On Wednesday’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” guest Brian Cox briefly claimed that he felt bad about the harsh things he said about the practice of method acting.
Thankfully, he was joking, and it was just the setup for a gag in which the actor recorded an amazing fake master class video, clearly voicing his actual opinion on the method.
For those who don’t know, method acting, also called method, is an acting technique in which actors attempt to emotionally connect with and empathize with their characters on a level that often involves the actors being in character. being involved, even when they are not acting. To stay in their imaginary mindset. It’s delivered some incredible performances, but it’s also been the subject of a lot of criticism, including Cox’s.
In February, Cox gave an interview in which she lavished praise on her “Succession” co-star Jeremy Strong as a person and as an actor. But he also added that Strong’s emphasis on method acting “f- is annoying, Then this week, Cox had even worse things to say about Method Acting, calling it “American s–“. and soliciting actors “Just work. Don’t judge.
Fallon mentioned the whole affair during a conversation with Cox. Cox replied, “Well, you know, Jimmy, I’ve been a little harsh.” “I’ve been a little harsh on that, and I’m sorry for that, and I’m really trying to set the record straight in a master class series on acting that I’m doing right now.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you did a master class,” Fallon replied.
“Actually, I brought a clip,” Cox said. “And I think it articulates my feelings about acting more clearly.”
He then rolled out the clip, which was made to look like a branded master class video. It was called “Brian Cox Teaches the Craft of Acting”.
“Hello. I’m Brian Cox,” Cox said with exaggerated sophistication. “And this is my master class on the craft of acting.”
Then onscreen, select “Tip 1.” Shortly thereafter, Cox returned and said, “Just f—ing do it!”
It’s hilarious and you can watch it right here at the top of the page as part of Cox’s full interview with Fallon. The master class bit kicks in around the 4:30 mark.
