Method acting is a controversial technique that has been used by many actors. Everyone has their ways of tackling this technique, but many times in the past it has gone too far. I aim to present all of the issues with method acting and why empathy is the most important part in acting. 

Method acting can be described as the technique in which actors are fully immersed in their characters. Often actors will stay in character outside of filming, which sometimes involves extreme changes in weight, sleeping habits, and diet. Dustin Hoffman is well known for his method acting, and in his role in Marathon Man he deprived himself of sleep for two days before filming, and seeing him in such bad shape his co-star Laurence Olivier allegedly asked, “Why not try acting? It’s much easier.”


One of the most prevalent cases of method acting affecting mental health is Heath ledger in his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. To prepare for the role, he reportedly isolated himself for weeks in a hotel and kept a diary in which he wrote the joker’s thoughts. During the filming of the movie, he asked his co-star Christian Bale to hit him for real, which he did not agree to, and during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter Bale said, “He was slamming himself around, and there were tiled walls inside of that set which were cracked and dented from him hurling himself into them. His commitment was total.” There is a lot of speculation surrounding the severity of impact this role had on his mental health, or even if they led to his death, but those are just rumors. He had admitted that he got around two hours of sleep a night, and his mind would be racing with thoughts about the character. After filming, he spoke about how much he enjoyed playing the role, even saying that acting was the only time he felt alive.

Method acting has become a common method for those who take on the role of the joker, the most recent of these being with Joaquin Phoenix in Joker. He lost over 50 pounds to play the role, and of this he said "Once you reach the target weight, everything changes," he told the Associated Press. "Like so much of what's difficult is waking up every day and being obsessed over like 0.3 pounds. Right? And you really develop like a disorder. I mean, it's wild." He has openly spoken about the emotional toll his acting career has caused him, including revealing that he checked himself into rehab after his role in Walk The Line, because he was drinking and partying too much. 

This can not only lead to a strain on the actor's mental and physical health but in many cases has affected the people around them as well. This can be seen in cases such as Jared Leto as the Joker, who allegedly sent live and dead animals to his co-stars, including a rat to actress Margot Robbie. Some sources say that he sent her a dead one and others say a live one, Leto denies these claims and says he sent her much sweeter gifts. He reportedly sent other strange gifts such as opened (unused) condoms, and bullets. 

Method acting can have many adverse effects that can be long-lasting. Identity crisis, from being so fully immersed in a character because those who use this method eat, sleep, breathe, and live as the character pretty much 24/7 and it can cause a blurred line between the character and the self. This can be seen with Daniel Day-Lewis in his role of Abraham Lincoln, in Lincoln. It can also lead to depression as seen in Adrien Brody for his role in The Pianist. He went through extreme emotional and physical preparation, including isolating himself and giving up nearly all of his possessions. After the film, Brody admitted that he fell into a deep depression and found it hard to "rebuild" himself emotionally and mentally. Insomnia, burnout, and risky or harmful behavior can all be consequences that can be seen in the cases mentioned above.

In a more recent case of supposed method acting, Mia Goth is involved in a lawsuit due to her allegedly intentionally kicking an extra on the set of MaXXXine in the head. MaXXine is part of a trilogy, with the first movie being Pearl, which she had co-written and starred in. She’s quoted saying, “I would write as Pearl, as me…but Pearl is me. I mean, all my characters are me, turned up or turned down. It’s all me exploring different facets of myself.” It’s debatable if her technique can be described as method acting, but fans of her use this in defense during her recent controversy.

The extra, James Hunter, claimed that she told him “Nobody will believe you because you’re nothing,” and that she belittled him in the bathroom. People have found some things in his story don’t add up such as it being unlikely for Goth and Hunter to be in the same bathrooms, and the limited space in bathrooms usually used on film sets. He also has a past of fraud, previously convicted of scamming students out of money by pretending to lease apartments among other crimes being investigated, making him less credible. 

Whether or not this case is true, it opens up an important conversation surrounding method acting. Referencing Olivier, I ask, why not try acting? Mia Goth has been quoted saying “The truth is, I hate acting. Acting is actually the hardest thing to do. It’s this elusive thing and you think you have it—it’s like trying to grip smoke.” 

Why are actors afraid of acting? You will always be separate from the character you are playing, but having empathy for a character rather than trying to become a character is a less problematic way of tackling this. Empathy can be described as understanding and being aware or feeling the same as someone going through a certain experience, even without having experienced the same thing yourself. This doesn’t mean that you have to believe your character is a good person, especially since sometimes actors play characters that are horrifically awful people. That’s all the more reason why method acting for these characters can lead to scenarios that go too far. Instead, you must be able to recognize the humanity in your character. Compare the emotions they feel to the ones you have felt. Compare how they feel about certain people to relationships in your life. Recognize they have their own justifications for what they do and adapt these justifications for yourself as you are acting as the character. 

It’s impossible to deny that empathy is an important skill to have as an actor. Although different methods work for different people, and method acting has worked well in the past in many instances, most if not all of the time it has consequences. Actors need to be aware of the consequences their methods have on both themselves and the people around them. Empathy not only improves your ability to work in roles so outside of yourself and by becoming consumed with their character's emotions, actors may detach from their own reality and the needs or feelings of others, potentially straining personal and professional relationships.