do method acting for
Black Panther, right? He said he just isolated himself.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
He he he like went on the streets and isolated himself. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
But not necessarily actually full method.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Which is I do think there are different degrees of method. Right.
And some of them I'm like, OK, I get that. Yeah.
That's where it sort of blurs the line between research
and method to me. Right.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
I do think there are some method actors that are
not as obnoxious and, frankly, kind of terrifying. One example
is I know a lot of actors who use accents
all the time. Yeah. So, like, if they're doing an
American accent and they're not American, they'll just start using
that accent all the time. I think that's okay. Like,
(11:32):
it would weird me out if I knew the person.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
But I understand that.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Right. I think Renee Zellweger, she did that because she
couldn't go in and out really well. And she said,
if I lose it, I'm going to lose it. So
I'm just have to keep it the entire time. Like
she would keep her English accent for Bridget Jones Diary.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Yes, which I get. That makes sense to me. Yeah.
I agree it's still a little weird. But it makes sense.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
If I knew you personally and you had an accent,
I would make fun of you the entire time.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
I would have a hard time not... Like, not because
I'm being mean, but I.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Just think it's hilarious to see you doing the switch up.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, it is. It's just odd. But, I mean, another
issue I have with this kind of hardcore method acting
is it has led to instances of sexual assault and
physical abuse. Mm-hmm. largely against women because they were method,
(12:36):
which I just think is ridiculous and unacceptable. And I don't,
kind of going back to what you were saying, I
don't think if you had to do that as part
of a role, it almost feels like an excuse to me.
It just kind of feels like an excuse to act
like a dick. And in some cases, I think that's
(12:56):
what it is. In other cases, I think that people
believe they're pursuing brilliance or whatever, like I'm really going
to capture this thing. But if that's what it takes,
then you can go. I don't need your brilliance if
that's what it takes. And I will, I'm going to
(13:16):
say here, like actors of all schools can be d * * ks.
I know this is true. It's not just method actors.
People who are just famous can be. People have like that.
I'm an artiste vibe can be. But I don't know.
There's something about like. I was reading the examples in
that BuzzFeed article about how people have done this. This
(13:39):
just sounds like a jack to me. Right. Right.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
I mean, also, there's a crossover, too, where they really
say this is for film. And it's so much like
The Last Tango. I was trying to remember which movie was,
which was Marlon Brando. and they assault a woman on camera.
And the director and Marlon Brando, the director being, because
I don't want to just leave one predator name out,
(14:05):
being Bernardo Bortolucci, they had made this plan not to
tell her what was going to happen in order to
get her real reactions in order to f * * * her, essentially.
And the fact that that case is so infamous... And
the two of them are still revered. Marlon Brando and
Bortolucci really are just still revered. I think the conversation
(14:27):
has gotten bigger about it and understanding. But that level,
it needs to be real conversation, which takes it to
the point of why?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
What for you? Why?
Speaker 3 (14:41):
What is it doing for you that you need this
to happen in this route? And it's giving you a
thrill that you really want to have it on camera.
And I think the same thing with The Shining and
how they tortured Shelley Duvall. They tortured her because she
wasn't quote-unquote real enough in her reaction. It's such a
way that it is white men wanting to torture women.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Yeah, and one of the examples the BuzzFeed article gave was,
I'd never heard of this, I'd never seen this movie,
but it was Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman. And apparently
Dustin Hoffman slapped her in a scene. And he wasn't
supposed to, and he said he did it to get
her in character. Meryl Streep has won more Oscars than anyone.
(15:28):
You f * * * ing tell me you need
to get her in character?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
No.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
They hate each other, right?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Did I make that up in my head?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
I feel like they really disliked each other and never
wanted to work with each other again with relevance to
things like that. Maybe?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I'm going to look it up before I miss it.
Represent myself here.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
But the director apparently told Meryl Streep, like, I'm sorry,
you didn't need that. And she, like, nailed this scene
and she nailed the scene as she would have. Right.
And so it's just so, like, you made it about
you and you belittled her at the same time. And
you hit her.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Apparently he's abused her a lot, but that's the first literal....
