“I came to L.A. thinking I was going to be the next Al Pacino,” Montes said with a laugh. “I had no idea how difficult it would be. I thought if you worked hard at something, you’d make it. But I didn’t know anyone who loved acting more and got fewer opportunities.”
Being proactive, Montes took matters into his own hands and in 1987 created The Artist Theater Group. Originally, it was a collaborative space for actors, writers, and directors to work on projects together. No teacher, just pure collaboration. But two months in, a friend pulled him aside and told him, “Tony, this is too chaotic. Everyone respects you. You should just teach it.”
Reluctantly, Montes stepped into the role of teacher, but something clicked. “I became the type of teacher I wish I had,” he reflects. Teaching became a passion.
The Montes Method blends ideas from Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Michael Chekhov, while incorporating lessons he’s learned from life. Through his exercises, actors focus on six key principles. One: Listen. Two: Live truthfully. Three: Live moment to moment. Four: Don’t live in the past. Five: Detach from the result. Six: Enjoy the journey. Montes credits Meisner for the first four points and Charlie Laughton (a Strasberg-trained coach) for the last two. Montes explains, “At first, these were just acting tools, but I realized they were also a recipe for how I should be living my life.” Not everyone will become an actor, but the principles he teaches are for everyone.
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