MARLON BRANDO, MARILYN MONROE, AND METHOD ACTING: Between Art and Commerce

Method acting is perhaps the best known and most misunderstood acting style. This confusion stems from the style's origins in mid-century America. Although many acting practitioners interpreted the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavsky differently, Lee Strasberg's approach, the Method, became the most famous interpretation. Strasberg courted Hollywood actors to increase the public profile of the acting style and fundraise for the Actors Studio in New York. This chapter discusses the training and performance styles of two of these Hollywood actors: Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe. Brando studied at the Actors Studio prior to acting in Hollywood, but he preferred teacher Stella Adler's approach, referred to as “modern acting,” over Strasberg and his Method. Nevertheless, Brando has come to epitomize Method acting. In contrast, Monroe studied directly with Strasberg after she achieved Hollywood stardom. However, her work with the Method is often downplayed or mocked, despite evidence that this training impacted her performances in her later films. This reassessment examines the specific acting techniques associated with the Method and explores the relationship between acting as art and acting as commerce that informs both Hollywood filmmaking and modern concepts of celebrity.