If you are over 30 years of age, you may remember a programme called Roseanne. It was an American sitcom that was massive in the ’80s and ’90s.

The programme centred on the life of Roseanne and her family. Roseanne’s sister was played by an actress called Laurie Metcalf. She played the role very well and I always liked her as an actress.

Well, as luck would have it, Laurie is appearing in the West End at the moment in one of my favourite plays, Long Day’s Journey Into Night. This is a classic written by Eugene O’Neill, the American playwright. I have always loved this play. It’s a heavy drama that all actors should read and see.

The performances were very good but Laurie was in a league of her own. The funny thing about being in a sitcom is that you don’t get to see the other sides of the actors’ ability until they branch out.

You have to see Laurie in this role. She is truly outstanding. It’s a very difficult part as she plays a paranoid middle-aged woman who is addicted to morphine. The play actually reflects O’Neill’s own life. In fact, he did not allow for this play to be published until after his death. It’s that autobiographical. When you see the play, you will understand why – it’s a very dysfunctional family.

This play is very difficult material for an actor to navigate, so go and watch it. You will learn a lot.

Gary Oldman – recently seen in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (a film I highly recommend you see) has been awarded with a career tribute award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Here is Gary’s advice to actors, which is something I tell my students all the time!

“ If I have any advice for young people or young actors, do your homework, know your lines, and get there on time, actually get there early!”

I read an article about Denzel Washington’s Method approach to acting on his new movie with Ryan Reynolds and thought you would like to read it.

I keep telling people all the best actors use The Method – and here is the proof.

Ryan is being given a masterclass by Denzel on The Method, whilst actually filming. In my experience, you don’t want to leave it that late before learning it!

Here is the article: http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_ryan-reynolds-finds-denzel-washington-s-method-acting-endearing_1617306

On Wednesday I met with Dev Patel at The Groucho Club. In case you don’t know Dev, he played the young male Indian lead in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

It was interesting because very quickly it became apparent to me that he possessed many of the traits successful actors demonstrate.

He was enthusiastic, positive, polite and a joy to be around.

You benefited from being in his company. How many people can you say that about?

This is something I bang on about all the time. It’s not enough just to be a good actor you have to be charismatic and the best way to develop charisma is to cheer up. Be energetic and happy, it’s often construed as charisma.

People don’t want to be around pessimistic people with a chip on their shoulder. If you were at a party and came across such an individual you would run a mile.

It’s no different in the acting industry. As an actor you have meetings with agents, casting directors and directors and you need to develop your personality so that they are attracted to you. Simple as that.