Behavioral Studies

A 2005 Golden Globe is not the only thing Hilary Swank and
Leonardo DiCaprio have in common. They are both students of
acclaimed acting coach Larry Moss, whose eclectic techniques and
hard work credo push actors to struggle to find life in their
roles.

For aspiring actors, the seemingly innate talent of movie stars
is quite intimidating. But behind the silver screen, celebrated
actors are giving their sweat and tears to master the craft of
acting.

The School of Theater, Film and Television’s Master Class
Series will present Moss, a director, author and actor himself, who
will discuss acting techniques for film, television and theater on
Feb. 7 at noon in Macgowan Hall.

Moss studied acting in New York for many years and began his
career in cabarets before appearing on Broadway. After teaching at
Julliard and Circle in the Square, he founded the Larry Moss Studio
in Los Angeles. As acting coach to such award-winning stars as
Helen Hunt, Swank, Michael Clarke Duncan and DiCaprio, Moss has
been teaching the art of acting for more than 32 years.

Moss’ eclectic technique stems from his work with Stella
Adler, Sanford Meisner, Warren Robertson and Lee Strausberg, and
also reaches to Constantin Stanislavski’s methods from
Russia. In the American group theater, the great artists and
teachers, including those named, had a huge impact on film,
television and theater in the 1950s. This gave birth to people like
Moss who went on to develop techniques based on such
inspiration.

“My technique is a conglomeration of these influences with
my own work on hundreds of actors over time,” he said.
“As the world changes, the teaching changes.”

But Moss finds it extremely important for actors to explore the
freedom of creative expression and be given a chance to create
their own techniques.

“I hate dogma; I hate the idea that teachers say there is
only one way to work as an actor. It isn’t true; there are
many ways to work,” Moss said.

For Moss, the hardest part about acting is the preparation and
dedication to find the character’s deepest emotions and
desires. The actor must understand the character on every level,
from social and economic class to upbringing and nationality. The
actor must be at the same emotional, mental and physical state as
the character at that moment in time.

“The character’s life experiences at the beginning
give them a deep emotional want to accomplish something,”
Moss said. “Whether it’s for revenge, power, for love
or redemption, every character walks into a movie or play with a
great desire.”

To bring acting to life, an actor must be open emotionally.
Tears and laughter, anger and stoicism must all be experienced by
the artist in order to access these emotions of humanity. Strength
can be attained when you feel life in all of its beauty,
emotionally and impartially.

“A character is as real as you are, as I am,” Moss
said. “The trick to acting is to make the audience feel that
you’re not acting, but living.”

As a teacher to many acclaimed actors, Moss finds his role to be
one of inspiration and education. According to Moss, good coaches
make an actor independent to function; they give the artist bravery
and confidence to locate the energy to fuel the specific desire of
the character.

“The key is great training, great desire and a kind of
inner strength to be able to take rejection when it comes and use
it as motivation for greatness,” he said. “I have
always believed that if you want something, you work on it so
diligently, you become so good, they can’t afford to turn you
down.”

According to Moss, an incredible desire and commitment to hard
work on a daily basis will lead to tremendous success in Hollywood.
From acting classes, to therapy, to devotion, to human
relationships, life cannot be imitated by one who has not
lived.

In order to gain the breadth of life’s experiences, an
ardent curiosity about the world is essential. Moss stresses
knowledge of great writing, including classic writers from
Shakespeare and Shaw to the absurdists such as Albert Camus and
Samuel Beckett.

Moss also emphasizes observing human behavior. His favorite
exercise is to sit in a cafe and study people: how they walk, how
they carry their bodies, the way they dress, the rhythmic nature of
how they speak and their tones of voice. By analyzing mannerisms in
everyday life, actors can gain a better grasp on humanity.

“Experience plays, and see the great performances of the
past on film, and read continually, go to museums and see
paintings, and listen to great music and just learn and observe
life,” Moss said. “You’re portraying human
beings, so you’ve got to be one.”

Acting, in both craft and aesthetics, demonstrates what it is to
be human.

The actor is in a constant struggle to find emotion, drive,
insight and life.

“I want people to know that to be an actor, they have to
earn it, and that nobody owes an actor anything,” Moss said.
“You want to have something inside that you want to give, not
that you want to take.”