Take It Personally: On the Art and the Process of Personal Acting: Paperback Book

by Gordon Phillips

Book Overview

(Applause Books). Gordon Phillips begins with the qualities possessed by the most exciting actors and then proceeds to the practical acting tools needed to make those qualities work for every actor.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557833907
• ISBN13: 9781557833907
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema Book Publishers
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book...a must for every actor's library!

Mr. Phillips demystifys the acting process in this book. He clearly outlines tools that help the actor, if properly used, to master the craft. A must-read!

Practical tools and a good read

This is an interesting and useful book. What attracted my attention when I first saw the book was the cover photo of Mr. Phillips. His energy, humor and directness leap off the cover, inviting the reader into a very informative "conversation" about the acting tools he has developed and used over a long career. I don't know why, but Mr. Phillips' bio does not appear in the book, though it became apparent as I read that he taught a number of fine actors including Bruce Dern, Sandy Dennis and Judd Hirsch, acted in a wide array of plays, films and television, and taught at both the Actor's Studio with Lee Strasberg and the H. B. Studio with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof. These are impressive credentials.The tone of the book is practical and personal, like Mr. Phillips' collection of tools, which he calls The Process. He describes the 17 tools of The Process and gives exercises for each that can be done alone, with a partner or in a group. He also describes how to use these tools in a role. He illustrates how The Process works using examples from productions and humorous and touching anecdotes based on his own experiences with fellow teachers and actors and his own students. One thing I particularly like is that, after describing a tool in a narrative form, he also gives step-by-step instructions for easy reference. There are also two wonderful little chapters, one on 9 types of actors and what you can learn from them about what to avoid, and the other is on what to look for--and what to avoid--in an acting teacher. Very useful. At the heart of Mr. Phillips' Process is a kind of Zen approach to acting, which stresses neutralizing first yourself, aiming for what in Zen is called Beginner1s Mind, and then the script, the other actors and the acting space. These particular tools are invaluable for cancelling out ingrained and inhibiting bad habits in acting.I have made good use of the tools that make up Mr. Phillips' Process, both in my own personal work and in the interactive interpersonal dynamics workshops I lead.All in all, I can call this a good read and an invaluable collection of tools. All we have to do is put them to use.Incidentally, the caption on one chapter in the book is "A good actor is a bad actor who never gave up." I really love the optimism and encouragement. It fits perfectly with what I see in Mr. Phillips in the cover photo.

Mastering Acting with an American Master

Have you ever looked for a book that would demystify the personal approach to acting, often called "The Method" (Philip's calls it "The Process")and used by actors all over the world from Marlon Brando to Meryl Streep to Robert DeNiro to Anthony Hopkins to Danny Glover? Gordon Phillips's book, "Take it Personally" is THE book.Phillips's book takes up where Stanislavsky, Strasberg, Hagen and others leave off: he lays out in very simple, workman like terms, the steps to becoming the kind of personal actor that is so admired and even worshipped in television, film and theatre today. He starts off by listing the qualities of successful actors and letting you know what chapters in his book can help you to develop those same qualities, and takes you step by step through those chapters with a view to making you an exciting,charismatic,moving, and, most important, believable professional actor. Phillips has worked with some of the finest actors of the 20th century (Bruce Dern, Sandy Dennis, Judd Hirsch, to name but a few), and has spent years refining a process of acting that will give every actor the opportunity to create real, living, breathing, three dimensional characters that will move and delight audiences, critics, and even the director! The key is being personal. Hence the title, "Take it Personally."This book is for beginners and professionals alike. It follows workbook step by step processes, and chapters can be read and reread as the actor practices acquiring the tools necessary for working as an actor in all media. The book is also an entertaining read for the person interested in how the actor works. It is full of anecdotes from Phillips's long career in theatre, television and film. I highly recommend this book!

Mastering Acting with an American Master

Have you ever looked for a book that would demystify the personal approach to acting, an approach that is often called "The Method" (Philips calls it "The Process")and is used by actors all over the world from Marlon Brando to Meryl Streep to Robert DeNiro to Anthony Hopkins to Danny Glover? Gordon Phillips's book, "Take it Personally" is THE book.Phillips's book takes up where Stanislavsky, Strasberg, Hagen and others leave off: he lays out in very simple, workman like terms, the steps to becoming the kind of personal actor that is so admired and even worshipped in television, film and theatre today. He starts off by listing the qualities of successful actors and letting you know what chapters in his book can help you to develop those same qualities. Each chapter is written clearly and concisely and covers an integral part of what Phillips considers the simple process of developing a box of tools that you can use in your work as an actor. By working on your "tools" (Phillips book includes practice excercises)you will eventually have at your fingertips what it takes to make you an exciting,charismatic,moving, and, most important, believable professional actor. Phillips has worked with some of the finest actors of the 20th century (Bruce Dern, Sandy Dennis, Judd Hirsch, to name but a few), and has spent years refining a process of acting that will give every actor the opportunity to create real, living, breathing, three dimensional characters that will move and delight audiences, critics, and even the director! The key is being personal. Hence the title, "Take it Personally."This book is for beginners and professionals alike. It follows workbook-like step by step processes, and chapters can be read and reread as the actor practices acquiring the tools necessary for working as an actor in all media. The book is also an entertaining read for the lay person interested in how the actor works. It is full of anecdotes from Phillips's long career in theatre, television and film. I highly recommend this book!