MovieChat Forums > Inside the Actors Studio (1994) Discussion > Does anyone else find it weird that Brad...

Does anyone else find it weird that Bradley Cooper's the only movie star


Is the school mostly intended for Broadway and theater, or are the other grads just failing to make it very far in the industry.

I don't necessarily blame Pace University. Maybe, casting directors just don't value a good educational foundation in Hollywood, I have no idea. Either way, it's something I'd certainly find troublesome if I were considering entering Pace University.



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Do not think that if you go to acting school, you would go on to be a movie star.

Liam Neeson said it best when he was on the show: "It's not about what school you go to, it's about your appearance, how you look."

Another part is are you willing to be objectified. A majority of actors in Hollywood are products, in the sense that they act in action movies or provocative romantic comedies to provide a profit for the studios.

As far as Bradley Cooper goes, he is one of many, many people that learned acting in college and one of the few to hit the jackpot.

Navid

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Yeah, but just one movie star?
That's just sad.

Julliard and NYU's Tish School for the Arts have fairly long lists of Hollywood people. Even UVA's drama program is home to a couple of stars.

Heck, Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA where I grew up (I went to a neighboring high school) is home to 3 Oscar winners

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Scott,

It's true that a number of acting schools have taught students who went on to become movie stars (Juillard, Yale, Tisch, etc.)

Unfortunately, the reality is just because someone studied acting at a certain university, does not mean they become famous within years of leaving.

I was a theatre arts major at my university and in the five-plus years sinced I switched majors, not a single student has hit it big.

Which is sad, because some of them had greater talent than I.

Navid

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what about Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Mickey Rourke and Harvey Keitel?

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Scott, below is a partial list of some of the other Actor's Studio grads that I personally consider successful actors. Most of them are not Pace alumni, because the Actor's Studio did not begin their association with Pace University until around 2006, I believe.

Edie Adams
Edward Albee
María Conchita Alonso
Bea Arthur
Carroll Baker
Joe Don Baker
Alec Baldwin
James Baldwin
Anne Bancroft
Lorraine Bracco
Marlon Brando
Geraldine Brooks
Ellen Burstyn
Hayden Christensen
Montgomery Clift
Lee J. Cobb
James Dean
Rebecca De Mornay
Robert De Niro
Sandy Dennis
Bruce Dern
Laura Dern
Faye Dunaway
Robert Duvall
Sally Field
Jane Fonda
John Forsythe
Anthony Franciosa
Andy García
Ben Gazzara
John Goodman
Lee Grant
Kathy Griffin
Charles Grodin
David Groh
Gene Hackman
Julie Harris
Dustin Hoffman
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Dennis Hopper
Elia Kazan
Harvey Keitel
Sally Kellerman
Sally Kirkland
Diane Ladd
Martin Landau
Cloris Leachman
Melissa Leo
Robert Loggia
Jack Lord
Sidney Lumet
George Maharis
Norman Mailer
Karl Malden
Darren McGavin
Steve McQueen
Anne Meara
Burgess Meredith
Liza Minnelli
Marilyn Monroe
Michael Moriarty
Zero Mostel
Patricia Neal's
Paul Newman
Jack Nicholson
Leslie Nielsen
Carroll O'Connor
Al Pacino
Geraldine Page
Estelle Parsons
Will Patton
Arthur Penn
Sean Penn
George Peppard
Sidney Poitier
Michael J. Pollard
Anthony Quinn
Lee Remick
Eric Roberts
Julia Roberts
Mickey Rourke
Eva Marie Saint
Maureen Stapleton
Rod Steiger
Dean Stockwell
Eric Stoltz
Lee Strasberg
Susan Strasberg
Rip Torn
Jon Voight
Ralph Waite
Christopher Walken
Eli Wallach
Lesley Ann Warren
Peter Weller
Dianne Wiest
Gene Wilder
Tennessee Williams
Shelley Winters
Joanne Woodward
Burt Young

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Hmm, it seems like you are naming actors who were either on the show 'inside the actors studio' or are trained actors in general. Most of them never went to the actor's studio.

