Chubbuck Alumni

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HALLE BERRY

“Ivana Chubbuck is the premiere acting coach of the twenty-first century. Her astute knowledge of the human condition, coupled with her ability to translate that insight to her students, is remarkable. Ivana’s innovative methods of teaching both complements and rival those of the great teachers of the past. Her philosophy transcends what we once knew about the art, and forces actors through their own catharsis to discover authentic ways of bringing the complexity of life to the screen and stage. Under Ivana’s tutelage, the course of my career and depth of my work have changed dramatically.”

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CHARLIZE THERON

“I finally went to a class in Los Angeles with this wonderful teacher, Ivana Chubbuck. Ivana taught me how to take my emotions and take everything that has happened in my life, and use it to make me an effective actor. The stakes have to be high – so it was really an interesting place for me to stand on my feet and fall on my face many times.”-Quote from Charlize Theron on “The Actor’s Studio”

SYLVESTER STALONE

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“She just began to break me down, and I went, “Wow.” Because it’s almost as if certain acting habits become calcified and, before you know it, you’re like a piano player with one finger. You keep hitting that same note over and over again. She right away got into really subliminal, exploratory personal chambers that I wanted to keep closed. Like my son’s death. I said, ‘I really don’t want to go there, I really don’t want to talk about that. She said, ‘Well, that’s what needs to come out. You need to express that. This is what this character is dealing with, that kind of loss, that kind of grief.”
- from Sylvester Stallone on NPR.

IVANA

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AUBREY PLAZA

“Judd Apatow introduced me to Ivana [for the movie Funny People] and I’ve worked with her on every role since. She has always encouraged me to take risks and push boundaries with my work. She has taught me that my fears, insecurities, neurosis and generally all those things that make me one screwed up human being — are actually the elements that make the substance and journey of the characters we create together — unique and special.”

IVANA

PAMELA ANDERSON

Ivana taught me “the physics of vulnerability.
She taught me to fly, to turn my messy life into interesting work — it is my heartfelt blessing to have studied and worked diligently with her. Ivana’s technique is my miracle.”

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TRAVIS FIMMEL

Ivana has taught me that a character’s intentions are best revealed within behavior, that behavior can contain the layers and richness of their pain, desperation, and need. Because, words can lie, behavior tells the truth.”

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IVANA

BEYONCE KNOWLES

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“… playing Etta James for a movie called, ‘Cadillac Records’. She was a heroin addict, which I felt would be difficult for me because I’ve never done any kind of drugs. But Ivana has an exercise that she’s developed that makes you feel like you’re actually on heroin. We worked on one of the scenes that Etta has to be very stoned on heroin, and not only did I feel organically high, but it brought up emotions that made sense to someone who needed to take a drug such as this – something to eliminate emotional pain. My emotions were very raw, yet I felt high. It was a unique experience, for sure.”