Brown - You can act! : a complete guide for actors

Reading D.W. Browns lovely and miraculous book, and seeing acting through his brilliant eyes, I found myself again passionate for the nuts and bolts of craft and the simple beauty of expression he so gorgeously clarifies. You Can Act proves the theatrical endeavor to be a brave act of pure being and soul.

Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Independence Day)

If youre serious about being an actor, read this book. D.W. Brown knows what hes talking about and he communicates it with inspiration, humor and simplicity.

Leslie Mann (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up)

D.W. has a way of communicating complex actions with such simplicity and clarity that the heartbeat of the scene suddenly appears thrillingly within you. He guides you to the tools you are already holding, and then reminds you how exciting it can be to really use them. Under his direction I felt inspired, safe, and capable of anything.

Olivia Wilde (House, Alpha Dog)

I remember feeling a sense of security from D.W. He provided an atmosphere within which the insecure, novice actor could safely strive, explore, and even fail.

Robin Wright-Penn (The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump)

D.W.s commitment to push his students to achieve the absolute best they possibly can, was a major factor in helping me understand the level of dedication, perseverance and effort it takes to succeed in this business at any level. D.W. has an uncanny ability to make one feel comfortable and safe, while at the same time pushing for excellence and creativity. It is an experience that undoubtedly helped me find work, and keep working in this unpredictable industry, instilling in me a sense of pride and confidence that I otherwise lacked!

Michael Vartan (Alias, Never Been Kissed)

I owe D.W. Brown so many thanks for teaching me the craft of acting. The work I did with him changed my life and my career.

Jamie Kennedy, actor, writer, producer
(Three Kings, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment)

D.W. Browns manner as a film director captures the essence and class of Old Hollywood directors. When giving input to his actors, he gracefully tackles the most complex issues with the utmost simplicity, and always with his signature charming smile.

Shoreh Aghdashloo (Academy Award nominee,
Best Supporting Actress for House of Sand and Fog)

D.W. Brown guided me in how to work with actors. Ive incorporated the basic premises he works under and he gave me a lot of tips. Weve spent time talking about character and he raises interesting questions and suggests approaches we might take in pulling off certain scenes. He has really helped me a lot.

Sam Raimi, director (Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3)

D.W. Brown is one of the worlds foremost experts in the craft of acting and the school where he teaches is the finest in Los Angeles. I always look to cast his well-trained actors in my films.

Martha Coolidge (Real Genius), President of the Directors Guild
of America

D.W. Brown trains beginning actors and makes them working actors, and he takes working actors and makes them stars.

Valerie McCaffrey, Head of Casting for New Line Cinema

Working with D.W. Brown is the most important thing I have done for my career. He has a gentle, disarming way about him which helped me break down my social veneers and limitations, and allowed me to expand my capabilities as an actress. This method gave me a road map to follow and all of the tools I needed to continue to develop my instincts so I could take on any role and feel confident about it.

Sharon Case (six-time nominee and winner of the Daytime Emmy
for Outstanding Actress, The Young and the Restless)

DW directs with much skill and an intuitive knowledge of character. He seems to excel at various creative forms. Hes a fine actor, writer, and director. These are all forms of storytelling, and, above all thats what I would call D.W. a great storyteller.

Nick Stahl, Actor (Terminator 3, Carnivale)

I am amazed by just how much my training with D. W. has impacted my work as a host/journalist during the past 14 years. Whether sitting for an in-depth interview or delivering copy directly into camera, the tools and skill set I established years ago while studying Meisner with him continue to serve me today. Listening, being curious, staying in the moment, and reacting have helped me develop into the best interviewer I can be. I approach my on-camera reads with an open heart so I can allow the story I am communicating to my audience to effect me and flow through me, allowing an emotional reaction the audience can connect with.

Mark Steines, host of Entertainment Tonight

A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR ACTORS

D.W. BROWN

Published by Michael Wiese Productions

12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111

Studio City, CA 91604

tel. 818.379.8799

fax 818.986.3408

mw@mwp.com

www.mwp.com

Cover Design: MWP

Interior Book Design: Gina Mansfield Design

Editor: Paul Norlen

Printed by McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., Saline, Michigan

Manufactured in the United States of America

2009 D.W. Brown

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brown, D. W., 1956

You can act / D. W. Brown.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-932907-56-8 (alk. paper)

1. Acting. I. Title.

PN2061.B765 2009

792.028dc22

2008051689

This book is dedicated to my dad,
Richard Brown
&
my wife,
Joanne Baron-Brown.
Together they made a man of me.

It all started when, at the age of six, I saw my father, a pediatric cardiologist, perform in a community theater production of The Diary of Anne Frank. With the blessings of this wonderful man, I have pursued a life in the arts. At fourteen, having bounced around childrens theater in Tucson, Arizona, I joined a group lead by Andy Quirk, out of the Actors Studio in New York, and he showed me that acting wasnt fun it was everything. I also owe thanks to the many actors, directors and writers, good and not so good, from whom I have learned over the years, and to the passion and beauty of the many students it has been my good fortune to join for a time on their journey. Ive had great friends who egged me on in my madness, Mike, Robin and Eric, but far and away the greatest influence on my life and my craft has been my wife of twenty-two years, Joanne Baron, one of the acknowledged master teachers of acting of this age. And lastly, the publisher of this book, Michael Wiese, who encouraged me to write in my own voice, and who, along with assistance from Ken Lee, Paul Norlen and others at MWP, maintains a catalog I am ever so proud to join.

Ive put everything I know about the craft of acting into this book. My dad was a doctor, and he told me his job was to try and eliminate the need for his services. So it is Ive aspired to be a teacher of acting whose students eventually wouldnt need me. I never wanted to run one of those acting classes where the instructor enters and the students are expected to stand and applaud; or like the guy with lights, not just for the stage, but one directed at the chair where he sat. Its easy for an acting teacher to take on the aspect of a cult leader. You dont need credentials. All you have to do is put some poor soul on a stage and ask them to confess what their issue is with the same-gender parent, or their weight, or the reason theyre holding themselves back, and the tears will flow and, lo, power shall be conferred upon whoever is asking all these personal questions. I never had time for that. I had enough to do trying to get my students ready to act so well they could get cast in a part instead of the producers kid.