Australian Method Comes To Hollywood

by Amanda Miller

HOLLYWOOD, CA - - “It’s all about booking work,” Paul said in a recent interview. “Most of the actors I teach love what they do on a very deep level, and see it as a means of giving back to the community – giving laughter, giving hope, giving excitement and a means to escape into the world of the story. However, in order to do what they love to do, actors need the tools that will help them to book those jobs time after time, and be able to make a living with their art…”

“…I teach how to produce authentic emotions for every take that read clearly to the camera and ultimately the audience while maintaining a full connection to the text. That’s a very important skill to have. Scripts have been finely tuned to the vision of the writer, director and producers of the piece. An actor who can give in every take to the fullest extent what is expected of that character is vital to the success of any project. The ability to do this time after time, take after take makes an actor very desireable…”

“…But even more than that is helping my students to harness that special skill of captivating and mesmerizing the audience – that element of watchability that elevates the actor to a higher level. Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman all use some of the very techniques that I teach in my classes. I can see it clearly when I see these professionals on the screen, and I can teach those very techniques that were developed in the Australian dramatic educational system to students here in the United States of America…”

“…It’s new, and it is a step beyond anything currently available stateside. With these techniques, my students are consistently booking predominately feature film and major television roles…”

“…A lot of consistently booking work involves overcoming the genearal fears, blocks and some very common bad habits that many actors seem to have. In my classes, we take a detailed look at the actor’s previous work. We find out what’s working and what’s not and make adjustments as necessary. Now this work is not only in performance, but also in the business side of things. Interestingly, some of these areas coincide…”

“…For example, what is going on in the mind of the actor while they’re waiting to go on camera is very important to the performance as well as to an actor’s sense of professionalism. So is thinking outside of what might normally be done in a scene by an actor, and taking risks within the scope of what the director has blocked and set up. And finally, getting to that instantaneous internal monologue and getting lost in the role – actually becoming the character is the skill every actor seeks and the ultimate skill that I teach…”

ON SET