u/ElisabethWTV

I was watching an interview with the late Michelle Trachtenberg and she said she never took an acting class in her life and watches people like Meryl Streep to learn more. Meryl incidentally went to a prestigious acting school. Michelle furthermore said in a previous interview that she thinks no one has a right to tell her how to act other than a director. I can't think of a single other craft where people romanticise being self taught as much as in acting. Every painter, carpenter, seamstress and god knows what goes through formal training. This might be because I am European but it is expected by professional actors here to have gone though extensive training and start out in theater. You can normally instantly tell when a screen actor has no background in stage acting or Shakespeare. Why are people acting like this is a huge deal to not have been formally trained? In contrast I saw an interview with Ashley Greene who said she chose to take acting classes again and really hone her craft with the help of a professional. Why do people act like raw talent is enough? It is not a bad thing to have gotten formal training and it actually shows when actors have. It is not a sign of a less talented actor. I can tell from experiences in all other crafts I have dabbled in that having feedback by a more experienced person who was themselves formally trained is hugely beneficial and keeps you from making basic beginner mistakes.