Last updated on March 20th, 2025 at 05:27 pm

To become a successful Hollywood actor, it is not just about memorizing lines and having a good look for the camera. However, unlike the rest of us, the world’s top actors know how to go all the way, living fully in their characters, and making their performances count.

But what happens behind the scenes? How do actors become someone else entirely on screen?

In this article, we will uncover the secret techniques that Hollywood’s elite use to take control of their roles and give award-winning performances.

Method Acting: The Realness of the Role (And When It Crosses the Line)

One of the most famous and most controversial acting techniques is Method Acting. It is a technique where actors have to become their characters and stay in the character both on the set and off it. Some of the most memorable performances have been given by actors who have used this technique.

The Dangerous Side of Method Acting

However, Method Acting can be detrimental to the actor’s psychological state and may leave them burnt out or emotionally drained. Some instances have gone as far as to put the stars’ well-being at serious risk:

• Jared Leto (Suicide Squad) – He took his Joker role to the extreme and sent weird ‘method acting props’ to co-stars, which led to a controversy on the set.
• Jim Carrey (Man on the Moon) – He went all in for the role of Andy Kaufman, which was not without issues on the set and a deeply emotional connection to the character.
• Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) – Although he followed a primarily plant-based diet, he actually ate raw bison liver on camera for the realism of the role in The Revenant.

If you can make yourself believe the moment, then the audience will too. The challenge is to find that authenticity

Leonardo DiCaprio

The Stanislavski System: Emotional Memory

Konstantin Stanislavski’s developed this technique based on the actors’ using their own emotions and memories to make the performance more real. In other words, instead of just acting as if they are sad or happy, they actually draw from real experiences that allow them to respond genuinely in the moment.

Sophie’s Choice is the film where Meryl Streep proved herself as an actress who can truly embody emotional depth, using this technique to bring out her character’s pain.

Stanislavski’s principles are often used by Al Pacino to provide depth to his intense performances.

If you’re faking it, the audience will know. That’s why you have to tap into something real inside yourself

Al Pacino

The Meisner Technique: Acting Without Preaching

Method Acting, where actors rely on their own lives for inspiration, is quite different from the Meisner Technique, which is based on a spontaneous reaction to the given moment. Actors are trained to be in the moment and to respond to other actors with genuine emotional responses.

• Tom Cruise trained extensively in the Meisner Technique, enabling him to give very realistic performances in films like Rain Man and Jerry Maguire.
• This technique is what Sandra Bullock says she uses to be able to create real on screen chemistry with her co-stars.

Physical Changes: The body transformed for the purpose of the role

Some actors are completely unrecognizable because they undergo radical transformations to look like their characters:

Accent and Dialect Training: The voice altered

A perfect performance is not only body language, the voice is also involved. Some actors and actresses spend months or even years learning how to speak with the right accent or form of speech.

1. Tom Hardy (The Revenant): Spent a lot of time working on the American frontier accent, to make his British accent sound more rugged for the role.
2. Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta): Learned how to speak British even if she was raised in the U.S.
3. Christian Bale (American Hustle, The Dark Knight): Changes accents often, it can be difficult to pinpoint what does he sound like when not in character!

Improvisation: Problem-Solving Skills: Learning to Think on the Fly (And Accidental Brilliance)

Some of the most memorable movie moments have been created when actors took the liberty to develop their roles, coming up with lines on the spot that resonated with the scene.

– Jack Nicholson (The Shining) – The classic “Here’s Johnny!” was not in the script, but Nicholson improvised it.

– Robin Williams (Aladdin) – With the exception of a few lines, every word Genie said was improvised, which made the character so fun.

– Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) – The scene where Indy shoots a swordsman instead of fighting him was done because Ford was too ill to perform the stunt.

Improvisation skills are not for actors only, and many successful TV personalities use them every day. Find out what makes their on-screen charisma work here!

How Beginners Can Apply These Techniques

If you are an actor or actress and want to become an professional actor, here is how you can begin to incorporate these techniques:

1. Practice emotional recall – Describe some situations which have happened in your life and made you feel certain way and see how you can use it in the performance.
2. Give it a try with scene repetition – Pair up with a partner and do the same scene many times, but with different reactions every time (Meisner method).
3. Learn how to train your voice – Get a recording device and practice pronouncing different accents and then modify them according to the feedback you get.
4. Try out the physicality – Alter your body language or gait to prepare for the role.

If you are in the process of planning to become an actor, be sure to check out our guide on essential skills for aspiring actors!

Conclusion: The Magic Behind the Art (And the Price of Perfection)

What makes an actor? It’s not just talent – it’s dedication, technique, and willingness to move beyond one’s comfort zone.

But at what cost? Some actors push their bodies to extremes, losing or gaining, too much weight, others are broken by the roles that own them, and still, many spend years of their lives on a single role.

So, the next time you watch a great film, you will know that acting is far more than just what you see. It is achieved by pain, passion, and the constant search for perfection.