Master the Chubbuck Technique: How to Build Powerful, Honest Characters

The Chubbuck Acting Method, created by acting coach Ivana Chubbuck, is a practical and emotionally grounded approach to acting that helps performers create truthful, powerful, and motivated characters.

While some popular acting techniques focus mainly on emotional recall like Stanislavski technique or Meisner method, the Chubbuck Method blends both inner and outer work to help actors use their real lives as fuel for performance.

There are in total 12 steps in the Chubbuck technique, we summarized it into 4 main steps.

Step 1 of the Chubbuck Method: Define Your Overall Objective

In Chubbuck’s view, every character is trying to win something, it can be love, power, freedom, recognition, or safety.

This focus on winning is what makes the acting method dynamic. Characters don’t simply sit in sadness or anger, they use those life goal as motivation to take action.

Once the actor knows this objective, it becomes easier to understand every choice the character makes.

Step 2 of the Chubbuck Method: Identify the Obstacles

One of the unique elements of the Chubbuck Method is the focus on obstacles that prevent the character to achieve his goal that we just mentioned above.

Instead of avoiding personal fears or insecurities, actors are encouraged to face them and even use them.

If a character feels unworthy of love, the actor might tap into moments in their own life where they felt the same.

These obstacles help create complexity and depth, allowing the performance to feel more human and relatable.

Step 3 of the Chubbuck Method: Apply the Substitution Principle

At the heart of the Chubbuck Method is the idea of "substitution."

This means replacing the fictional people and situations in a script with real people and real experiences from your own life.

For example, if your character is begging someone not to leave, you might substitute that character with a person you once deeply cared about, someone whose approval or love mattered to you.

By doing this, the emotions become authentic rather than forced.

Step 4 of the Chubbuck Method: Break the Scene Into Beats

Now that you have the objective, the obstacles and the subtitution principles in mind, it's time to break down the script into beats, or units of action.

Each beat has its own smaller objective that moves the character closer to their overall goal.

For instance, in one beat a character might try to charm someone, in another beat, they may shift into guilt, humor, or confidence to get what they want.

By breaking scenes into beats, actors stay active and motivated, rather than simply reacting.

Why does the Chubbuck method work?

In the end, the Chubbuck Acting Method trains actors to use their personal experiences in a productive, forward-moving way. It creates performances that feel honest but also energetic and filled with purpose.

Because of its clear structure and emotional depth, the Chubbuck Method is widely used by actors at all levels : from beginners taking acting class in Act Attack to major Hollywood performers.

Its simplicity and practicality make it an accessible method for anyone seeking to bring more authenticity and strength to their acting.