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Quote that I see from a headline. This wasn't the
only time Dustin Hoffman allegedly abused Meryl Streep. And this
is from Screen Rant. So, like, the fact that he
continued to do that to this woman, who I think
had already been nominated for things, even though this was
one of her earlier films.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah. Well, and that's the thing. I don't even know
if he... No, he was on that list. He was
a method actor. I just... It feels like so much
of it is... it is causing harm to someone else.
And then you're taking credit for, like, I'm sure probably
in private conversations, he said, you know, I made Meryl
Streep who she is. Like, I was the one. She
(16:54):
complains about it, but I, by doing this, helped her
get further. And we even talked about it with Bridget, like, the,
is it Evan Rachel Wood, the music video?
Speaker 3 (17:06):
And I.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Was thinking about it, too, because I was lying awake
as I'm want to do, and I'm wrestling with these topics.
And I was thinking about the audition process. And I
was like, did Jared Leto, who again was in that
movie for 10 minutes, did he start the method acting
for the audition? Or did he start it after? Because
(17:29):
if you did the audition, you got the part, then
I think you've already proven you can do it. I
don't think you need this method part. I don't know.
Maybe he was doing it before, but like, He's such.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
A bad actor. Maybe he needs it.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
There's a few that's like, you're genuinely good.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
You don't need this.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Maybe Jared Leto from his infamous times from being Jordan Catalano.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Catalani? Catalani? Anyway, needed.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Can't do it without it, especially for a 30-second preview
because he is that baseless in acting. Say this and
I'm about to get.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Attacked, aren't I?
Speaker 1 (18:08):
This is what i tell you we're ruffling some actor
feathers right now.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Philip seymour hoffman who was also an infamous method actor
he was genuinely great he was genuinely great i don't
know if he needed it again like that kind of
(18:33):
goes to that same level um I don't know, maybe
it's that introvert thing, because he was an introvert, I think,
for the most part, that really felt like his craft
came from all the emotions.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I'm assuming.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
These are, like, things that I've seen as an alleged.
So maybe that's the different level. But, like, again, there's
nothing about Jared Leto's performances and any performances that I'm like, oh, yeah,
he's so great. Unless he can be extreme.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
That's interesting. Cause I wonder if, um, I did think
about this too. Cause I, I was wondering if there's
some level of insecurity around it of like, I want, I,
when the critics come, when the award season rolls around,
I want them to know I lived in the, the
winter tundra to prepare like quote dedication I put into
(19:28):
this role and this character. which again, we've talked about
this before. I think it was in our intimacy coordinator episode,
but personally, if you're a good actor, then that doesn't
really necessarily factor into what I'm thinking. And in fact,
(19:50):
it might take me out of the performance like I'm
not sitting there thinking oh wow they definitely lived in
the winter tundra I don't know I like so I
wonder if there's some kind of thing I've been guilty
of this too where you want to prove When the
critics come at you like, but I did all this research, though. Like,
(20:10):
I did all this. I think research is good. It's the...
It's the kind of unhingedness.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Unhingedness?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Yes. I clearly have strong thoughts about this. Of making
everyone else uncomfortable. And putting, like, yourself, your performance... before everything.
Because in a good, I think in a good movie
or a good production, everyone's working together in a way.
(20:43):
And sometimes somebody is such a good actor, method or not,
that you are scared of them because they're doing so
well and you don't hang out. But you still work
together really well. You know this isn't actually going to
kill me.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Well, as I'm looking at Jared Leto's list, he played
a serial killer. i don't know any of his films
and he did get several awards so people are probably
mad at me like he is a great actor i
think he's a great actor when he has to play
something extreme like that's different when it's drama drama versus
like actual minute like detailed acting that's different i say
(21:17):
as non-actor uh but like yeah he won for a
dallas byers club i remember he played a trans woman
which ruffled a lot of feathers because he's not a
trans woman so how did he method act for that
You know what I mean? There's nowhere in life ever, ever,
ever that he can understand what a trans woman has
(21:38):
been through. And so there's a lot of questions in
his method and when he wants to be method and
how deep of a method actor he wants to be.
I say this really mainly Really, just don't like Jared Leto, apparently.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
That brought something out of me. You know, I have
his autograph. I had a huge crush on him when
I was... Who didn't?
Speaker 3 (21:55):
When he was acting like an emo... Like emo man, young,
who wasn't creepy and all the other things. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
And I want to say, like, when I think about...
I've done some acting. And when I think about why
I like it, I like imagining things. And I like...
