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Bertie Carvel

Oct 26, 2021

Bertie Carvel, award-winning actor known for Matilda and Ink, reflects on his process and the philosophy of acting. He discusses the importance of collaboration, navigating the urge to share ideas, and how a good actor can elevate mediocre material. He also touches on preparing for roles, overcoming self-doubt, Shakespeare training, working on films, and the belief in acting.

56:25

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Bertie Carvel

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Quick takeaways

Trusting instincts and making bold choices is crucial in an actor's process.

Collaboration and finding the meeting point between personal expression and the material are key to a successful performance.

Deep dives

Approaching a new role

When approaching a new role, actor Bertie Carvel emphasizes the importance of reading the script multiple times, allowing it to take root in the imagination. He trusts his instincts and sparks of ideas, even if he can't always articulate them clearly. Carvel believes in the value of making bold choices and learning to trust when he feels he can be good in something, even if it doesn't always require that surety in his belly. He also discusses the importance of finding a balance between instinct and logical articulation in his process.

Introduction

4min

Journey into Acting: Building Structure and Trusting Instincts

7min

The Enemy in Acting: Overcoming Self-doubt

27min

Examining Shakespeare Training and the Challenges of Finding One's Voice

5min

Working on a Film

12min

Exploring the Work of Actors and the Importance of Belief in Acting

2min

He already had an Olivier Award for his amazing performance as Miss Trunchbull in “Matilda” when Bertie Carvel made his Broadway debut in that unforgettable role. He went on to win a Tony the next time he stepped on the New York stage, playing a young Rupert Murdoch in “Ink.” Notable recent television credits include the BBC series “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell,” “Doctor Foster,” and in November he stars in “Dalgliesh” on Acorn TV. In this hour, I get him to reflect objectively about his process and philosophically about acting in general. He talks about why collaboration (or even the illusion of collaboration) is the key to unlock an actor’s potential, how sometimes a director’s “arrogance of ignorance” can actually be helpful, how he navigated the urge to share his ideas on the Joel Coen production “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (which will be out later this year), why he believes a good actor can elevate mediocre material, plus MUCH more.

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Back To One

Bertie Carvel

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Approaching a new role

The role of technique

Collaboration in acting

The interplay between material and actor

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts