The secret to moving the passions in others is to be moved yourself.
– Aristotle –
Lee Strasbergs “Method” trains actors to use their physical, mental and emotional humanity in the creation of a character, which simply means that the personal experience can fire the actor’s imagination. In that sense the so-called “Method” is nothing new, its what every actor will use conciously or unconciously in his work.
Everything starts with your awareness, with what you ARE. And from there an actor will use his imagination, his senses and emotions to create characters with unique and original behavior and performances grounded in the human truth of the moment.
The use of an actor’s affective memory is thereby only one part of the “Method”. Sensory work, relaxation exercises, awareness exercises, need / flaw / persona exercises and many more aspects will help the actor to create and develop a “truthful living under imaginary circumstances”.[:]