About the Book:

Back to the Body: Infusing Physical Life into Characters in Theatre and Film is a groundbreaking, must-have book for theatre and film students and professionals that outlines the acting techniques and tools used by award-winning actors Margot Robbie, Ke Huy Quan, Juliette Binoche, and many more.

Whether you are an actor, musician, or public speaker, Back to the Body by renowned acting coaches Jean Louis Rodrigue and Scott Weintraub will help you effectively communicate and perform with an enhanced level of awareness and depth. Drawing on the authors' four decades of teaching experience, Back to the Body orients readers to the full range of tools in the actor's arsenal, and including exercises and a step-by-step guide to systematically integrate voice, mind, emotion, and physicality into one seamless performance. As internationally acclaimed acting coach Larry Moss puts it: "One of the most important things actors can possess is a relationship to their own body and breath. Jean-Louis works with actors in such a way that they immediately understand from deep within themselves their true impulses."

Long-time collaborators, Jean Louis Rodrigue and Scott Weintraub wrote the book after years of observing students were alienated from their bodies. They would know – Rodrigue, whose clients have included Margot Robbie, Ke Huy Quan, Juliette Binoche, and Leonardo DiCaprio – spent years teaching acting and the Alexander Technique at UCLA. Weintraub, an icon at Santa Monica's prestigious Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences, has taught Jack Black, Maya Rudolph, Simon Helberg, and Maude Apatow.

Part manual, part rallying cry, the book promises to be an indispensable tool for actors and performers – but the lessons are applicable to anyone who finds themselves with a story to tell on screen, which in this current age of Zoom, is all of us.

What people say:

"Now THIS is an amazingly comprehensive roadmap to creating a character. Scott Weintraub is a great actor, teacher, and author. Read this book and become a better actor." — Jack Black,
Actor and Musician

"The most subtle movements can characterize human behavior in a way even words can't convey. Jean-Louis Rodrigue was instrumental in helping me bring to life three distinctly different 'Waymonds' in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Back to the Body will serve as an excellent resource for all actors." — Ke Huy Quan, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor

"Not only do I have a better understanding of the character, but I also have a better understanding of myself as a whole person, and I can begin to live and breathe the character. Back to the Body will prove to be an indispensable resource for all readers." — Margot Robbie, Academy Award-Nominated Actress

"Back to the Body contains excellent advice on character research and invaluable suggestions for going deep and specific through physicality. I've never seen the process laid out so clearly, so helpfully, and so entertainingly as Scott and Jean-Louis have done in this indispensable book. Potent secrets finally revealed." — Jay Roach, Writer, Producer, and Director

"Back to the Body captures the energy, precision, and imagination of the actor's training, bringing to life explorations of the actor's use of body, space, environment, costumes, props, and, most importantly, imagination. Every actor, artist, and person with an interest in creativity should own a copy of this exciting new book." — Jessica Wolf, Professor in the Practice of Acting, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale

About the Author:

Jean-Louis Rodrigue is an internationally recognized acting coach, movement director, and specialist in the application of the Alexander Technique to film, theater, and television. For more than four decades, Jean-Louis has taught at the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. He has coached countless actors, including Christian Bale, Juliette Binoche, Matt Bomer, Helena Bonham Carter, Josh Brolin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Zoey Deutch, lan McKellen, Ke Huy Quan, Keanu Reeves, Margot Robbie, and more. He's even worked with Cirque du Soleil.

Scott Weintraub is an actor, director, and educator. For nearly 40 years, Scott has taught and directed theatre at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica. Former students include Maude Apatow, Jack Black, Emily and Zooey Deschanel, Maya Erskine, Simon Helberg, Jason Ritter, and Maya Rudolph. He has appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Deadwood, among others. Scott has directed over 40 productions, including the west coast premiere of This is Our Youth and the World Premiere of Freak the Mighty.