But I feel like I would never....
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Ever.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Maybe part of it is conditioning as a woman. I don't,
I wouldn't want to make people so uncomfortable. I wouldn't
want to do like that. And I think there's a
health thing too, where you can be like, okay, let
me turn this off for now. It's a stressful role.
I'll be better if I can like recharge. I know
some people will argue with me, but I just don't,
(22:43):
I get the sentiment of I want to really get
in the mindset of this person. But I also don't
think that's a super healthy thing to just do and
completely erase yourself and not think about anybody else.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
I mean, again, I think I'm going back way back
to like, Because there has been a big conversation. Just
because someone may not be in acting doesn't mean it's
not something that's questioned by society. Because as a person
on the outside, for me, I've heard people talking about this.
People have had this conversation about, is method acting healthy?
I think, again, people like Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died
(23:20):
of drug overdose. Like in general, to be famous and
to be in that world alone is stressful.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So to like have that other layer of like you
want these deep, dark dramas that really get your name
out there, which is a lot of like conversation. I
think in the acting world, maybe I'm wrong, but big
break and often that big break is something controversial. And
that I can't imagine what kind of toll, like just
listening to people talk about, I had to listen to
(23:49):
this one type of music in order to get me
into this dark place. I had to think about these
deaths and to get to me, get to this dark place.
Like these things are had to go through my childhood
trauma to get like, could not imagine living in that
for six months to a year saying that I can't
let this go or I'm going to fail. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
In this endeavor in my career.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Like there's so many layers to that that you have
to have like a real conversation about what is worth
sacrificing for entertainment.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah yeah and you know we do see a lot
of unfortunate early deaths in in celebrities and it's just
people harmed i mean people And not just method acting.
I mean, one time I did a scene once with
somebody I was supposed to be pushing. And the next
(24:41):
day I found out he had all these bruises. I
still think about it. I feel so bad about it.
But like those things... I don't know. I just... I
got a lot of thoughts about it.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Clearly.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
So maybe we'll come back.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I have a lot to talk about with it, to
be honest.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Well, maybe we'll come back and do a full episode
on it. And not just my... Rants.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Apologies to all the Jared Leto lovers. Apparently, I really
don't like him. I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
It came out strong.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
I know, it did. I was like, this fool. My bad.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
He's the Joker. Well, listeners, if you have any thoughts
about this, please let us know. You can email us
at hello at stuffwe'llnevertoldyou.com. You can find us on Blue Sky,
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a book. You can get wherever you get your books.
Thanks as always to our super producer, Christina, executive producer, Maya,
(25:37):
and our contributor, Joey.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
And thanks to you for listening. Stuff I've Never Told
You is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
you can check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, this is Annie.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
And Samantha.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
And welcome to Stuff Never Told You, a production of iHeartRadio.
And today we are bringing back a classic happy hour
that was very much me venting about something that annoys
(00:27):
me greatly, and it's method acting. And there are a
couple of reasons I wanted to bring this one back.
One is we just had the Emmys. That just happened.
So it was awards season. It came up in a
conversation with Samantha and I about Jared Leto and the
(00:48):
Joker and all that. But also I had a friend
that sent me a reel of Kristen Stewart talking about this.
And she had a really interesting take that we didn't
get into here. But her opinion is that a lot
(01:13):
of male actors who do this like to present it
as some kind of thing that is untouchable, unreachable, like
they have to do.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
She gave her a lot of great examples, but it
was something like this many push-ups and punch themselves in
the face and do all this stuff because you could
not possibly achieve their genius. When ultimately, being an actor, acting,
is a very vulnerable, emotional thing, which is something that
men kind of try to stay away from. And so,
(01:47):
and she even used the word embarrassing. Like, it's embarrassing sometimes.
And they don't want that. They want to be the
only one who can do this. And look how tough
I am. And that's why I can have this emotional,
vulnerable scene, which... If you could just get in touch
with your emotions. Right.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
You should be able to do that. It pretty much
says it's only men. It's basically just men who did this.
