on acting by sanford meisner

Stella Adler, Lee Strasburg or Sanford Meisner. Who’s Better?

Lee Strasburg :”The actor creates with his own flesh and blood all those things which all the arts try in some way to describe” This Technique is based on Emotional Recall. Stella Adler :”The actor cannot afford to look only to his own life for all his material nor pull strictly from his own experience to find his acting choices and feelings, if you study the text and truly believed in the imaginary circumstances all the emotions in the script will surface organically”. This Technique was based on Imagination. Sandford Meisner: “Acting is the ability to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances” This technique was based on Instincts. Which one of these famous teachers has the best Technique?

I’m biased towards both Stella Adler and Meisner, however it depends on which one works for YOU! You have to study them all and filter out what works and doesn’t work for you.

I don’t like Strasberg because I’m not good at substitution and affective/emotional memory. I’m neither introspective and nor did I have a messed up childhood. Some do. James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Al Pacino, and Paul Newman liked Strasberg’s version.

I’ve studied Method Acting and prefer the Meisner and Stella Adler branches over Strasberg. Affective memory and substitution is not for me (Strasberg and Uta Hagen advocate those things).

I like Meisner because it teaches you how to react to the moment and rely on instincts. I think it’s great for scene study and especially if the other person in the scene is a great actor (Meisner teaches you how to react off the other person as well). I, however, think it alone sucks for cold reading and when your partner sucks. I find that Meisner relys too much on the other person at times. In cold reading/auditioning, you usually have a dry casting director just reading off of the script. How the hell are you going to react off of that? Same with a sucky actor. Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall, James Franco, John Voight like Meisner.

Over Meisner’s branch of Method Acting, I prefer Stella Adler’s. Her branch teaches you how to really use your imagination and being the character (I am…). She teaches you to immerse yourself in the environment, being specific, and being the character. I think her branch does what Meisner’s can and can’t do. It’s also the best for cold reading/auditioning. When I go in and the casting director/reader sucks, I imagine the casting director as the person whom I am talking to in the scene. Marlon Brando, Bennicio Del Toro, and Robert DeNiro like this branch too.

Here’s some good books to check out:
-A Dream of Passion-Lee Strasberg
-Art of Acting-Stella Adler
-Sanford Meisner on Acting-Sanford Meisner

In addition to their books, here are some other good books to check out:
For a good book about all three of the Methods:
-The Unconscious Actor- Darryl Hickman

Additional reading on Meisner:
-Actor’s Art and Craft-William Esper

Additional reading on Strasberg:
-Strasberg’s Method-Lorraine Hull