Supplemental Post #5: Marketing the Method

We all know Method actors like Daniel Day Lewis and Anne Hathaway will basically do anything to get the role right. From living in a log cabin to standing in a frozen lake for hours, the dedicated Method actor will go to great lengths to squeeze the last bit of authenticity out of their performance. Part of the mystique and allure of the Method is the crazy things that people do while in character and such incidents have in the recent press seemed to gain more attention than the process itself. Following the death of Heath Ledger there is perhaps no role in Hollywood that's more intimidating than the Joker. The part is currently held by Method actor Jared Leto and the rumor mill is at work once again with a whole new batch of crazy stories. When taken to this extreme, the Method seems less of a tool for an actor to genuinely get into character and more a way of marketing and self-promotion. I'm curious to see how Leto portrays the character, especially because it's in a film that I have no other legitimate reason to see.