15 most extreme Method acting performances of all time

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Set us as preferred The one consensus about Method acting is that it’s controversial.Other than that, everything’s up for debate: What is Method acting, exactly? Do actors and audiences love it or hate it? And, perhaps most importantly, who can afford to practice the technique?Method acting is a technique in which an actor embodies a character absolutely, usually both on- and off-camera, for months at a time (and sometimes, as in the curious case of Austin Butler’s Elvis accent, beyond the project itself).Some actors, like those in the list below — including Daniel Day-Lewis, Christian Bale and Robert De Niro — swear by it.

But others — like Brian Cox, Toni Collette and Robert Pattinson — eschew the practice.(Collette called it “total bulls—” and “utter wankery,” and Jennifer Lawrence said that working with a Method actor would make her nervous.)Female actors — like Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Natalie Portman, Anya Taylor-Joy and Ellen Burstyn — have pointed out that it’s a luxury they can’t afford.

(“I don’t think that children or partners would be very understanding of, you know, me making everyone call me ‘Jackie Kennedy’ all the time,” Portman said about portraying the first lady.) And Black actors — like Brian Tyree Henry and Omari Hardwick — have said they wouldn’t be able to do it safely.(“I’ve never gone full Method,” Hardwick said.

“I don’t want to be pulled over while ‘driving while Method.’ … I’ll get in trouble for that.That’s scarier.”)Jeremy Strong — who plays Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Reckoning” — recently defended his commitment to Method acting.

Here are some of the most extreme Method acting performances of all time.Strong is known for his unrelenting adherence to Method acting, especially on the set of “Succession.�...