Actors Studio

Inside The Actors Studio took me by surprise, I was expecting the host James Lipton to brown-nose celebrity's as per the Will Ferrell sketch. Instead the host gives an insightful and intelligent interview with various members of the Acting & Film Making community.

You've probably seen the list of guests, made up of some of the most famous but more importantly talented actor's and directors. Very infrequently the guests I suspect were chosen because of their personal interest to Mr Lipton.

His interview technique is amazing, he's probably the first interviewer I've seen with perfect timing. He tends to probe his guests to offer up a side of themselves or an experience that other people or they themselves may not even be aware of or want to admit to. Unlike many interviewers he does not back off when he hit's a nerve, instead he cajoles the guest to open up. He generously offers the guests an opportunity to make interesting comments or jokes, sometimes at his own expense.

Every episode is interesting even when it features an artist who you may not find interesting. I hope you'll be surprised by this show too.

Inside the Actors Studio is a show that airs on Bravo and hosted by James Lipton. It's a TV show but is also used as a teaching class for prospective actors and directors learning their craft at Pace University in New York City.

The show gives you a far more in-depth interview with famous actors/actresses about their careers from start to present day and what lead them to be where they are today. This isn't your pre-interviewed talk show interviews with actors where they're just using it to promote their most recent project and then also some trivial funny thing that happened in their day to fill time. You can really get in the head of the actors and see what their motivations for a particular role were.

At the end of the show the actors get to take questions from the audience of students and in a way become a teacher to them.

"Inside the Actor's Studio" offers something that virtually no other interview program does: an interview. The actors, directors, and writers that appear as guests get a chance to actually discuss their craft and their particular approach to it. James Lipton is a great interviewer, offering up questions & observations that you're not going to hear from the majority of other television interviews, as most of those are usually 4 or 5 minute snippets that rarely get past the current projects. Either that or its the same stupid anecdote that has been given on every other show. You don't have to be an actor or director to appreciate & enjoy this program. You don't even have to be a big movie fan to enjoy Lipton's insightful interviews. And for those who are interested in this business, what better way to learn than by hearing it from the masters.

I've been watching this series for several years. When it's good, it's really good, and when it is bad, it is still usually interesting. The best shows, in my opinion, are those from very experienced top-dog actors and directors, but "lesser" actors usually have interesting things to say too. My favorite shows were those that featured Stanley Donen, Norman Jewison, Mike Nichols, Spike Lee, Ron Howard, Anthony Hopkins, Matt Dillon, Meryl Streep and Gary Sinise. These interviewees really let you into their working process and career history without a lot of bloated self-importance. When the interviewees don't say much: "Duh, I don't know," act too cool, or start waxing philosophical about dumb movies, then it can be pretty dull. Worse is when guests like Robin Williams agree to be on the show and then don't cooperate with the format, turning it into an opportunity to show off. It doesn't happen often, but it grates when it does. James Lipton is ideal as the very knowledgeable but groveling sycophantic host, and he seems to relish playing the part. At least he is consistent in his praise (over overpraise) of every guest equally, whether they have had a 10 year or 60 year career. He doesn't focus on flops or bad reviews, so the guests aren't defensive, and on balance, that's probably the best way to do it. It's clear that he just loves the business. My favorite part is when he reads some question from his stack of blue cards that shows he has REALLY done is his research, often stunning and amusing the interviewee. I've heard more than one person say, "Where did you get THAT?" or "Have you been speaking to my mother/therapist?" I usually turn it off when the students get up to ask their questions because often they are too fawning and embarrassing.

*Inside The Actor's Studio*

I haven't seen Inside The Actor's Studio very many times, but the ones I have seen were fabulous. I love this show because instead of going into the celebrities personal lives (which all of E!'s shows do, and it's so BORING), they discus their films. Hosted by the wonderful James Lipton, who asks all the right questions.

Here are some of the people who were being interviewed when I watched it. Steven Speilberg, Jack Lemmon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Affleck, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks. As you can see, they have a diverse list of accomplished actors. For some reason, before I watched her on Inside The Actor's Studio, I disliked Sarah Jessica Parker. I always associated her with the character she plays on Sex In The City (rich, clothes obsessed, spoiled). After watching her on Inside The Actor's Studio I realized she grew up poor and with the dream of becoming an actress. She didn't make it on her looks like most actors. She struggled. When Jack Lemmon was interviewed he admitted he was an alcoholic. That really touched me. This show goes deep.

Another thing I love about the show is James Lipton covers about every one of the actor's films, one by one. This is a great show for anyone interesting in film and the actor's craft.

*9/10*