And that's not actually true. There are others who have
come out and been like, but this person. But interestingly,
her counterpart, and I think of him as a counterpart,
Robert Pattinson, actually said, you never see them method acting
a good guy.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Ooh, that is a good point. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So there could be like some wanting to put it
like a distance there or like have like a real
tough edge or something.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
But I mean, that's true. And we do talk about
that in this episode is that a lot of women
actors have come out and said, you know, I can't
show up to pick up my kids like still in character.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
That's just not a thing I can do.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yes. Yeah. So you can hear my rants. I'm not
a fan in this classic episode. Hey, this is Annie.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
And Samantha.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
And welcome to Stuff I've Never Told You, a production
by HeartRadio. and welcome to another edition of happy hour
as always if you choose to drink or whatever you're
doing please do so responsibly what are you doing samantha
(03:40):
are you doing it responsibly.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Always, because I get sleepy. I just love how I'm
now into the point of adulthood where I'm like, I
don't party anymore.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Really, I never really party. Let's be very honest. But
I barely do any of that.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I went to clubs for a short span of time
because I do love dancing.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I do love dancing.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
And now my clubbing is Zumba classes with the other 40, 50-year-olds,
and we get into it.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Just so you know.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Anyway, but yes, I'm drinking coffee because I am tired
and it feels groggy and it's cold again.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Why is it cold for the dear love of God?
Speaker 1 (04:13):
It is very cold here. And I, oh, I made
the mistake of turning off my radiator because it was hot.
It was warm for a while.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I'm really worried about that radiator, to be honest.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I am too. We have a very adversarial relationship, me
and this radiator. But now it's steaming up so much,
I can't see out my windows. And this morning, a
friend of mine texted me and she's like, it's snowing
where I am. And I was trying to look out
the window. I was like, I can't tell. I'm too
cold to go outside. So we'll never know. I am
(04:50):
drinking wine because today it's a * * * * * * wine.
And I want to make this clear at the top.
This is my opinion. This is my personal opinion. Okay.
And I might ruffle some feathers in the acting community
if we've got any actors listening. But, all right.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Are you really doing something, huh? I feel like that
was such a big warning. I love drama.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Let's do this team.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Oh, my gosh. I've gotten into so many arguments with
other actors about this.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
All right.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
So it is awards season. as we record this and
i also want to say it does feel strange um
i think my monday mini upcoming will be about this
kind of but it feels strange to talk about this
when it feels like the world is falling apart but
we're going to talk about it um so it is
award season coming up and um i've had this in
(05:45):
my on my list of possible happy hour topics for
a while but this was a ways back uh natalie
portman made this comment where she said method acting is
a luxury that women can't have. And she was mostly
commenting on how women are still expected to do a
lot more domestic work and especially raising kids. So she
(06:07):
was saying like, I can't show up at the pickup,
like covered in blood or whatever. I was like, thank you,
someone finally said that.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Right, right.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I will get into it, but I've got a lot
of thoughts about method actors. Some of them are very
good and have produced really good performances. I will break
it down in a minute. But I've always kind of
had an issue with it. And I know for people,
(06:38):
I think you know what method acting is. It's when
someone like, quote, becomes that character. And they ask people
to call them by that name. Like a lot of
stuff like that. I do want to differentiate between that
and doing your research. I think doing the research part
is good. Like going to work at a factory for
(06:58):
a month or whatever, as long as you're not a
total jackass about it. I think that's good. I got
a lot of thoughts about this. But that's different than
what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Jared Leto is
like one of the most famous examples of recent times.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Oh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
When he was in Suicide Squad, he was in there
for 10 minutes, by the way. He basically... just harassed
the rest of the cast he had like a assistant
that would sneak into their dressing rooms and put things
like rats or used condoms or fish heads because he's
playing the joker and he was like it adds a
(07:38):
level that's what the joker does it adds a level
of surprise and a lot okay a lot of the
other actors have spoken about it and said it made
them feel really uncomfortable makes sense He's kind of said
it's been over exaggerated. I am leaning more toward he
probably did do that. But, you know, I wasn't there.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
But that's what I'm talking about. That kind of behavior
is what I'm talking about. I just feel that as
a viewer of something, I can have the capacity to know, okay,
you're the Joker and you're a good actor and I'm
scared of you. But I actually appreciate this more because
(08:22):
I know as a human being, you're not that. You
know what I mean? Right, right. Like, I have the
capacity to differentiate between those two things.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
You don't have to convince me you are the Joker.
