The Chubbuck Technique
“Acting is simply being a human being, and you already are one.”
I’m Rich. I teach the twelve steps here in London and online, and everything I teach is on this page — all of it, in full, so you can see exactly what you’d be learning.
Registration opens on the 1st of every month. The mailing list hears first.
Rich — thirty seconds on how I work.
Used by the actors you admire
Charlize Theron. Halle Berry. Brad Pitt. Jake Gyllenhaal. Eva Mendes. Sylvester Stallone. Aubrey Plaza. Beyoncé. Different agents, different studios, different careers — one technique.
Halle Berry thanked Ivana from the Oscar stage. The next day she called her and said: “It’s your Oscar, too.”
I’ve trained extensively with Ivana Chubbuck as an actor, and in 2021 Ivana invited me to share her technique here in the UK.
The sciences of how we live every day
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. Behavioural science builds an understanding of how people react psychologically and respond behaviourally to interventions, environments and stimuli. Cultural anthropology is the study of how people who share a common cultural system organise and shape the physical and social world around them, and are in turn shaped by it.
These are the sciences of how we live every day. Basing the technique in them not only makes it unique in actor training but, especially, easy to follow and use.
Essentially, Ivana has done the hard work for you — boiling down the mathematical equations of human behaviour and creating systems to follow, so you, the actor, can really go there, organically feeling what your character is feeling. Really feel the bruise. Really feel the gunshot wound. Your hairs stand on end, your cheeks blush, or you feel the rush of the high as your heart beats faster.
The whole technique in one sentence: instead of sitting in the pain, you turn it into drive.
The shape of it
The twelve steps
Each step needs to be completed fully before beginning the next. Open any one of them to read it in full.
What does your character want from life more than anything?
What does your character want from life more than anything? Find out throughout the entire script. The basic, primal human need that they desperately desire for their immediate emotional or physical survival.
Never judge your character or their objectives.
What your character wants over the course of an entire scene, which supports the character’s overall objective.
What your character wants over the course of an entire scene, which supports the character’s OVERALL OBJECTIVE. Like your Overall — your Scene objective needs to be essential, primal and human, but it should be worded in a way that requires a response.
Scene objectives never, ever change during the scene. It must affect the other.
It’s the difference between — plot-based ‘I need to be loved’ and Chubbuck’s ‘I need to get you to love me’.
You always have to change the other person to get what you want.
Emotions are reactions to an event/stimulus. They have no forward motion. Without an objective to propel them, they are meaningless.
The physical, emotional and mental hurdles that make it difficult for your character to get what they want.
Determining the physical, emotional and mental hurdles that make it difficult for your character to achieve their OVERALL and SCENE OBJECTIVE.
Obstacles bring physical and emotional jeopardy to the character’s situation.
Let’s take seduction — Obstacles could be: Fear of Rejection, sexual inadequacies, self-worth issues, body insecurities and a history of past hurts with lovers.
Obstacles create challenges that the character must overcome to reach their objective. The more obstacles you put in a scene, the harder you will have to work to overcome them. The harder you have to work to win your scene, the more ‘watchable’ your performance will be.
Acting is active, it’s about what you ‘do’ not what you say!
Endowing the other actor in the scene with someone who makes sense to your objectives.
Endowing the other actor in the scene with someone from your real life that makes sense to your OVERALL OBJECTIVE and your SCENE OBJECTIVE.
For instance, if your character’s SCENE OBJECTIVE is “to get you to love me,” then you find someone from your present life who makes you need that love – urgently, desperately and completely. This way, you have all the diverse layers that a real need from a real person will give you.
Your substitution will not always be a literal or linear path from the character.
For example, if the character you are playing against is your character’s mother, it doesn’t necessarily make your real mother the ideal substitution.
We do particular exercises in class to ascertain this person and bring them into the scene, as ever, learning straightforward, repeatable steps to create the greatest performance possible.
The vivid pictures you see in your mind when you’re speaking and listening.
Every person, place, thing, or event that you speak about — or hear — must be fully personalised.
Inner objects are the vivid pictures you see in your mind when speaking or listening. They aren’t just random visuals; they are deeply connected to your substitution and fueled by the need in your scene objective.
Once you have strong, specific inner objects in place, you won’t have to force active listening — it will happen automatically. You’ll be so much more present because everything you hear will feel real to you. It won’t just be words bouncing back and forth; you’ll be responding from a place of real meaning.
More importantly, this process personalises why you need to speak. The words aren’t just words anymore — they become your words. In class, I teach this at a level where you don’t just understand what to say, but you own the words from a deeply heartfelt place.
And here’s the power in that: when the words you speak mean that much to you, they will mean that much to your audience. That’s what makes your acting truly land — it’s not about performing emotions, it’s about living them through deeply personal and real connections.
A beat is a thought. Actions are the mini-objectives attached to each one.
A BEAT is a thought. Every time your character’s thoughts or tactics change, the BEAT changes.
