Kieran Culkin Shares Strong Opinions On ‘Useless’ Method Acting

Kieran Culkin, who broke into the limelight with his role as Igby Slocumb in the 2002 movie Igby Goes Down, recently spoke about his life, career, and some of the characters that have helped his growth and also distinguished him from other actors.

During his appearance on Variety Actors on Actors alongside Colman Domingo, Culkin explained that he is a bit unconventional about acting. He noted that while other thespians, including Domingo, spend a lot of time preparing for a role, he would rather take on a production with little or no preparation, leaving everything to his gut and skill as a seasoned entertainer.

Kieran Culkin says he loves auditioning for roles

The No Sudden Move actor disclosed that he is a big supporter of auditions. He noted that having to try out for a role helps him know if it would be worth his while.

Speaking about their careers, Culkin and Domingo credited the initiatives of their respective directors for some of their best acts, such as Sing Sing and Succession. They agreed that the success of the projects was traceable to the freedom given to the cast by the directors, which in turn gave birth to creative masterpieces.

Kieran Culkin says actors are not storytellers and method acting is ‘useless’

In the course of the discussion, the 42-year-old also corrected what he believed was an error on the part of most of his colleagues. He stated that it was wrong for actors to think that they were the ones telling the story in any project they were involved in.

For him, he believes that the job of storytelling rests solely on the director, who is instrumental to the creation of the story, and all cast members are meant to assist him to show his perspective to the audience.