Will Poulter Says Method Acting Has Too Often Been ‘An Excuse For Inappropriate Behaviour’

By Corey Atad.

Will Poulter doesn’t believe the acting process should get in the way of decency.

Speaking with The Independent, the “Dopesick” star was asked about his own process as an actor, and wether he employs method acting.


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“For me, that hasn’t been necessary,” he said. “On ‘Detroit’, my African-American colleagues — who my character was responsible for brutalizing — and I were all very much unified in that challenge, and we got to know each other and hung out.”

For many, method acting is most commonly associated today with actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Jared Leto, who are known to stay in character even when the cameras aren’t rolling.

As Poulter explained, he doesn’t have an issue with that in itself, but he does believe there are limits.

“When it comes to an actor’s process, whatever that is, so long as it doesn’t infringe on other people and you’re being considerate, then fine,” he said. “But if your process creates an inhospitable environment, then to me you’ve lost sight of what’s important. Method acting shouldn’t be used as an excuse for inappropriate behaviour — and it definitely has.”


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Recently, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” star Mads Mikkelsen also spoke out against the excesses of so-called method actors, calling the process “bulls**t” in an interview with British GQ.

“But preparation, you can take into insanity,” Mikkelsen said. “What if it’s a s**t film – what do you think you achieved? Am I impressed that you didn’t drop character? You should have dropped it from the beginning! How do you prepare for a serial killer? You gonna spend two years checking it out?”

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