Ok...so we've all probably seen those screenshots at this point and have been kept up late at night to catch the next update to the story. But ICYMI, Anthony Jennings' ex Jamela Villanueva released alleged screenshots between Anthony and his love team partner Maris Racal on her Instagram Stories on the night of December 3, 2024. It seemingly revealed the reason for their breakup.
While there are multiple sides to a story—Maris and Anthony have since released separate statements—the Internet can't seem to move on from the details of the alleged screenshots that Jam uploaded on Instagram. As for us, one of the many things that's had intrigued and hooked was Jamela mentioning the term "method acting."
READ MORE:
- Maris Racal Speaks Her Truth And Finally Addresses The Screenshot Cheating Controversy With Anthony Jennings
- Anthony Jennings Issues A 23-Second Apology To Maris Racal and Jam Villanueva Amid His Cheating Controversy
According to Jamela, Anthony has been telling her about method acting, reasoning that it was Anthony's technique to be able to come up with more effective acting when doing onscreen scenes with Matis. As Jamela also stated, method acting was the reason why Anthony had to be more caring and sweet with Maris.
In her Instagram Stories, Jamela wrote, "I'm not sure if you're familiar with method acting, but this was something he kept emphasizing to me. He explained that he needed to make her feel loved and appreciated because she was going through something as well. He believed that showing her care was the only way to make their work go smoothly and for his partner to function well." Jamela's succeeding IG Stories appeared to insinuate that Anthony and Maris had a romantic affair.
What is method acting?
With Anthony's alleged take on method acting, we got really curious about how method acting really works and we bet you all did as well. Here's a (slight) deep dive into the acting technique.
To some, it may be an unfamiliar term, but for actor stans like us, method acting happens to be a controversial and rare practice done by actors. The entertainment site Backstage describes method acting as a technique where actors train themselves to inhabit or adapt not just the characteristics of their roles in a project, but more on the psyche and inner core of the characters they need to portray. In other words, altering one's persona to embody their characters.
It seems easy when reading about method acting, but it actually is a tedious and quite dangerous acting technique. Why dangerous? For one, method acting requires long periods of training and living in a different character's persona. The need for long periods is there to efficiently portray realistic behavior when onscreen (or onstage for theater instances).
What is the difference between 'Method Acting' and 'Character Acting'?
In case you've been reading about method acting, you might have come across the term, "character acting," and so we're here to briefly tell you what it's about as well. According to Backstage, method acting is most often associated with lead roles while character acting, on the other hand, is meant for supporting roles. So, while method actors are said to "fully immerse themselves into their character" for extended periods, character actors focus more on developing, "a persona with mannerisms, accents, and quirks that are specific to the character rather than the actor." This is because, supporting actors may have shorter screen time than the lead actors, so this allows them to take on other projects.
Actors who openly shared their experience with method acting
Austin Butler
To further give you the whole picture of how method acting should appear for actors, a very vivid (and intense) example is Austin Butler (yes, Vanessa Hudgens' ex-boyfriend). In 2022, the American actor disclosed in a Variety interview how he committed to method acting. He recalled not seeing his family for three years as he prepared for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the film Elvis (2022).
What's more intense about it is that Austin was always talking under Elvis' character even when just talking to his family. He admitted that actors who practice method acting are close to the perils of losing their true selves throughout the process—which had been the case for Austin. "I was speaking in his [Elvis] voice the whole time [...] You can lose touch with who you actually are. And I definitely had that when I finished Elvis—not knowing who I was."
Lady Gaga
While some female actors like Natalie Portman have openly expressed that they could not afford to apply method acting because it is a "luxury women can't afford," Lady Gaga has declared trying it for her role of Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci. In case you haven't watched House of Gucci, Lady Gaga plays an Italian character and she literally tried living as Patrizia for about a year and a half. Her method of acting for Patrizia included months of speaking with an Italian accent and even dyeing her hair to fully embrace the accent she was aiming for.
"It was nearly impossible for me to speak in the accent [if I was] a blonde. I instantly had to dye my hair, and I started to live in a way whereby anything that I looked at, anything that I touched, I started to take notice of where and when I could see money. I spoke with an accent for nine months of that. Off camera. I never broke. I stayed with her," Lady Gaga said in an interview with British Vogue.
Dangers of method acting
Method acting is widely known within the entertainment industry among actors. But hey, it's not something that everyone could and should do. It was deemed controversial for the dangers it might cause an actor. As some call it, it's a double-edged sword. (And clearly, not a light matter to use as an excuse for bad behavior, i.e. gaslighting.)
Backstage noted that method acting can cause emotional distress to an actor. Traumas may also resurface as one tries to embrace a whole new characteristic in a span of time. These matters are not to be taken lightly as they could negatively affect someone's mental health, their outlook in life—and like Austin Butler once mentioned, their true selves.
