In the entertainment industry, actors have different approaches to their craft, with each actor adopting their preferred acting style. Some are “presentational” actors, meaning they separate the character from themselves. They use their acting skills to portray the character convincingly, and they can detach from their roles once the performance is over.
Then there are the “experiential” actors who go to the extreme. They believe an actor should fully “become” the character. Mentally and emotionally, they merge with the role. This approach offers a sense of authenticity, avoiding the artificiality of performance. However, the downside is that once an actor immerses themselves in the role, it can be hard to step out of character.
The third approach is the famous “method acting” technique. It can be seen as a refined version of experiential acting. Method acting involves using personal “emotional memory” to evoke emotions. For example, if an actor is to portray a grieving person, even if they haven’t experienced such a loss, they can draw from a personal experience of grief to generate the same emotions. 
These are general categories to help us understand acting techniques, but in reality, these approaches are not always so clearly defined. Take Christian Bale, for example, known for extreme body transformations. He lost and gained tens of pounds for various roles. But can he truly “become” the characters he plays, like when he portrayed Batman? That’s debatable.
The Reign of Method Acting in Hollywood
For decades, the method acting technique has dominated Hollywood. Many legendary actors, who are widely regarded as some of the best in the business, follow the method approach. This includes the late Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, and more recent stars like Matthew McConaughey, Cillian Murphy, and Christian Bale. Even Andrew Garfield, an emerging star, has adopted this technique.
However, method acting seems to be on the decline in Hollywood in recent years. Actors’ increasingly bizarre actions to “become” their roles have raised eyebrows. Even worse, some actors struggle to detach from their roles even after filming has ended.
The “Crazy” Origins of Method Acting
In earlier times, method actors didn’t seem as eccentric. Their devotion to their roles was often seen as a sign of professionalism. For instance, in the 1970s, Robert De Niro drove a taxi in New York for a period to better understand his role in Taxi Driver.
Similarly, in the 1990s, Al Pacino pretended to be blind for his role in Scent of a Woman to better capture the experience of a blind man.
But Daniel Day-Lewis, a beloved method actor, took it to extremes. In 1989, he portrayed a writer and artist with cerebral palsy in My Left Foot. He not only befriended people with disabilities but also insisted on staying in a wheelchair on set. Crew members had to carry him around and feed him like his character.
This film earned Day-Lewis numerous accolades, and he became known for his dedication to method acting. His devotion didn’t stop there, though. To play a Mohican, he carried a rifle with him during the entire shoot. To play a convict, he lived like one in prison and insisted that crew members pour cold water on him and verbally abuse him.
After Day-Lewis, many actors began to follow suit, leading to bizarre behaviors on set and inconveniences for others.
Jim Carrey’s Extreme Method Acting
In 1999, Jim Carrey took method acting to another level while filming Man on the Moon. He insisted that the crew call him “Andy” after his character, Andy Kaufman, for the entire four-month shoot. He refused to step out of character, even when the director requested his cooperation.
Later, Carrey himself admitted that this behavior was excessive. During an interview, Martin Freeman, who criticized Carrey’s actions, said, “This is the most self-important, selfish, and narcissistic thing I’ve ever seen. It’s not professional at all. Can you imagine if anyone else did this? They’d be locked up, fired immediately.”
The Downside of Method Acting
The trend continued with Meryl Streep in 2006. While filming The Devil Wears Prada, Streep, playing a cold, detached boss, refused to interact with co-stars during breaks to maintain her character. It became so isolating that, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Streep admitted she was deeply unhappy. She added, “It was horrible. I couldn’t even be with the other actors, and I could hear them chatting and laughing. I was miserable.”
Streep’s experience led her to declare that she would never again adopt method acting.
The Tragic Case of Heath Ledger
Perhaps the most tragic example of method acting gone wrong is Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. Ledger locked himself in a room for weeks to understand the Joker’s psyche and even kept a detailed diary of his character’s thoughts. Unfortunately, the intense emotional strain caused him to suffer from severe insomnia, which led him to rely on sleeping pills. Shortly after finishing the film, Ledger tragically died from an accidental overdose.
More Recent Examples: Actors Pushing Boundaries
In 2013, Jamie Dornan, known for Fifty Shades of Grey, went to extremes while filming The Fall. Dornan admitted to following a woman off a train to understand what it felt like to stalk someone. This was an example of his dedication to portraying a serial killer, though it clearly crossed ethical lines.
In 2016, Jared Leto, who played the Joker in Suicide Squad, also adopted extreme methods to stay in character. He reportedly sent bizarre gifts to his co-stars, including a dead rat for Margot Robbie, bullets for Will Smith, and a “sticky” Playboy magazine for the entire crew. Leto later admitted to these acts, defending his actions by saying the Joker is someone who disregards boundaries. Despite the backlash, he stuck to his story, but later clarified that he didn’t send the dead rat to Robbie.
Growing Discontent with Method Acting
These extreme examples have led many actors to distance themselves from method acting. In a 2022 interview with GQ, Mads Mikkelsen, known for his role in Hannibal, expressed his dislike for method acting. He criticized the concept, saying, “It’s nonsense. If the film turns out badly, what did you achieve? You didn’t ‘stay in character’—you should have stepped out from the beginning.”
Similarly, Robert Pattinson, best known for Twilight, shared his thoughts, saying that “method acting” only seems to apply when actors play villains. “If you’re playing a nice character, no one ever talks about ‘method acting.’ No one stays in character when they’re playing someone nice.”
Conclusion
While actors’ dedication to their roles can be admirable, the extremes some go to with method acting often raise ethical concerns and cause issues on set. Whether it’s sending dead animals to co-stars or crossing legal lines to get into character, the true cost of “method acting” may not always be worth the sacrifices made in the name of art.
