The Acting Teacher and the Student

I know there are many of you out there that have come to your own conclusions about acting. You haven’t had an acting teacher. You’ve learned through books, some training, but mainly through trial and error, and you’ve learned over time to probably to trust your own instincts.

But most of the best actors have had someone to inspire them, an acting teacher, a mentor, a coach, perhaps a director:

Al Pacino, Marilyn Monroe, and Dustin Hoffman had Lee Strasberg

Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, and Mark Ruffalo had Stella Adler

Steve McQueen, Gregory Peck, and Sandra Bullock had Sanford Meisner

When we learn by ourselves, we may carve out our own place, but an acting teacher is very important to show the student all the pathways available to them, to show you the way.

When you learn only by yourself, you might take the wrong path, and there’s no one there to protect you from pain, to keep you on track, to open your eyes.

A teacher is fallible, some are charlatans, some are misguided, so I’m not saying that all acting teachers are the same, but a good teacher, a good acting teacher can help you to reach your goal because they have experience, qualifications, methods, techniques, and an objective way to see the journey you must undertake, and it is a journey, and as I am fond of saying, one that is further than most are willing to travel. And they’ll travel it with you, as long as you need them.

Sometimes they have to teach you harsh lessons, sometimes you come with a great talent and you secretly try to protect that talent and the acting teacher has to help you to stop protecting that talent, because a flower kept in the shade won’t blossom. Sometimes they have to motivate you, to kick you in the ass and keep you in line. Sometimes they have to help you understand how things work, even when you believe you already know.  And sometimes they teach you methods and means that seem to be nothing to do with learning to act, but are about helping you to turn into the kind of person, the kind of human being, inspire you to have the qualities in your own character, that will make you not only a great actor, but a great cast member, a great scene partner, and a great friend on set.  And when they are teaching you a lesson like this, that you feel you already know, stop for a second, because this is probably the most important lesson of all.

The great acting teacher has a deeper knowledge, a way of seeing the craft of acting and the world through different eyes, and that is a precious resource to you.

They aren’t your friend, don’t disrespect this resource by trying to make them your friend, trying to avoid criticism by making friends with your acting teacher or behaving like you’re friends, don’t disrespect the edge they have, they have distilled their life experience, their professional experience, down into the lessons they teach you. They aren’t your friend, your buddy, your pal, they are your guide, your mentor. Every piece of advice, the instructions they give, took years to know that it works in practise – every new discovery is backed up by a decade(s) of experience, it didn’t drift into their head in a moment.

Value your acting teacher, let them do their job, to help you climb to the heights of your goal, but respect your acting teacher, and you will see more love, support, guidance and respect back from them than you can possibly imagine.

And at the same time, remember, they’re just a person like you.

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The Inner Life of the Character

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Acting Advice: Leap