PRAISE FOR RESPECT FOR ACTING"Uta Hagen changed my life. She changed the lives of thousands and thousands of other people as well. To have Uta's books, and to be able to look through them at the drop of a hat, keeps me going and keeps me inspired to keep going."--AUSTIN PENDLETON, American actor"I read Respect for Acting frequently. As a remembrance of my time with Uta and to keep myself challenged and humble. It should be utilized by every acting student and professional."--VICTOR SLEZAK, American stage actor"I was extraordinarily privileged to work with Uta Hagen in The Circle in the Square's production of George Bernard Shaw's play, You Never Can Tell. Her book, Respect for Acting, is a must read for any actor at any age. She was committed to revealing the truth and we are the beneficiaries of her brilliant observations."--VICTOR GARBER, Canadian actor"Uta Hagen and Respect for Acting have profoundly influenced nearly every actor alive today and yet to come in film, television and stage with this unmatchable, impeccably specific process developed from her life's work as the definitive 'actor's actor', and is timeless and invaluable for all beginning and working actors truly interested in the highest level of acting."--TED BRUNETTI, Award-winning producer, director, acting and directing coach, and actor"Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting is simply the bible for any acting student serious about their craft. Even as a professional, I refer to it time and again for the basics. It is a touchstone."--LAILA ROBINS, American film actress"I held onto this book for dear life throughout my twenties, and still thumb through it when I need a tune up. If I lose my car keys and I'm frantically turning my house upside down trying to find them I look up at the heavens and hope she's having a good laugh."--AMANDA PEET, American actress
Editor's Note by Jesse Feiler xiiiForeword by Katie Finneran xvForeword by David Hyde Pierce xixAcknowledgments xxiiiPart One The Actor Introduction 31 Concept 112 Identity 223 Substitution 344 Emotional Memory 465 Sense Memory 526 The Five Senses 607 Thinking 658 Walking and Talking 699 Improvisation 7310 Reality 75Part Two The Object Exercises Introduction 8111 The Basic Object Exercise 9112 Three Entrances 9513 Immediacy 10214 The Fourth Wall 10615 Endowment 11216 Talking to Yourself 11917 Outdoors 12418 Conditioning Forces 12919 History 13420 Character Action 139Part Three The Play and the Role Introduction 14521 First Contact with the Play 14722 The Character 15223 Circumstances 15824 Relationship 16525 The Objective 17426 The Obstacle 18027 The Action 18428 The Rehearsal 19229 Practical Problems 20130 Communication 21331 Style 217Epilogue 222The Studio Story, by Uta Hagen 224Address to the Austrian Academy, by Herbert Berghof 239Sources, by Uta Hagen 244About Uta Hagen 252About Haskel Frankel 254Index 255
UTA HAGEN, Tony Award-winning actor and renowned acting teacher, co-founded HB Studio in New York City with her husband, Herbert Berghof, where she trained actors including Al Pacino, Jason Robards, Jack Lemmon, Whoopi Goldberg, and Christine Lahti. On stage she starred in groundbreaking productions with José Ferrer, Paul Robeson, Anthony Quinn, and Marlon Brando. HB Studio is her legacy where new generations of actors come from around the world to study.HASKEL FRANKEL worked as a journalist and critic for publications including The New York Times, The Saturday Evening Post, Saturday Review, The National Observer, Show and Playbill. He wrote and collaborated on many books including Milton Berle: An Autobiography, The Admiral's Daughter with Victoria Fyodorova and All My Patients Are Under the Bed with Louis J. Camuti.