Meet new Entertainment Studies instructor Jeffrey Stubblefield! Jeffrey will be teaching Acting Workshop: The Meisner Technique this winter. He is a television, film and theater actor with supporting roles in the features Ted 2, Nesting, and Pedestrian. He also held recurring roles in Good Trouble, Desperate Housewives, Robert Townsend’s Diary of a Single Mom, Women’s Murder Club, Without a Trace, and The Practice, among others. He studied with famed Meisner teacher William Esper in New York.

We sat down with Jeffrey and asked him 5 questions to get to know more about him and his course.

What about teaching for Entertainment Studies are you most looking forward to?
My teacher, Bill Esper once said, “A connection with one’s impulses is one of the most important things an actor can develop because who you really are is revealed by your spontaneous impulses. Not the ‘you’ that you’d like to be or the ‘you’ you think another person wants you to be. I’m talking about your true self.” With that in mind, I’m most looking forward to helping students lose their self consciousness as performers and to get them in touch with what really makes them tick. The wonderful thing about this technique is that it requires the student to really use themselves and in getting in touch with their truthful impulses, a spontaneous, truly unique voice emerges.

What do you hope students get out of your course?
I hope my students emerge with the confidence and skills that will enable them to to express themselves as actors with spontaneity, authentic emotion and the utmost sense of truth.

What is one thing you want students to know before they begin your class?
One thing I want my students to know before they walk into class is that it’s about process over product. 

What are you watching or listening to these days that you are enjoying?
I’ve been watching some stuff on Netflix. I particularly like the show, “Living With Yourself” with Paul Rudd. I’ve also started rewatching “Breaking Bad”. The writing and acting is too good not to revisit. Also looking forward to seeing the new Scorsese movie. 

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to break into your field?
My best piece of advice is that it should always be about the work. It’s not about wanting to be a star, it’s about wanting to be better at your craft.