If you do, you've really freaked me out more than
I think you wanted to. You can be a good
actor and not convince me that, like, maybe you shouldn't
be allowed near people.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Like, there's a difference.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
There's a difference. Right.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I think this all comes back to the understanding that
if you're good at your craft, you don't have to
change your personality. It doesn't have to be that way.
It also kind of comes to people who are like,
if you truly do this, then you're truly this. As
in you're not validated until you're willing to push to
a boundary.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
That's not healthy.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
No, it's not healthy. And there have been a million
examples of how it's not healthy before. And there is
a quote, it's frequently attributed to Laurence Olivier, but I
don't think it's ever been proven he was like the
one that said it. But it's, you know, my dear boy,
have you tried acting? Like, you don't have to do
(09:32):
these things. And it makes people, not just the other actors,
it makes people on set uncomfortable. Like one time I
was working with somebody who said they were a method actor.
He was playing a rapist. Oh, you know how uncomfortable
that made everyone.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
What does that mean? This method acting? Like, what are
you talking about?
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Exactly. And it's just it's one of those things. where
I think, and I have, when I was kind of
lightly researching this, I found a BuzzFeed list, and it
was like 17 worst examples of method actors. They were
all white men. And I just feel like if a
(10:17):
woman or a person of color did this shit, The
set wouldn't stand for it. They'd be like, she's crazy.
Get her out of here. Right. But instead it's like,
look at this genius work. Right.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
What?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
I don't know. Did Michael B.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Jordan, did he do, he didn't do method acting for
Black Panther, right? He said he just isolated himself.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
He he he like went on the streets and isolated himself. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
But not necessarily actually full method.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Which is I do think there are different degrees of method. Right.
And some of them I'm like, OK, I get that. Yeah.
That's where it sort of blurs the line between research
and method to me. Right.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
I do think there are some method actors that are
not as obnoxious and, frankly, kind of terrifying. One example
is I know a lot of actors who use accents
all the time. Yeah. So, like, if they're doing an
American accent and they're not American, they'll just start using
that accent all the time. I think that's okay. Like,
(11:32):
it would weird me out if I knew the person.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
But I understand that.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Right. I think Renee Zellweger, she did that because she
couldn't go in and out really well. And she said,
if I lose it, I'm going to lose it. So
I'm just have to keep it the entire time. Like
she would keep her English accent for Bridget Jones Diary.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Yes, which I get. That makes sense to me. Yeah.
I agree it's still a little weird. But it makes sense.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
If I knew you personally and you had an accent,
I would make fun of you the entire time.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
I would have a hard time not... Like, not because
I'm being mean, but I.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Just think it's hilarious to see you doing the switch up.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, it is. It's just odd. But, I mean, another
issue I have with this kind of hardcore method acting
is it has led to instances of sexual assault and
physical abuse. Mm-hmm. largely against women because they were method,
(12:36):
which I just think is ridiculous and unacceptable. And I don't,
kind of going back to what you were saying, I
don't think if you had to do that as part
of a role, it almost feels like an excuse to me.
It just kind of feels like an excuse to act
like a dick. And in some cases, I think that's
(12:56):
what it is. In other cases, I think that people
believe they're pursuing brilliance or whatever, like I'm really going
to capture this thing. But if that's what it takes,
then you can go. I don't need your brilliance if
that's what it takes. And I will, I'm going to
(13:16):
say here, like actors of all schools can be d * * ks.
I know this is true. It's not just method actors.
People who are just famous can be. People have like that.
I'm an artiste vibe can be. But I don't know.
There's something about like. I was reading the examples in
that BuzzFeed article about how people have done this. This
(13:39):
just sounds like a jack to me. Right. Right.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
I mean, also, there's a crossover, too, where they really
say this is for film. And it's so much like
The Last Tango. I was trying to remember which movie was,
which was Marlon Brando. and they assault a woman on camera.
And the director and Marlon Brando, the director being, because
I don't want to just leave one predator name out,
(14:05):
being Bernardo Bortolucci, they had made this plan not to
tell her what was going to happen in order to
get her real reactions in order to f * * * her, essentially.
And the fact that that case is so infamous... And
the two of them are still revered. Marlon Brando and
Bortolucci really are just still revered. I think the conversation
(14:27):
has gotten bigger about it and understanding. But that level,
it needs to be real conversation, which takes it to
the point of why?
Speaker 2 (14:38):
What for you? Why?
