Many believe that screen acting can be divided as before and after Marlon Brando; the way he immersed himself in his roles was massively influential on his contemporaries and acting as a discipline going forward.

His Broadway debut in 1946 saw Brando playing a murderous psychopath in Truckline Cafe. For a scene in which his character had emerged from a cold lake, he would run up and down behind the scenes before a stagehand threw a bucket of ice water on his head.

   For Taxi Driver (1976) Robert DeNiro worked as a taxi driver pulling 12-hour shifts in New York and for Raging Bull (1980) he fought in three genuine boxing matches. He of course conducts thorough research prior to his performances, but DeNiro is a great believer in following his instincts on the day.

He has also been quoted as saying, “it is important not to indicate. People don’t try to show their feelings, they try to hide them.” By this, he means that a subtler performance with greater depth is sometimes the most effective.

   When he moved to Greenwich from Kensington as a child, Daniel Day-Lewis was teased by local children for being posh. He quickly began mimicking their accents and mannerisms as a means of fitting in; he credits it as his first acting experience.

Day-Lewis is referred in conversations about Method Acting because of his extreme devotion to roles. For the 2006 film The Ballad of Jack and Rose he lived separate from his wife (his co-star and the film’s director) in order to experience the character’s sense of isolation. For My Left Foot (1989) in which he played a young man with cerebral palsy, he insisted on the crew carrying him around the set and spoon-feeding him his meals.

   Al Pacino’s name is synonymous with Method Acting; he has been the co-president (with Harvey Keitel and Ellen) of the Actors Studio since 1994.

It is rumored that during preparation for his role as an anti-corruption undercover cop,  he attempted to perform a citizen's arrest on a lorry driver with a broken exhaust. On the Scent of A Woman (1992) set in common with his blind character, Pacino claimed to not be able to see. Once the film was completed, he sent a note to co-star Chris O’Donnell which read “Although I didn’t see you, I know you were great.”

   Perhaps not an actor you would immediately associate with Method Acting, Angelina Jolie stayed in character for months, keeping herself isolated from the outside world for her role in  (1998), an HBO biopic about the world’s first supermodel.

   Christian Bale is well known for conducting interviews surrounding film releases using the accent of the film’s character. He put his health at risk by consuming an apple and a can of tuna a day to slim down for his role in The Machinist (2005) before piling the pounds back on again and hitting the gym hard for Batman Begins (2005).

   Usually regarded as a plastic faced funnyman, Jim Carey took to Method Acting for his role as Andy Kaufman in Man On The Moon (2000).

His friends and family were avoiding him as he spent his time off set in character.

   For her roles as transgender man Brandon  in Boys Don’t Cry (1999) Hilary Swank began pretending to be the character, a whole month prior to her audition.

When it came to the big day she arrived to the casting in character blowing the casting team away with her understanding.

   In The Last King of Scotland (2006) Forest Whitaker played deposed Ugandan dictator.

To prepare for the role, he learned Swahili, ate nothing but bananas and beans and remained in character off-set.

   For her career defining role as serial killer Aileen, Charlize Theron gained 30 pounds, shaved her eyebrows and donned false teeth.

Unrecognizable, she perfected Aileen’s facial expressions, accent and mannerisms.