CMS: Yeah, I mean for me, I, uhm, I take acting classes. So I’m in class every single week. And I attend Brian Cutler Actors Studio. Brian Cutler was a star of his own right. He was a star in tv shows. And then he has an acting studio in his “golden years”. In his “golden years” he has an acting studio.
And so, it’s right down the street from me. I go every week. I work with a lot of actors. I’m probably one of the older actors in the class, honestly. And, uh, what we learn… And so what I learned in Brian Cutler’s studio is, you know, don’t have any preconceived notions. “Total concentration of attention away from yourself (that’s on your partner) is the creative source of acting.” So, you know, the way we learned, the way I learned is that I don’t have this notion! I just listened to Sam, talking to me.
CMS on studio philosophy:
CMS: When I’m in acting class, Brian Cutler says don’t do two takes the same. He says that each take should be different because that give the director and the editor some choice. Choices of things that they can bring in. So if the director ever says hey, go ahead. You want to do something else? I always say “yes”. You never wanna say… As an actor, it’s a golden moment when the director says…(general hubbub)…No, I’m perfectly happy with that take! I’m done! No, I always jump in and say, “Okay, I’ll try something else.” You know, you might do that whole moment the completely opposite of the way you did it and that might bring something else to the opportunity for the editor to put something else together.
Why continue to study…
Randall: Well, so, here’s a question for ya, ya probably have things to do today so I won’t keep ya much longer, but, specifically for you, Chris, because, I don’t know, Sam, if you’re doing any acting classes… My question is this, it’s coming from someone that just doesn’t know but, since you’re already working, and you’re already getting jobs, I understand that part of the answer is probably that you’re learning something, but what would make you want to continue to take acting classes when you’re already getting jobs and stuff because I know that, I know that experience matters, right, but I feel like you get experience on the job, kind of. How are you benefiting from your acting classes right now?
Sam: I’m in a scene study class. Let’s say I get drafted, I go pro. And just because I’m pro doesn’t mean I stop hitting the gym.
Randall: That’s exactly right.
CMS: You gotta go to spring training. You know you keep doing spring trainings.
CMS Final Thanks:
CMS: And I wanna thank Brian Cutler for really making acting possible. Because without an acting teacher I don’t feel like I would be this guy.