Knowing lines _that_ well, to the point where they're "in your DNA", is pretty much what Anthony Hopkins does. And he's a bloody good actor if you ask me.

Essentially, acting is all about reacting :)

Those books are 100% in focus.

Wow. You really know how to catch your audience. that was not only a video, that was a performance Thank you very mush sir

I think this applies not only to acting, but all the conversations we have! Captured my atention, and I'm not an actor. Just a guy trying to improve my abilites to talk and connect with people!

I think you can see it too as: Don't fill in the person opposite you. Let the person fill in himself/herself.

You make them feel that they're important, their thoughts and reacts to your actions

had the privilege to have received a lesson from John, was a lot of fun and I did in fact learn a thing or two about acting, great guy

One of the best lessons ever! Learn the lines that well so you can be engaged and really listen and really react. Wonderful.

Great to have youtube these days you don't need to waste a lot of your money on classes, did not have this when I started out 25 years ago thank you john.

The reaffirmation of this is giving me confidence in my instincts, thank you

So the actor who forgot his line’s didn’t know them in HIS DNA.

Sir John Windsor-Cunningham, that may have been the best film reel I have ever seen. I almost feel like I don't want another acting class. Watching this a few hundred times will suffice. British actors are much more involved, more present, more intimate, more interesting, more multi-layered and depthful as people, better listeners and hence much better than American artists. You sir are an incredible talent.

This was recommended to me on my youtube page. I'm not a actor but I watched the video and just thought wow, that's wow.

THANK YOU!!!! The most important lesson for acting and Improv. Loved how he delivered this, with the pauses. I will remember this special share. Something about him grabs you in.

I watched this video a year ago and now i came back here because i suddenly figured out the psychology behind it : we have 2 thinking models: autopilot and actual thinking. they are called system 1 and system 2. most of our lives we think and live in autopilot. we barely use system 2 because it is extremely tiring, we use it in situations in which we never found ourselves before, or solving problems that are above our autopilot limit but it's not all to it--- having your subconsciousness engaged is also a key because otherwise you won't look authentically. subconsciousness is responsible for how we truly and actually feel. it can awake system 2. and it can also work other way around - by purposefully explaining to ourselves why we need to do something - it can awoke our excitement. (it also can happen as a background process which we don't realize) so basically when he wasn't listening he was using system 1 aka autopilot, but by hearing statements 'you are not listening to me' his curiosity or distress were provoked and it made him finally use system 2 to find out what actually his deal is (i hope it's helpful

Fantastic advice. I have always believed in becoming the character and my lines are not only learned, but are things that I (as the character) would actually say in a given situation. This sometimes means improvising, which some directors don't like, so I find other ways of improvising. Not to add words to the script, but to add body language. Now I will say, I have had no professional acting jobs as of this time, and hope to start an acting class soon. However, having always had a fascination with acting, I have done little things among friends. Sometimes acting characters they wrote themselves.

I am trying to develop the craft of fiction writing. In order for my dialogue to come off well, and for my characters to shine, I thought I might look to acting. A character drives the whole story. You could have a terrific plot, but if characters are poorly developed and not well represented, with dialogue portraying the emotion of the moment, the story is rubbish. Nobody will wish to read them. In any good story, the characters drive everything. And you've got to think, exactly how would character A say this to character B? I think the only solution is to act it out and see what happens. I thank you for your video, this advice of yours can apply to far more in life than just acting!

I can't fully comprehend what he is truly saying. On the outside it seems like he is saying just listen but I feel there is something more.

And that is what we call 'being in the moment'. Thanks for the upload!

this video is him applying the technique that he's at the same time teaching. he creates a problem between 2 opposites (in this case listening and not listening) and resolves it at the complete end so you end up listening all the way.

As my tutor always says "acting is reacting."

Wow. Blown away simply by the personality that's expressed by the man in the video. It was soo interesting to watch...

what an epic story "YOURE NOT LISTENING TO ME" now i need to snap one off

This man is quite amazing. As a voice actor getting back into it after almost a decade away, I am refreshing and adding to my skills (one can never know it all). I am mesmerized by John. Subscribed immediately. I want more! Thank you sir.

Thank you for this, when I’m acting I’m usually only focused on my next line and not what my scene partner is telling me, this was a great eye opener!

He took this in so much he went on to do amazing work.

Oh my god and he even portrays a such a vivid picture, bravo.

When he got serious about me listening to him I was observing him.

Yes, great story. I'm not an actor but am trying to understand actors as I have to photograph them. And this helps a lot, so thanks. But talking of photography, a small well-meant tip: perhaps ask your cameraman to focus on your face rather than the books in the background.

I was listening for the fourth time John. Thank you!

There is great value in this, not just for actors. Thank you John.

You made that story really vivid, and I think I only now understand the advice that some people give that listening is the most important element of acting. Thank you.