ACTIONS are the mini-objectives attached to each BEAT. They support your scene objective, which in turn serves your overall objective.
Most actors I meet make the mistake of over-intellectualizing their actions — picking the biggest, fanciest adjectives they can think of and stacking them on top of each other just because they sound right. But if you’ve done the deep inner work — the work that makes your character’s need real — choosing the right beats and actions becomes effortless.
Take this overused example: “To bulldoze you.” It sounds strong, right? But it’s meaningless. It’s not human — you are not a bulldozer. It’s contrived and impossible to play truthfully.
Now, let’s keep it simple. Keep it childlike — because the best, most powerful actions are ones a ten-year-old could come up with:
These are real. Simple. Playable. They come from human need — not from a thesaurus. And in class, you’ll learn how to navigate the right choices based on your scene objective and the history between you and the other character.
Here’s the difference: Bad actors avoid beats and actions altogether. Good actors use beats and actions. Exceptional actors love them and make the most of them.
So stop thinking like an over-polished, rule-following adult. Be a ten-year-old. Want what you want. And make the other person give it to you.
The event that happens just before your scene starts.
The Moment Before is the event that happens just before your scene starts — or before the director yells, “Action!” It’s what gives you somewhere real to move from physically and emotionally.
Think of it this way: You don’t walk into a room as a blank slate. Something just happened. Something that affects how you feel, how you move, and why you need what you need in the scene.
Your Moment Before isn’t just backstory — it’s an active, re-imagined event in your thoughts that fuels the urgency of your scene objective. It connects you instantly to the character’s life, so you don’t have to “work up” to the scene — you’re already in it.
With a strong Moment Before that connects to the six steps before this, you’ll be setting yourself up to win — delivering a performance that people can’t take their eyes off of.
Endowing your character’s physical reality with attributes from a real place in your own life.
Using PLACE and the FOURTH WALL means endowing your character’s physical reality — whether it’s a stage, soundstage, set or location — with attributes from a real place in your own life. (In class, I’ll teach you a super fast way to find the most powerful place.)
Why does this matter? Because the right PLACE creates privacy, intimacy, history, meaning, safety, and reality. It grounds you in something real, so you’re not just standing in a set — you’re somewhere that matters to you.
Your PLACE and FOURTH WALL must support your choices with the other tools.
When your PLACE is specific and personal, it pulls you deeper into the scene. It gives you a world to exist in, rather than just a location to stand in. Helping make your performance even more alive — and the more real it is for you, the more real it is for the audience!
More than that — when you truly endow the space, you’ll be endowing everything in it. Suddenly, every object has meaning, which will help make your Doings (Step 9) so much more powerful — because they’re not just movements; they’re another weapon to use to win your scene objective and inspire the audience.
The physical actions you take while in a scene — because behaviour never lies.
DOINGS are the physical actions you take while in a scene — handling props, brushing your hair, tying your shoes, drinking, eating, chopping with a knife, etc. These aren’t just random activities but extensions of your character’s inner life.
Why do DOINGS matter? Because behaviour never lies. Words can be controlled, calculated, and even deceptive — but your physical actions always reveal the truth.
Think about it: Do you fidget with your hands when you’re nervous? When you’re avoiding a painful conversation, do you suddenly focus on stirring your coffee? When you’re trying to stay in control, do you grip the chair a little too tightly?
DOINGS show us what you’re thinking and feeling. They make a scene layered, alive, and specific. And when combined with the right Place & Fourth Wall, they don’t just fill the space — they make the space feel real.
Actors who use DOINGS truthfully create performances that feel human, unpredictable, and impossible to look away from.
The dialogue running through your mind that never gets spoken out loud.
Your Inner Monologue is the dialogue running through your mind that never gets spoken out loud. It’s the raw, unfiltered truth — the thoughts that are too vulgar, revealing, insecure, or politically incorrect to say.
Why is this important? Because in real life, we don’t say everything we think. We filter. We hold back. We second-guess. And yet, these unsaid thoughts constantly drive our emotions, choices, and behaviour.
Your Inner Monologue gives depth to your performance because it’s where the real fight is happening. It’s the war between what you want and what you need to say to get your objective.
A weak actor only plays the lines. A strong actor plays the thoughts underneath them — the ones that threaten to break through but never quite do. That tension is what makes performances electric, unpredictable, and alive.
If your Inner Monologue is clear, you’ll never just be saying words — you’ll be thinking, feeling, and fighting for something real. And the audience will feel it. Make inner monologue your new best friend, and your performances will resonate with everyone who watches them.
The history your character carries in, made personal to you.
Your character doesn’t exist in a vacuum. They have a history, just like you do — a lifetime of experiences that shape how they think, feel, and behave in the present moment.
Understanding your character’s Previous Circumstances means diving into what has happened to them — the experiences that define why they need what they need and how they fight to get it.
I am not referring to ‘backstory’ or ‘journaling’ — you are not the writer. Your job is to bring the person in the script you have in your hand to life. And everything you need to know — all the evidence — is about making it personal to you. Who and how they are, and why they’re like that.
