About
the Book:
Harold Guskin coached actors like Rachel Weisz,
David Suchet, Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer,
Glenn Close, James Gandolfini, Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Bridget Fonda, and dozens more to emphasize the words of the
script over any analysis of their characters' motivation.
In How to Stop Acting, he reveals the insights and
techniques that have worked wonders for beginners as well as stars.
Instead of yet another method, revered acting performance
coach Harold Guskin offers a
strategy based on a radically simple and refreshing idea: Just keep
it real. He advises actors to approach text in a freeing manner.
Instead of transforming yourself to become a character, the character
becomes you. The actor's work is not to create a character
but rather to be continually, personally responsive to the text,
wherever his impulse takes him, from first read-through to final
performance. From this credo derives an entirely new perspective on
auditioning and the challenge of developing a role and keeping it
fresh, even over hundreds of performances. Chapters include "I
Want This Part, How Can I Get It?," "Acting in Film and
Television," and "Playing the Great Roles," and he
offers lots of useful "Suggestions for Practice."
Drawing on examples from his clients' work on how his method
unblocked their creativity, Harold Guskin presents acting as a
constantly evolving exploration rather than as a progression toward a
fixed goal. He also offers sound and unique advice on adapting to the
particular demands of television and film, playing difficult
emotional scenes, as well as tackling the Shakespearean and other
great roles, and more. Whether you are a novice or an established
actor, this book offers sage advice to all performers.
What people say:
"Everything
I've learned is from him. It's really just about taking the line off
the page. And each time you say it, it can play with you in a
different way, play in your imagination in a different way."
— Rachel Weisz
"Harold
gives a very sane point of view to a very insane business and a very
insane craft. Sometimes, when I read a script, I'm tempted to put on
seven different wigs and change everything and do all this stuff-like
knock my head against the wall twenty times before I know what I'm
doing. Then I'll come to Harold, and I'll realize it's a lot simpler
than that." — James Gandolfini
"Ask
an actor who the coach of the moment is and no matter whose name
comes up as well, Guskin's is mentioned three times out of four."
— The Village Voice
"Reading
through these pages, I realize not only how much I learned from
Harold, but also how safe he made me feel. The courage to take the
risks that pushes us into new discoveries – new emotional territory
– does not come without trust. Harold created a place filled with a
trust that ultimately freed me to find my wings… one role at a
time. This book will be invaluable for anyone passionate about
learning the craft of acting and for those of us who need to be
reminded of the basics of the craft we have dedicated our lives to."
— Glenn Close
"The
Great Guskin shares the approach he uses to help actors land roles,
develop them, and keep them alive." — The New
Yorker
"Many
actors, newcomers and veterans alike, often wonder why it's so
difficult to be as real, natural, and emotionally charged on stage or
in front of the camera as we are in our daily lives. Harold
Guskin explains how, by habit and misconception, we tend
to undermine our potential. How to Stop Acting
is a clear and concise actor's guide to living the truth in our
work." — Christopher Reeve
About the Author:
Harold Guskin (1941-2018) was a revered acting performance
coach best known as the author of How to Stop Acting. He
worked with dozens of stage and screen actors and encouraged students
to emphasize the words of the script over any analysis of their
characters' motivation. He also acted and directed, and worked out of
his brownstone apartment in the West Village, guiding, cajoling and
pushing actors as they prepared for auditions, rehearsals or
performances. His goal was to free them to bring their own
personalities to their roles and trust that they would find their
characters in the text before them.