Yes it was a good story. You're right, listening is a precious art. Sounds like you found a great friend who also was a great teacher. I hope I can be aware of this when it happens. On another note, one evening while emotionally preparing for a scene on stage a fellow actor just as I was about to go on stage came up to me, took me by the shoulders, shook me and said, "Are you ready Pete?!" completely snapping me out of my preparation. Lesson learnt, I should have used that disruption to fuel rather than distinguish my anger for the scene, as the scene demanded a great deal of outward as well as inward anger. Thank you.

Thank you so much for these videos. i am finding them very useful and also very entertaining to watch.

The subtlety was not lost on me - thanks John :)

I appreciate your acting so much

Listening, what a key element! I appreciate this!

Truly amazing and admirable. Thanks for being so helpful.

Great story ...... thanks for sharing it !

pure gold

Very good, your acting just got better and better as you listened more and more

Totally agree with you John. have been in a situation like that where had just foucsed on memorising and delivering my lines but during time have learned the art of listening. I only enjoy acting while I'm listening and then reacting. Thanks John For Sharing This. It Is Really Helpful For New Actors!!!

Sounds like emotional attunement. The deepest gift we can give

Thank you!!! Quick and succinct. Excellent!!!

Thank You John for sharing..makes perfect sense!!! LISTENING!!!:)

I’m truly going to learn what listening is. - The crazy thing is that this was uploaded on my birthday 🙃👌🏽, so now I feel like it’s something that I definitely need to better myself in my acting.

I totally agree with what was said and with the title of this clip.

Awesome. OMG...That's exactly what I needed, Thank You so Much!!! I totally get it!

It's a great story!, very interesting to apply on your life at all levels.thank you

Greatest advice ever.

So good and important John! Thank you!

Brilliant advice, every word is true.

Thank you for sharing...

WOW, very powerful advice! Thank you for sharing.

solid good chap, thank you for uploading.

this actually helped me so much, thank you!

I caught this 2 years ago when it had only 12 views or so. It's an excellent clip, as wereare/ your other ones :)

Dear John. I am a musician, and I am applying the most powerful principle of this lesson to my musicianship. This may well be the best music lesson in the world too! Many thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Great story mate! Thanks for the lesson.

Great video, I'll take this and make it my own, thanks for helping me improve my passion.

at the endish it gave me goosebumps awesome!

i love this man.

You're Awesome Sir.

Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge with us, I deeply admire you Sir, thanks again.

Fantastic.

Thanks for all your acting tips.

Important advice from John Windsor-Cunningham. I’m a big believer in memorizing lines well, without any preconceived expression, so I can listen and react truthfully in the moment. The DIALOGMASTER PRO rehearsal app has been soooo helpful with the memorizing and rehearsing of lines. It’s making the preparation process much easier, so I don’t have to think about my lines, I can just focus on what the other characters are giving me to react to. Thanks for uploading this 🙏🏼

Wow..Thank you!!

If it were upto me I'd have this man called Sir John Windsor-Cunningham. This one video of yours truly helped me 3 years ago, when I was given the chance of a lifetime to play lead in an indie film opposite some really seasoned actors. The sheer weight of it all was enormous, until I came across this gem of yours on youtube. Thank you, Sir John WIndsor-Cunningham

wow!!! thanks for this.

Title justified ...i knew it but now i knew it more ..thanks a lot and the story was superb

Amazing technic! Will apply to my next audition.

Bravo Sir!Right on!

Brilliant!

Thank you.

fantastic video very inspirational.

Gorgeous man, I must say.

radiating and receiving... that's all there is

So true, the art of good speaking is good listening. Listening with the brain and not with our ears it takes years of practice for many of us. I personally learned how to really listening through years at an big commercial airline call center and later while studying Meisner and applying it to scripts.

Love this guy

I met the great Erick Avari a couple years ago and he told me of the importance of listening for actors. That's why I'm happy to have tajen the time to listen to this story as it enforces the exact same idea.

Thanks a lot sir.

You seem a very wise man sir, that was a very helpful tip i understood evertthing : ) thankyou.

So good.

Thank you so much💯💯

Very good advice. Very interesting man too! Hope to work with him one day.

You are right. In other "entertainment-videos I would grab my phone and get bored. But you got me listening and had my attention

I got what you saying😃 and I will apply to my skills. Thank you for your input

Good advice!!....great story!!

Wow! That is amazing. Wow

Dear Mr. Windsor-Cunningham, Thank you for giving me this opportunity on YT to learn more. I have subscribed and will soak in your knowledge and experiences. Grateful.

Meisner technique 101....Great Advise. Thank you

This is great, thanks :)

The most important lesson , ever given by someone.

Bravo !

This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing what you’ve learned that we need to learn. It would’ve been even better with apple pie to share … cherry pie, too. ❤️ Really listening to hear what someone is saying is hard in everyday life as well. ❤️ Sending love to open hearts and ears, from Mississippi

Thank you much!

Ahhh i admire you so much! One-day i will give a shout out to you so loud that you would hear it from the other side of this planet

he looked deep inside my soul