Speaker 3 (14:41):
What is it doing for you that you need this
to happen in this route? And it's giving you a
thrill that you really want to have it on camera.
And I think the same thing with The Shining and
how they tortured Shelley Duvall. They tortured her because she
wasn't quote-unquote real enough in her reaction. It's such a
way that it is white men wanting to torture women.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Yeah, and one of the examples the BuzzFeed article gave was,
I'd never heard of this, I'd never seen this movie,
but it was Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman. And apparently
Dustin Hoffman slapped her in a scene. And he wasn't
supposed to, and he said he did it to get
her in character. Meryl Streep has won more Oscars than anyone.
(15:28):
You f * * * ing tell me you need
to get her in character?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
No.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
They hate each other, right?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Did I make that up in my head?
Speaker 3 (15:38):
I feel like they really disliked each other and never
wanted to work with each other again with relevance to
things like that. Maybe?
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I'm going to look it up before I miss it.
Represent myself here.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
But the director apparently told Meryl Streep, like, I'm sorry,
you didn't need that. And she, like, nailed this scene
and she nailed the scene as she would have. Right.
And so it's just so, like, you made it about
you and you belittled her at the same time. And
you hit her.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Apparently he's abused her a lot, but that's the first literal....
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Quote that I see from a headline. This wasn't the
only time Dustin Hoffman allegedly abused Meryl Streep. And this
is from Screen Rant. So, like, the fact that he
continued to do that to this woman, who I think
had already been nominated for things, even though this was
one of her earlier films.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah. Well, and that's the thing. I don't even know
if he... No, he was on that list. He was
a method actor. I just... It feels like so much
of it is... it is causing harm to someone else.
And then you're taking credit for, like, I'm sure probably
in private conversations, he said, you know, I made Meryl
Streep who she is. Like, I was the one. She
(16:54):
complains about it, but I, by doing this, helped her
get further. And we even talked about it with Bridget, like, the,
is it Evan Rachel Wood, the music video?
Speaker 3 (17:06):
And I.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Was thinking about it, too, because I was lying awake
as I'm want to do, and I'm wrestling with these topics.
And I was thinking about the audition process. And I
was like, did Jared Leto, who again was in that
movie for 10 minutes, did he start the method acting
for the audition? Or did he start it after? Because
(17:29):
if you did the audition, you got the part, then
I think you've already proven you can do it. I
don't think you need this method part. I don't know.
Maybe he was doing it before, but like, He's such.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
A bad actor. Maybe he needs it.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
There's a few that's like, you're genuinely good.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
You don't need this.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Maybe Jared Leto from his infamous times from being Jordan Catalano.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Catalani? Catalani? Anyway, needed.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Can't do it without it, especially for a 30-second preview
because he is that baseless in acting. Say this and
I'm about to get.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Attacked, aren't I?
Speaker 1 (18:08):
This is what i tell you we're ruffling some actor
feathers right now.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Philip seymour hoffman who was also an infamous method actor
he was genuinely great he was genuinely great i don't
know if he needed it again like that kind of
(18:33):
goes to that same level um I don't know, maybe
it's that introvert thing, because he was an introvert, I think,
for the most part, that really felt like his craft
came from all the emotions.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I'm assuming.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
These are, like, things that I've seen as an alleged.
So maybe that's the different level. But, like, again, there's
nothing about Jared Leto's performances and any performances that I'm like, oh, yeah,
he's so great. Unless he can be extreme.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
That's interesting. Cause I wonder if, um, I did think
about this too. Cause I, I was wondering if there's
some level of insecurity around it of like, I want, I,
when the critics come, when the award season rolls around,
I want them to know I lived in the, the
winter tundra to prepare like quote dedication I put into
(19:28):
this role and this character. which again, we've talked about
this before. I think it was in our intimacy coordinator episode,
but personally, if you're a good actor, then that doesn't
really necessarily factor into what I'm thinking. And in fact,
(19:50):
it might take me out of the performance like I'm
not sitting there thinking oh wow they definitely lived in
the winter tundra I don't know I like so I
wonder if there's some kind of thing I've been guilty
of this too where you want to prove When the
critics come at you like, but I did all this research, though. Like,
(20:10):
I did all this. I think research is good. It's the...
It's the kind of unhingedness.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Unhingedness?
