In Praise of Subtle Performance

I have a lot of acting training, it didn’t work out for me, but I’m still glad to have all the knowledge kicking around in my brain. My main acting coach was not a fan of The Method, he called it “masturbatory acting” because ultimately you’re just doing it to yourself haha

The Bog Queen

I definitely can believe that some people achieve that level of control, people get incredibly skilled at all kinds of things. But, man, it defies my understanding haha! Thanks for pointing out the differing schools, I've heard about and noticed the difference in British Acting before, but hadn't noticed the correlation here.

I should have called them “schools,” rather than “styles” of acting, because it’s not strictly a national divide. The American “school” is rooted more in Stanislavsky and Strasberg, whereas the British “school” is rooted more in classical and Shakespearean tradition, but it’s like you said, not every actor/teacher/school falls neatly into each category.

The Bog Queen

I loved what you said about the Oscars rewarding “most” acting rather than “best.” It perfectly articulates what seems to be a lost line between the two. Its the small, quiet choices that make a performance feel true. I think Steve McQueen is a great director for getting nuanced performances out of actors, his work with Michael Fassbender will forever be seared into my brain. Also, loved that you highlighted Florence Pugh (have you seen Lady Macbeth??), Olivia Coleman and Riz Ahmed, British acting is a different style than American and I find a lot more quiet choices with British trained actors. Funnily enough, it’s the opposite of what you talked about in the video. Way simplified down, the “American” style, which encompasses “method” acting, is about creating the emotion within yourself to portray it, feeling the feelings so they show on your face and in your body. Conversely, the “British” style is about learning the physical mechanisms of emotions and recreating them - what does grief do to a person? How does it manifest in their eyes, mouth, hands, neck muscles? You’re not trying to feel the grief, you’re trying to accurately portray what grief does to the face and body. So it is totally possible Rooney Mara chose to have her neck twitch.

The Bog Queen