The method actor Woody Harrelson wanted to slap in the face
Woody Harrelson is not a method actor, and working in close proximity to one ended up repeatedly rubbing the star the wrong way.
(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Film Âť Cutting Room Floor
Wed 22 January 2025 15:45, UK
Method acting continues to divide opinion, and it probably always will. Some actors swear by it, while others think itâs an egomaniacal waste of time. Woody Harrelson isnât a performer who eats, sleeps, lives, and breathes their characters, and working with someone who does drove him to the brink.
For every Marlon Brando or Robert De Niro who embraces the method and uses it to bring performance to new heights, thereâs a Jared Leto or Shia LaBeouf who seems to think going too far is the best way to embrace a character. When it works, it works; when it doesnât, it really doesnât.
Harrelson has always been a guy who shows up at work, does the job, switches it off, and then goes home. Ironically, one of his closest friends is the exact opposite, and those vastly differing approaches caused plenty of tension when he reunited with longtime buddy and potential half-sibling Matthew McConaughey to shoot the first season of HBOâs True Detective.
To be fair, the Academy Award winner was excellent in both time periods of the dual-wielding narrative as the dogged, determined, and ultimately traumatised Rust Cohle, earning Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his efforts. Then again, Harrelson was every bit as good as his partner Marty Hart and was even shortlisted for the exact same prizes without having to go method.
Their offscreen bond remains nigh-on inseparable, but that doesnât mean Harrelson wouldnât get annoyed with McConaughey, especially when he refused to drop character until they were done for the day. As he explained on the SmartLess podcast, physical violence was on his mind more than once.
âI mean, you know, there were times I would get kind of angry with Matthew,â he said. âAnd heâs one of my best buddies, so it felt weird. But he was in character, and that fucking character just made me want to slap him. Heâs so good, but heâd stay in character. You know, not after work, but while we were at work. It wasnât like, âHey, buddy!â None of that. So that was a little⌠But, anyway, it turned out good.â
True Detective definitely âturned out good,â earning a rapturous response from critics and quickly going down in the history books as one of the 21st centuryâs finest standalone television seasons. Whereas Harrelson and Marty were separated every time the cameras stopped rolling, McConaughey and Rust remained symbiotic until it was time to wrap for the day.
Thereâs no right or wrong way for an actor to approach their craft, even if thereâs something blackly hilarious about Harrelson spending months working right next to one of his best friends and never actually getting to spend much time with them at all because of their refusal to break character.
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Matthew McConaugheyWoody Harrelson
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