10 Craziest Method Acting Behind Great Performances

One of the most famous proponents of the Method, Hoffman has drawn the ire of his collaborators and co-stars for his invested methods. When filming Kramer Vs Kramer, legend has it he created genuine enmity with his on-screen ex-wife Meryl Streep by berating and hurling insults at her.

His technique was criticised the most heavily on the set of 1976 thriller Marathon Man. His tricks were simple: his character had stayed up for several nights; Hoffman did likewise. His character was rendered hoarse; Hoffman took himself to a hallway and shouted and screamed until his voice deserted him.

This drew the ire of co-star Lawrence Olivier, perhaps the antithesis of the then-newfangled Method. He witheringly suggested that Hoffman might find it easier to simply try acting.

Olivier may have had a point - he plays a Nazi war criminal without resorting to committing any atrocities himself. Still, forty years and two Oscars down the line, Hoffman seems to know what he’s doing. It may not win him any friends, but his techniques yield great performances.