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Yes. I clearly have strong thoughts about this. Of making
everyone else uncomfortable. And putting, like, yourself, your performance... before everything.
Because in a good, I think in a good movie
or a good production, everyone's working together in a way.
(20:43):
And sometimes somebody is such a good actor, method or not,
that you are scared of them because they're doing so
well and you don't hang out. But you still work
together really well. You know this isn't actually going to
kill me.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Well, as I'm looking at Jared Leto's list, he played
a serial killer. i don't know any of his films
and he did get several awards so people are probably
mad at me like he is a great actor i
think he's a great actor when he has to play
something extreme like that's different when it's drama drama versus
like actual minute like detailed acting that's different i say
(21:17):
as non-actor uh but like yeah he won for a
dallas byers club i remember he played a trans woman
which ruffled a lot of feathers because he's not a
trans woman so how did he method act for that
You know what I mean? There's nowhere in life ever, ever,
ever that he can understand what a trans woman has
(21:38):
been through. And so there's a lot of questions in
his method and when he wants to be method and
how deep of a method actor he wants to be.
I say this really mainly Really, just don't like Jared Leto, apparently.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
That brought something out of me. You know, I have
his autograph. I had a huge crush on him when
I was... Who didn't?
Speaker 3 (21:55):
When he was acting like an emo... Like emo man, young,
who wasn't creepy and all the other things. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
And I want to say, like, when I think about...
I've done some acting. And when I think about why
I like it, I like imagining things. And I like...
But I feel like I would never....
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Ever.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Maybe part of it is conditioning as a woman. I don't,
I wouldn't want to make people so uncomfortable. I wouldn't
want to do like that. And I think there's a
health thing too, where you can be like, okay, let
me turn this off for now. It's a stressful role.
I'll be better if I can like recharge. I know
some people will argue with me, but I just don't,
(22:43):
I get the sentiment of I want to really get
in the mindset of this person. But I also don't
think that's a super healthy thing to just do and
completely erase yourself and not think about anybody else.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
I mean, again, I think I'm going back way back
to like, Because there has been a big conversation. Just
because someone may not be in acting doesn't mean it's
not something that's questioned by society. Because as a person
on the outside, for me, I've heard people talking about this.
People have had this conversation about, is method acting healthy?
I think, again, people like Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died
(23:20):
of drug overdose. Like in general, to be famous and
to be in that world alone is stressful.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So to like have that other layer of like you
want these deep, dark dramas that really get your name
out there, which is a lot of like conversation. I
think in the acting world, maybe I'm wrong, but big
break and often that big break is something controversial. And
that I can't imagine what kind of toll, like just
listening to people talk about, I had to listen to
(23:49):
this one type of music in order to get me
into this dark place. I had to think about these
deaths and to get to me, get to this dark place.
Like these things are had to go through my childhood
trauma to get like, could not imagine living in that
for six months to a year saying that I can't
let this go or I'm going to fail. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
In this endeavor in my career.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Like there's so many layers to that that you have
to have like a real conversation about what is worth
sacrificing for entertainment.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah yeah and you know we do see a lot
of unfortunate early deaths in in celebrities and it's just
people harmed i mean people And not just method acting.
I mean, one time I did a scene once with
somebody I was supposed to be pushing. And the next
(24:41):
day I found out he had all these bruises. I
still think about it. I feel so bad about it.
But like those things... I don't know. I just... I
got a lot of thoughts about it.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Clearly.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
So maybe we'll come back.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I have a lot to talk about with it, to
be honest.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Well, maybe we'll come back and do a full episode
on it. And not just my... Rants.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Apologies to all the Jared Leto lovers. Apparently, I really
don't like him. I don't know why.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
It came out strong.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
I know, it did. I was like, this fool. My bad.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
He's the Joker. Well, listeners, if you have any thoughts
about this, please let us know. You can email us
at hello at stuffwe'llnevertoldyou.com. You can find us on Blue Sky,
at MomStuffPodcast, on Instagram, and TikTok at stuffwe'llnevertoldyou. We're also
on YouTube. We have a T-Pillow bookstore and we have
a book. You can get wherever you get your books.
Thanks as always to our super producer, Christina, executive producer, Maya,
(25:37):
and our contributor, Joey.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
And thanks to you for listening. Stuff I've Never Told
You is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
you can check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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