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Well sir you are wrong. they are alumni of The Actors Studio . How do you know they didn't go? Did you do any research or just pull that information out of your ass?

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Well, Bradley Cooper hit the perfect storm where he has the looks as well as the education behind him to flourish in the industry. Not to sound mean or anything, but if you look at some of the students during the Q&A portion of the episodes they're not exactly, how should I put it, easy on the eyes.

Fair or not, I'd say how you look plays a predominant role in how successful you are in the industry.

You wanna be a farmer? Here's a couple of acres!

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Bradley? Looks? As nice a guy as he seems in interviews, seems like a good dude, the only thing really attractive about this guy is his height. He's tall, almost 6'2". He has nice, piercing blue eyes as a side, he's certainly not the full package of attractive.

We're supposed to be home David! We're supposed to be in color!

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I think many would disagree with you on that.

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http://robbyhorror.blogspot.com

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You do not have to look remotely attractive as much as you do, unique. Check the guy who comes on the Little Caesars commercial now about the Deep Deep Dish Bacon crust pizza being brought back. The guy has the WEIRDEST face to head ratio. There was also that other commercial a while ago on Nature's Path. The father's head in that commercial was really weird looking.

Better watch out, better start crying. Better hurry up, run and hide. Krampus is coming to town! >:)

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Jack nicholson worked for mgm before his acting career and didn't go to the actors studio. Sean penn went to the repertory company. De niro went to the stella adler conservatory. All of them didn't go to the actors studio.

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Again... check your facts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actors_Studio#References

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Haha, citing wikipedia as a source. Look at the citation needed next to notable directors and actors.

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I'm referring to the Pace/Actor's Studio era.



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Check out Carnegie Mellon's alumni sometime...pretty impressive...many Oscar, Tony, Emmy winners.

"More cowbell!"...Christopher Walken

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Most of them probably do work as actors but are not famous

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[deleted]

You would be surprised that acting, as a profession, has nothing to do with getting an education. It is FREELANCE. Let me say that again, FREELANCE. Any loser can become an actor. Many of the people that do camera work or direct, in the past, just had good connections. All this bull about taking classes and impressing agents is dumb. You have to be lucky, know someone, be born into it, have a somewhat unique look, and that is pretty much it. There are even some convicts that have become actors and even actors that turn into convicts. Outside of being paid a lot and being seen by a lot of people, it is no more harder than playing the stock market on Wall Street. Anything you do may make it easier; however, unless you are ever making a profit off going to school and getting work to support it, it will be a waste.

I am a living example. I found an extras casting director and am taking classes to further become an actual actor. Yes, I have been taking classes under him for $45, but when you are paid $100+ a day on projects, it is worth doing it as a hobby. Career in this industry means when you have enough projects to allow you to live well off.

Better watch out, better start crying. Better hurry up, run and hide. Krampus is coming to town! >:)

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I haven't read the other responses on this board but this is a weak argument.
Yes you can circumvent education to make it in the world of acting or directing, but that doesn't mean that the aim of education isn't to set people up for jobs and prepare people for jobs in that industry, or at least present that illusion. besides,if it's all random than it couldn't hurt to get an education in it






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Twitter @okonh0wp

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Well yeah, but I would not want to get people's hopes up. Ever since I heard Jennifer Lawrence had no acting experience whatsoever and my interest has been in acting, I have tried to find ways to do this without being educated. So far, I have been in one principal non union production and it had taken me three takes to wrap that one education video. No representation, no acting lessons. All me.

I have a casting director, albiet, an extras casting director, whom I had found looking through my state's film office. No education to find him and he books me on most of the castings I respond to.

I do not want people to think you have to spend large amount of hard earned money to get into acting because I know that is not the sole way of doing so. I am a HUGE fan of Cooper, ever since I have heard that he had actually taken the time to secure a Masters before acting. If anything, this is how life should be approached. You might as well excel in educating yourself before you get a job. It makes you a more intelligent individual.

Better watch out, better start crying. Better hurry up, run and hide. Krampus is coming to town! >:)

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