A note from a reader

Written by David Lee Strasberg Tuesday, 19 January 2010 01:01

The move to the new Strasberg.com has taken a lot of work, but I am happy to have a new and improved on-line home for our work. I appreciate the feedback that I have gotten from the actors out there who have read this blog and checked out the new site.

I would like to share a wonderful comment that was posted by a reader and former student.

David,

I greatly admire this new energy in raising the profile of your father’s work. The combination of what he was intelligent enough to preserve and insightful enough to expand has, I think, created a breadth to our understanding of acting that too few seem capable of dealing with all at once.

Often I come across a practitioner who, in his ignorance, has dismissed what he feels Lee was about. Yet he will then go on to complain of an acting problem that is absolutely contained within what Lee would practice!

You must keep it up. There are lessons in his oft-misunderstood practice that are so valuable and universal. Lee himself would lament

Golden Globe nomination for Christoph Waltz UPDATED - HE TAKES HOME THE GLOBE!

Written by David Lee Strasberg Wednesday, 16 December 2009 13:24

Golden Globe nominations are out, and Strasberg alum Christoph Waltz has been nominated for his role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds! It is a well deserved recognition, we'll be pulling for him. He has already won for best actor at Cannes.

The film also was nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay (Tarantino), and Best Director (Tarantino).

[UPDATE: Waltz took home the hardware - and delivered a wonderful acceptance to cap it off (check it out below). And for those who may not have seen the film - GO. SEE IT. Not only is the film wonderful, but the first scene of the movie with Waltz will take your breath away. It is a must see for that scene alone!]

Interesting add on to the recent LA Times piece

Written by David Lee Strasberg Thursday, 03 December 2009 08:59

I thought I would share this blog post by Charles McNulty, who wrote the LA Times article I posted recently.

Charles clearly love Estelle Parsons, featuring a picture of her in the article – and well he should. She is amazing in August: Osage County.

Method Acting In The LA Times

Written by David Lee Strasberg Monday, 23 November 2009 12:43

I have gotten a lot of nice messages today from folks who read the Charles McNulty story on the cover f the Arts Section in the Sunday LA Times. They ran it with a huge half-page picture of my dad on the cover over the headline “SO METHODICAL,” and on the interior another full page with a picture of me and my mom in front of the school with the headline “TECHNIQUE STANDS THE TEST OF TIME.” Thanks to those of you who sent me notes – double thanks to those of you who actually read past the headlines before sending me the note!

Those who CAN DO, Teach!

Written by David Lee Strasberg Friday, 20 November 2009 06:47

Here is a nice little reel of clips from some of my dad’s films. This series includes material from The Godfather: Part II, of course, where he plays Jewish mobster Hyman Roth (inspired by real life mobster Meyer Lansky). It also has a scene from one of my favorite films Going In Style – a funny and warm movie with George Burns and Art Carney. he does some wonderful comic work in this one. It also has a scene from And Justice For All with Al Pacino. All in all, it is a great taste of my dad’s film work. Godfather II was his first film role, and he had been teaching, not acting, for decades. Pretty amazing.

Michael Imperioli Talks at Strasberg

Written by David Lee Strasberg Wednesday, 18 November 2009 07:53

As promised, here is some of the footage of Michael Imperioli’s talk at Strasberg. Video hosting the entire talk proved less than practical, but here is his opening that I think is very enlightening. You get a strong sense of him and his personality as well as a feel for how much his time at Strasberg means to him. Those of you who have done our exercises may get particular enjoyment from him and his first reaction to the Relaxation exercise. More to come as we get the students’ questions and his answers uploaded. Enjoy!

Long Road to Success in LA for Strasberg Student, Christoph Waltz

Written by David Lee Strasberg Friday, 13 November 2009 06:59

The Hollywood Reporter is taking notice of Strasberg Alum Christoph Waltz. Waltz has already won the prize for Best Actor at Cannes, and he is a clear front-runner for an Oscar and a bunch of other hardware this aware season.

40 Years of Making Legends | NBC Los Angeles

Written by David Lee Strasberg Wednesday, 11 November 2009 07:47

Here is the KNBC piece that aired yesterday. I must say that I really enjoyed meeting and speaking with Cary Berglund. Not only was he friendly and engaging, but he made it very easy to work. You can tell when someone is a real professional, and Cary was very much in his element. All in all, I had a wonderful time shooting the piece.