David Harbour once considered killing a cat in the name of method acting
nypost.comStranger Things” star recently told GQ about his brief fling with method acting and how far he almost dived into it.“When I was younger — it’s so embarrassing — but I remember playing that famous Scottish king,” he told the magazine. “And being like, ‘I’m gonna kill a cat’ or something: ‘I’m gonna go murder something to know what it feels like to murder.’ I didn’t actually do it, obviously.
Not only is that stuff silly, it’s dangerous, and it actually doesn’t produce good work.” Several famous actors — Robert De Niro, Marilyn Monroe, Christian Bale, Jared Leto and Daniel Day-Lewis — adhere to what is known as the method, which theater historian Isaac Butler previously told The Post “was driven by delving into the self, into your psychology and your emotions, and using that to build a bridge to the character.”Harbour said that Day-Lewis, who practices the method, is “an extraordinary actor,” but “when he explains his process it sounds like nonsense to me.”Harbour isn’t alone in this idea, as other actors have also spoken out against method acting.
Will Poulter, known for his role in “The Maze Runner,” told the Independent “Method acting shouldn’t be used as an excuse for inappropriate behavior, and it definitely has.”Insider reported that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen said the method was “just pretentious” in an interview with GQ.For “Stranger Things” Season 4, Harbour said he lost 80 pounds, telling British GQ: “I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.”.
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