Acting Teacher, D.W. Brown, talks about the difference between cravings and desires, the defense mechanism known as Dissociation we are taught as children (and why it makes us bad actors), and why artists must play by different rules than everyone else.
He is the author of You Can Act!, a Complete Guide For Actors. (And believe me, it is.)
===
From his website:
D.W. Brown is the co-owner and head instructor at the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio. He began his acting career early at the age of 15 in his hometown theater company in Tucson, Arizona Starring in “Desire Under The Elms”. He later came to Los Angeles where he starred in films such as “Fast Times At Ridgemont High,” his own series, “Jo’s Cousin,” and performed numerous leading roles in film and on television.
Still continuing to act in the theater, D.W. Brown turned his attention to the art of writing and directing. Working with The Ensemble Studio Theater, he developed plays for production, directing his own works as well as those of others. It was one of these plays, “Fleas,” that The Los Angeles Times raved: “…trumpets Brown’s ear for dialogue…” He directed, “Porno Stars At Home,” that won awards for both leading ladies. He has written and directed short films; including: “One Clean Move,” starring Harry Hamlin and Gary Busey, honored at The Taos Film Festival and purchased by The Sundance Channel, and “The Need For Flowers” that received a “Best Actor” nomination at The Method Fest Film Festival last year. He has co-produced and co-written the feature films: “Allie & Me,” “Brooklyn Babylon,” and “Perfume” (a Sundance Festival selection).
D.W. discovered a profound appreciation of the Mesiner Method after exstensive training and subsequently he became an instructor. He has trained actors, writers, and directors for the past twenty years at The Joanne Baron/DW Brown Studio. He has conducted seminars with actors such as Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Hopkins, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Benicio Del Toro and Martin Sheen and directors such as Sam Raimi, Tom Shadyac, and Martha Coolidge. Several of the aforementioned he has coached.
He has directed over seven hundred scenes, coached our greatest stars on numerous major films and provided the first instruction for many who are now professional actors. DW has just finished writing a comprehensive book on acting: “You Can Act”.
He has just completed principal photography on the feature film ‘On the Inside’ that he wrote and directed. The film stars Nick Stahl and Olivia Wilde.