For anyone else who's just here for Ruskin, that part ends at 55:29.

"American" approach to acting, established by a Russian acting methodology, based on Indian Vedic acting principles.... But eternal Ego always sees Himself as a source of creation...

DDL missed the point here. Great actor, no question about that, but evidently somewhat devoid of sense of humour.

Michael Caine, while working with Olivier told a story between takes, Michael was in his trailer watching Wimbledon Olivier knocked on the door and said how can you do that Michael between takes I have to remain in the character Michael then said I know my lines I’m just relaxing and Olivier found this very difficult to accept but from then on joined him in his trailer, relaxing and watching the tennis?

I bumped into Hoffman one day in London, in Kensington. Vile little turd, although perhaps he was getting into character of someone who could act.

What an inspiring and imaginative documentary; deeply moving; Natkin was never an 'Abstract'' painter; there is nothing abstracted about his paintings...

Acting is just cosplaying and reading out loud. There's nothing impressive or special about actors.

If Olivier is "acting" the stress felt by Dr. Szell it is even more amazing kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmisdomYn618qKc Olivier sent his children, Richard and Tamsin at least, to Daniel Day Lewis' school.

The story is mistold. Get it from the director, John Schlesinger. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6XdZp53p6xoaZo It's not simply about method acting. Dustin exhausted himself to the point he could not emote. There was nothing left to bring out the character; nothing in his eyes. They had to reshoot. This is different from method actors being difficult to work with-that's seems not to be rare. There are many odd situations where "Just try acting" might improve the experience though one might question if the method improves the product. Jodi Foster didn't speak to Anthony Hopkins outside of the takes. Meryl Streep felt obligated to distance herself from the cast of The Devil Wears Prada. That had a negative impact on her experience. Could Andy be intimidated by Miranda without Anne being intimidated by Meryl? Meryl says she feels she missed out on the fun.

Oliver said it as a joke. It's a myth.

Hoffman debunked this clearly himself, he loved olivier and they had a ball making the film

Brando the God of all of them! I don’t think so. Massively overrated as was Olivier.

That's what happens, when you take art to seriously.

Thank you for sharing this Laurence. I've returned to it many times since lockdown. Your father was one of the great writers and critics.

uhhhh so Daniel doesn't own a comb?

Maybe Olivier was just taking the piss eh? Nothing deep.

Method acting is mimicry, not acting.

I was in a film (The Hanoi Hilton) working a scene with David Soul and Paul Le Matt and the scene took place after we (prisoners) were running-so we were supposed to be out of breath. The guy I was teamed up with and I decided to do fast push ups and jumping jacks-to get out of breath...Soul and La Matt walked over, asked what we were doing-we told them and (I forget which one) said, (those exact same words) "Why don't you try 'acting."

When you make a film about Abraham Lincoln, play the title role, and the thing that people most seem to talk about is what you did while the cameras weren't rolling, what does that say?

If one is going to speak of Brando and of Olivier, then it should be known that Olivier was a great admirer of Brando and vice versa. Find the Dick Cavett interview of Laurence Olivier where he speaks glowingly of Marlon Brando. Read accounts of Brando's preparation for the role of Marc Antony and how he consulted Olivier and listened to his Shakespeare recordings.

Hoffman did a run of stunning films back then, while Olivier was at his light-touch best in 'The Entertainer', (1960). In contrast Day-Lewis doing his big forehead vein acting has unbalanced many a half decent film.

Day-lewisis a classic case of having to many yes people around him...

Charles Laurghton was limited to overweight character roles....so, I disagree with DD Lewis

The DD Lewis is the most overrated actor ever. He immerses himself in a role, then he overacts it

Dustin Hoffman isn't a "New York ethnic actor" he was born and raised in LA!

i wish more people understood that Day-Lewis' enigmatic 'retirement' was an act of grace from possibly the last truly graceful actor (by this I mean an actor with global fame): art is an action not an activity and when one senses that one no longer has - or for the time being is eluded by - an inherent sense of action, then one must stop. We delude ourselves that forms of artistry are infinite - in scope and in length. Whether or not Day Lewis will return is irrelevant: he has already completed the final journey.

I'm sure Oliver was half joking.

This nut never broke character so u know which side he’d be on

Every time I think of that movie, I remember I'm running short on Sensodyne.

Method acting seems to mess actors' heads up.

Olivier WAS a bit stagey/theatrical in films. He was a stage actor first of all.

Acting is work?

William Goldman who wrote the film remembered Olivier suffering from cancer and Hoffman demanding take after take in a terribly cold and damp location. So much for his method.

Hoffman and director Schlesinger have both said this is an exaggeration story by the newspapers 😊 maybe Hoffman was covering 😂 himself. According to Schlesinger (interview on YT), he had to reshoot some close-ups of Dustin in the dental scene I believe, because he had his eyes closed or something similar. As we know, Olivier was struggling at the time with his disease, that's when he allegedly said the famous sentence

Both left out the most important part of the story. Olivier said what he said because Hoffman couldn't remember any of his lines. He was too tired and foggy headed. Method acting is stupid and unprofessional. Olivier is right.

Get over yourself already

Olivier also said the Jean Alexander was the best actress in the UK. If you kmow, you know.

When was this?

love those "new york ethnic actors"

Laurence Olivier was an overrated h.a.m. DDL is correct, particularly concernin Charles Laughton. Check his background & upbringing. Grandfather produced classics of British cinema & mother an actress. His father? The Queen's Poet Laureate. I believe he knows wha he's talking about.

That story is complete b.s. misquoted out of context by the press. (What a shock)

He's GOT TO be kidding me with that lousy answer.

For any Actors Dustin Hoffman himself on the JAMES LIPTON interview, said that this story is false. He was "Up for 3 days" preparing for the role wink wink. What he meant was he was partying at Studio 54 and the Times article took liberties to pretend like he meant "Method Acting". Method acting is a myth. Do the work and enjoy the art

Method acting is stupid. The whole point of acting is to pretend. You don't have to become a pilot in order to play on screen. So all these actors like Dustin Hoffman and Daniel Day Lewis are full of it. Not denying that it works for them. But I am pretty sure they would have the same performance without that whole process they go through.

Hoffman loved Olivier and has always told this story in a jokey way.

I'm so glad that Daniel gave such high praise to Charles Laughton. From The Hunchback of Notre Dame, to Witness for the Prosecution, to Spartacus, there was none better.

Daniel Day Lewis is arguably the greatest actor in the history of films.

He’s not wrong about Charles Laughton

Sorry, I can't stand this guy or any actors who do what he does. And Clift never did what this guy does, nor did Brando. He is a completely selfish actor, is the bottom line. And the bottom line for me is I can't stand watching him.

Brilliant analysis of method acting by naming Charles Laughton as an early forerunner. The difference between Olivier and Hoffman in terms of acting styles is craft vs reality. Method tries to make the process of acting as real as possible not just a well-crafted guise.