Kazan’s Approach

The foundation of Sanford Meisner’s technique is the “reality of doing”. Behavior is the key that unlocks the door to emotion. 
Elia Kazan, a member of “The Group Theater” and director extraordinaire was the master of turning “psychology into behavior”. Kazan focused on relationships and providing his actors with an environment in which they could live. Once the actor had a clear understanding of the relationships, and objectives within the given circumstances they were able to play “whole heartedly”. *Kazan never stated the objectives directly as he didn’t want the actor to be playing their objective. A keen understanding of the relationship to the other person made it possible for the actor to “know” not “show” how they felt. Kazan also used the environment/location to stimulate his imagination.  He would arise early in the morning and walk around Hoboken, NJ (where “On The Waterfront” was shot) to gather ideas for shooting.  He was extremely savvy about placing his actors in the environment that would bring the most out of them in a given scene. In the scene where Terry (Brando) escorts Edie (Eva Marie Saint) through the park, that specific location enabled Kazan to tap into the innocence of the characters. Terry is able to reveal a softer side of himself and we see a extremely vulnerable Edie dealing with her attraction to Terry for the first time.  Kazan learned from his early experiences directing films like “Gentlemen’s Agreement” that the soundstage did not provide him with the stimulation to do his best work.  After “Panic In The Streets” he was determined to direct his films on location where he could get the very best out of himself and his actors. That is why when you watch Kazan’s films you see people “living” not actors “acting”. 

*As a teacher the process is different.  You must state objectives when the student is unable to find it for themselves. Beats, relationships, urgency, the “as If”, the 1st moment, objectives, motives, particularization, justification, emotional preparation, the nurturing and developing of the imagination, utilizing necessary objects, are all tools that the inexperienced actor must learn to identify and use to their advantage.  The responsibility for communicating to the student how they discover the elements in the script falls squarely on the shoulders of the teacher.