Author (updated edition), The Power of the Actor: The Chubbuck Technique -- The 12-Step Acting Technique That Will Take You from Script to a Living, Breathing, Dynamic Character
This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with legendary acting coach Ivana Chubbuck, author of the updated edition of the best-selling book The Power of the Actor: The Chubbuck Technique—a groundbreaking 12-step method that transforms scripts into raw, vibrant, and deeply human performances.
Ivana opens up about her early dreams of becoming an actor in Hollywood and the frustration she felt with overly theoretical acting books. Determined to create something truly useful, she developed a technique rooted in behavioral science, psychology, and cultural anthropology—designed to help actors channel their pain, fears, and insecurities into powerful tools for performance and personal transformation.
She shares insights into her own difficult childhood and how acting became a way to reclaim her voice. What began as a modest 20-page guide evolved into a popular book, now in its updated edition, influencing not just actors but anyone seeking to harness their emotional truth.
In this intimate and inspiring conversation, Ivana discusses why real growth demands hard work, how understanding both light and dark emotions is essential for authentic storytelling, and how her unique philosophy helped shape stars like Sylvester Stallone. Most of all, she reminds us that whether on stage or off, we are all storytellers—and there's always more to learn.
Ivana Chubbuck is the creator of the widely adopted Chubbuck Technique, an acting method taught in universities and in accredited studios all over the world. Her students — Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Gal Gadot, Sylvester Stallone, Eva Mendes and Shia LaBeouf, among thousands — have gone on to win major awards, including Oscars, Emmys and Tonys. She lives in Los Angeles, where she runs the Ivana Chubbuck Studio. Her daughter, Claire Chubbuck, an award-winning filmmaker and Chubbuck teacher, is the legacy for furthering Ivana’s mission of empowerment through the arts.