Acting Naturally

The Magic in Great Performances

By: David Thomson

Narrated by: David Thomson

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

From the celebrated film critic and author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, a fascinating look at some of the cinema’s finest actors and how they approach their craft

"Open to any page and you’ll become enthralled by the...tales of forgotten film lore, childhood memories, sexy gossip.”—Philip Kaufman, director

Meryl Streep, Marlon Brando, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan. When we watch these remarkable actors in a performance, we see only Sophie, Stanley Kowalski, Hannibal Lecter, or Cassie from Promising Young Woman. How are they able to transform our world in this way? How and why do they do what they do? In Acting Naturally, David Thomson sheds light on the actors who have shaped the film industry. He shrewdly analyzes these stars—among them, James Dean, Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington, Louise Brooks, Riz Ahmed, Sir Laurence Olivier, Viola Davis, and Jean Seberg—revealing how a sly smile, an extra-long pause, even a small gesture of the hand can draw in an audience. And he takes us behind the scenes to examine casting and all the other moments leading up to “Action!” Through intimate anecdote, humor, and the insight born of a lifetime watching and analyzing film, Thomson explores the real reasons why we go to the movies and looks at how they influence our lives. This book is not only necessary listening for an insider’s view of the industry but also a surprising investigation of the relationship between acting and living.

©2023 David Thomson (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“David Thomson is such a wonderful writer, at once vigorous and tender, wistful and witty, intelligent and earthy, that this review, as is already evident, could be done entirely as an assemblage of his elegant, pungent, aphoristic sentences.” —John Banville, The Wall Street Journal

“Passionate . . . The author nimbly ambles his joyful way through his extensive film knowledge and his reflective attitude toward the people who act in them. . . . Throughout, the author provides movie suggestions, many of which readers will want to seek out immediately. [Acting Naturally is] an informative, ‘wild party’ for movie fans and actors, veterans and newbies alike.” —Kirkus Reviews

“David Thomson is a wizard, able to conjure seemingly all of cinema in one beguiling spell. Here is a fascinating series of essays on acting; he enthusiastically connects so many dots, jumping through portals and wormholes, to link a wide array of performances back to earlier eras and stars, then magically brings us to the recent past with his fantastic and always thoughtful observations!” —Ken Burns, American filmmaker