To truly live the role, you must personalise the character’s Previous Circumstances through your emotional truth. What in your own life helps you understand this character’s pain, love, loss, hunger, or joy? What can you borrow from your own experiences to make their world real?
Because just like in life, it’s your past that shapes your present choices. And when your character’s past is fully alive in you, every action, every thought, and every word will come from a place that is authentic, human, and undeniably real.
The preparation is done, so you stop steering.
The Chubbuck Technique may use an actor’s intellect, but it is not a set of intellectual exercises. It’s a technique designed to create actual human behaviour — full of grit, texture, layers, and rawness. It’s about truly living the role, not performing it.
But here’s the key: You can’t live in the moment if you’re stuck in your head.
To be spontaneous and alive, you must trust your work with the previous eleven tools (inside the classes, I’ll teach you exactly how to rehearse each layer by yourself, step by step, so you know you’ve got it in your body!) and then let it go.
That means releasing control, getting out of your own way, and allowing your gut instincts to take over (because you’ll be so connected you can act from the gut) — this is where great acting happens.
It’s the difference between an actor thinking about their choices and an actor so in the moment that the audience forgets they’re acting at all.
LET IT GO. Trust the work. Live the role. And watch what happens.
The Chubbuck Technique will give you a process you can rely on.
Steps one to five are the foundation, and they’re where you start in The Chubbuck Intro. The rest is built on top of them in The Studio Class.
Step one, on a real film
Ivana Chubbuck — how Eva Mendes used Overall Objective in Training Day.
One scene had no dialogue. The other had about five lines. People came out of that film knowing who Eva Mendes was — and it was built on step one.
“We see that so often in movies where you have a small part and the person’s not doing anything with it — because they didn’t make it about a journey of significance.”Ivana Chubbuck
What the work does
Ivana Chubbuck — how Brad Pitt got his first agent.
It wasn’t even his audition. He was doing a friend a favour, so he came in and prepared it properly anyway.
“He has no resume, big agency. That’s really unusual. Because of the work.”Ivana Chubbuck
Harrison came to me for a self-tape. Last time we worked on one together, he got the job. Do the work, get the work.
Proof
“The right substitution and the right objective changed everything. When we figure it out and talk it through and find the right ones, it’s a game changer.”
Tom Panto“Always follow your objective. Your objective will lead you from the start till the end and will find the essence of the scene.”
Tim Erimkhan“Having someone coach you through that, because there’s so much more that we learn here that’s not in the book.”
Jordan Whitby“It has steps that genuinely help and make you feel like you’re always in the right steps, or going in the right place.”
Jade VertannesWherever you are right now
Ivana Chubbuck — on Brad Pitt starting out, and Sylvester Stallone coming back.
Brad Pitt came to her at the very beginning and did whatever he needed to do to be able to take class. Stallone came to her as an icon, to keep learning.
“You should never, ever stop learning. There’s always something to learn.”Ivana Chubbuck
What you get from me
I can guarantee you time, attention, honesty, and exact instruction on what to do, what to change and what to focus on next.You put the hours in.
Learning it in London
What you get here is the format: Ivana’s monthly L.A. studio system, six actors, a full hour on the floor with your scene, every single class — one teacher, every class.
The book
The book is where she explains why. The Power of the Actor — an L.A. Times bestseller — is essential reading for any actor serious about their craft. To attend class you’ll need to have read the first four chapters. The revised and updated edition came out in April 2025, with new stories and fresh exercises. Get that one.
Three ways in
Join group class. Six actors, a full hour on the floor with your scene, and material I’ve chosen for you. Start with the Intro.
The Intro — £97.50 →Book a 1-2-1. We’ll work the material together and get your tape where you want it before you send it.
Audition coaching →To use it by yourself, join the six-week intensive. One to one with me on Zoom, wherever you are.
The Intensive →Common questions
No. Method acting asks you to become the character and stay there. This asks you to use your own life as fuel for what the character is going after, and then put it down at the end. You go home as yourself.
Every actor here says the same thing: the structure is what lets you stop thinking on the floor. You make the decisions before you speak, and then you can let go and surprise yourself. That’s Step 12, and it’s the point of the other eleven.
Personal, but safely. We work with unresolved issues, not trauma — a frustration, a heartbreak, an apology you never got. Something with a live charge that hasn’t been settled.
No. The book tells you what to do. Experiencing exactly how to do the exercises, on your feet, on your own scene, is what makes it click. That’s what the Intro is for.
A repeatable order of operations for a script you’ve never seen, with a deadline. Most training is built around exploration; this gives you the process to go with it.
No. Group class is in Hackney, and the six-week intensive is one to one with me on Zoom, wherever you are.
I do. Ivana invited me into her teacher-training programme in 2021. Meet Rich →
Or £45 today, then three monthly payments. Six places, and the dates for the next two groups are on the booking page.
Registration opens on the 1st of every month. The mailing list hears first.