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Finally, somebody has gone out of their way to recognize the “little man” (and little woman) — the character actors that fill out casts and make the great movies of our time what they are.

The Wall of Underappreciated Actors

The Wall of Underappreciated Actors has been constructed over at Colin Timberlake and it is indeed a collection of respectable veteran character actors with a history of consistent and strong performances.

These are the types of actors you should pay attention to in your own viewing. Keep an eye on the choices they make with otherwise ordinary lines and how they are able to take a sometimes miniscule role but make you remember them nonetheless.

The following clip shows Robert DeNiro’s appearance on Inside the Actors’ Studio. The star of Goodfellas, The Godfather Part II and Taxi Driver shares some of his wisdom acquired from decades at the pinnacle of his industry.

Inside the Actors’ Studio: Robert DeNiro

The following videos are from an instructional volume from Oscar-winner Michael Caine, called Acting in Film. The man requires little introduction, but some of his many notable works include The Man Who Would Be King, The Cider House Rules, and more recently, The Dark Knight. For now, we won’t mention Jaws 4: The Revenge.

The man is one of the virtuosos of the modern era and shares some tips and tools that have helped him to achieve the phenomenal success he has enjoyed in the industry. He covers various facets of acting, from emotional truth to eyelines.

Michael Caine: Acting in Film

When Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro met on screen in the 1995 film Heat, it was the culmination of a long wait by moviegoers everywhere. The following clip is a discussion of the memorable scene in which the two finally cross paths and meet face-to-face.

The scene, and their approach to their characters as a whole, are discussed by Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, co-star Jon Voight and director Michael Mann.

Heat: Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro

Here we are with another tip from the ActingResource.com acting school.

It’s not all that often that you’ll get to see behind the scenes footage and outtakes like this, with respect to A-list actors. But opportunity arose when director Brett Ratner welcomed The King of Pop Michael Jackson onto the filming grounds in the midst of production on Red Dragon.

The cast was aware of his visit and Ralph Fiennes, while filming one of his scenes, takes the opportunity to bring a bit of light and spontaneity to his scene with Emily Watson. The magic moments happen at 1:35 of the following clip.

Under normal circumstances, this could have been a wasted take, but as you will hear later in the clip, Ray Fiennes and Emily Watson simply picked up the take from that point and used the energy to their advantage. The moral of the story: Stay loose. Surprise your scene partner. Revel in the unexpected rather than fearing it.

Keep acting fun. Even if you’re playing a mutant sociopathic serial killer. Especially if you’re playing a mutant sociopathic serial killer.

Red Dragon: Michael Jackson Day

Matthew Fox has made on-screen contributions to a number of noteworthy projects, including Party of Five, We Are Marshall, and Vantage Point. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll pretend Speed Racer never happened.

Anyway, Matthew Fox was well-experienced in his craft by the time his audition for the soon-to-be-network-phenomenon series Lost came his way. And the following footage shows how he capitalized on the opportunity and earned himself a larger spotlight than he had ever enjoyed to that point in his career.

Audition Tape: Matthew Fox in “Lost”

Once again, at the Acting-Resource.com acting school, we delve into the repository of successful audition tapes to give you a look at what works in the casting room. In this case, good energy makes a significant contribution to carrying the day and securing a notable television role. Here, we get to be a fly on the wall as Alexz Johnson secures her place in the cast of Instant Star.

Audition Tape: Alexz Johnson in “Instant Star”

Here we get to look into the audition room, and witness a creative technique for making your auditions appear spontaneous and natural. Try it in each of your next ten auditions and get back to me with the results…if you haven’t been permanently blacklisted after your fourth performance. If it works, include me in your Oscar speech.

Mr. Show: The Audition

It’s a long way to go from LiveLinks commercials to the female lead in the biggest show on network television, but Evangeline Lilly made that transition. Here, we get a glimpse into the audition room, and the opportunity to witness how she capitalized on the audition process and secured her position on Lost, with one of television’s most coveted roles in recent years.

Audition Tape: Evangeline Lilly in “Lost”

In the following two clips, Matthew Modine visits the New York Film Academy and provides the audience with an acting master class. Among the many items on Matthew Modine’s resume are roles in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, Robert Altman’s Short Cuts and Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday. Of late, he has provided television viewers with a recurring role in Showtime’s Weeds.

NYFA: Master Class with Matthew Modine