Why The Method Is Best For Film And TV
Published May 15th, 2008 in Acting Technique and Getting Trained and The Method. By Kirsten Tretbar | 13 Comments » |
I keep having all sorts of people writing me privately, after reading my post about, “The Seven Reasons Why Professional Programs Simply Aren’t Worth It” — asking me, “Kirsten, if you had it to do over again, what would you do now?” Many of these actors tell me they’re already enrolled in expensive programs, and are now thinking, after reading this post, that they won’t go. They’re left feeling lost and confused. My advice to all of you is this. Get into a good Method Acting Class, based on Lee Strasberg, and learn to act in realistic ways, that will translate the best for Film and Television.
We’ve all heard about famous Method actors, like Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Marlon Brando, but why did they all have so much success? Because Lee Strasberg was their teacher! …
LA is one of the busiest most overpopulated cities in the world. As such, it’s really hard when you first move there — especially if you don’t know anyone. The first week you arrive in the city, one of the best things you can do for yourself, is to find some groups to join, and create a new family.
Too many young actors and actresses who move to Hollywood, think it’s all a big party scene. They think their life will mirror TV shows like: The OC, Laguna Beach, Gossip Girl, or The Hills. It won’t. Life in LA is so much more difficult, expensive, urban, dirty, poverty-stricken, stressful, and oftentimes, just plain boring, than you can ever imagine. What we see every week on TV is nothing like the reality of the hard slog of being a professional actor. If this is a surprise to you, then maybe you’d better rethink your move to LA! 
When I first moved to LA, waaaayyy back in 1989, I came by myself. I was moving there to be part of the USC Masters in Acting program, so I knew I’d meet new people. But I have to tell you… it was a very lonely first year. I’d wake up alone in my cute little apartment, and look out the window into the (always) bright blue sky, and instead of saying, “Yeah! I’ve made it!” — I’d think, “God, not another boring cloudless day!” I felt so alone. I’d spend many hours crying myself to sleep, wondering what in the hell I’d done, running around the Fairfax High School track, to keep in shape, saying, “I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!” But I was pretty lonely. 
Since no one walks anywhere in LA, and since everything is about 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes away from everything else in LA, you will need to own a car. Might I also add here that LA is hot as you know what in the summer. If your car doesn’t have air-conditioning, good luck arriving at meetings looking fresh!
Because LA is so much more expensive than most people think, I’ve tried to make up a rough monthly estimate of what you will need, money wise, to live comfortably in Los Angeles. Keep in mind, I’ve estimated low in most cases. And of course, I’m not talking luxury living here, this is actually the bare basics. You could delete a few of these items, of course, and survive, but let’s face it: no one likes a smelly sick actor with a broken down old car and headshots from 1998! You WILL need money to have a competitive advantage, or even just a sane, normal life. 
