Russell Crowe trashes method acting: 'I use the Russell Crowe method. I've never been to drama school'

Russell Crowe arrives for the screening of The Nice Guys during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival. PHOTO: EPA

CANNES (REUTERS, AFP) - Russell Crowe, star of Shane Black's The Nice Guys at the Cannes Film Festival, has simple advice for aspiring actors: do it yourself.

Asked if he used the Stanislavsky method to prepare for a role, the Australian smiled and replied: "I use the Russell Crowe method. I've never been to drama school, man, I've never been to acting school.

"I studied classical text for about three weeks, but I've been acting since I was six years old. Over time you get more efficient at getting to the centre of the character you are portraying."

The celebrated method developed by Konstantin Stanislavsky requires that an actor use his past experiences and emotions to fully enter a role. Stanislavsky's ideas were the basis of Lee Strasberg's "method" school, which actors from Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson to Johnny Depp still use.

"I don't even know what the Stanislavsky method may be. I have no f****** idea, and I don't care to know," Crowe told a news conference.

"You just trashed 100 years of tradition," Black laughed.

"F*** it," Crowe replied. "Seriously, it's not that complicated. If you want to be an actor. Work it out yourselves. I actually like the old (Lawrence) Olivier quote, 'Learn your dialogue and don't bump into the furniture.'"

The moderator corrected him: "It's Spencer Tracy."

The Nice Guys, which also stars Ryan Gosling, is showing out of competition at the 12-day festival.

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