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Inside Inside

by James Lipton

3.57 · rating details · 159 ratings · 49 reviews

An unqualified hit (Library Journal) that offers behind-the-scenes close-ups of hundreds of celebrated artists from the founder and host of Inside the Actors Studio.

Paperback, 512 pages

Published October 7th 2008 by NAL Trade (first published October 18th 2007)

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Aug 15, 2010

Pat rated it

· review of another edition

This is a struggle of a read. As a fan of the tv show Inside the Actor's Studio; I was excited to read this. However, Lipton's pedantic approach to over-telling a point has been a hurdle. Given that, the story of the origins of the Studio; as well as his personal history has been enlightening and his revealing stories of a wealth of actors, writers and directors is worth the sometimes convoluted trip.

As I continue, my previous feelings haven't changed. I find it ironic that he sta...more

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Oct 08, 2011

Devlin Scott rated it

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Shelves: my-companions

Some readers thought this was supposed to be a 'tell all' about the Actors Studio and its guests. They may have been confused by the 'Inside, Inside' title. Anyone who has seen James Lipton's interviews should know that he isn't a gossip monger but, is actually in search of the creative process and how it is born and develops in his guests and students lives. This book is an excellent 'tell all' about his creative development throughout both his life and the guests and students he's encounter...more

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Jan 25, 2009

Meg Goertzen rated it

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Recommends it for: Actors, Directors, Playwrights, Theatre/Film Lovers

As an actor, I found this book invaluable.

Anyone who has see "Inside the Actors Studio" is familiar with James Lipton the interviewer, but this book reveals James Lipton the person, and his incredibly exciting life. It does not solely serve as his autobiography, however; through the stories of his life Lipton chronicles the forming of The Actors Studio and along with it the Masters program associated with it. He includes wonderful accounts of working with some of the most ...more

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Feb 09, 2010

jill rated it

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Shelves: memoir

My edition of An Exaltation of Larks lacks a group term for "anecdote," and, since this book proves the necessity of having one, I am inventing my own. James Lipton's life has provided him with a coma of anecdotes.

This results in some very interesting stories but also an eye-roll of name dropping. (Making these up is so much fun!) When the stories are good, they are very very good, but Lipton seems reluctant to leave anyone out. I'm not sure James Lipton has met any you...more

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Mar 27, 2009

Margaret rated it

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Shelves: theatre, memoir-biography

I’m slightly surprised to be giving this book four stars, but then, it was a slightly surprising read. Somehow it hadn’t occurred to me that the James Lipton I know as the host of Inside the Actors’ Studio - pedantic, ponderous, sycophantic, unctuous – might be in fact a highly developed and detailed character performance, carefully designed to get the optimum result from his guests. As it turns out, behind that persona there is (a) an extremely good sport (pace Will Ferrell) and (b) a brillia...moreI’m slightly surprised to be giving this book four stars, but then, it was a slightly surprising read. Somehow it hadn’t occurred to me that the James Lipton I know as the host of Inside the Actors’ Studio - pedantic, ponderous, sycophantic, unctuous – might be in fact a highly developed and detailed character performance, carefully designed to get the optimum result from his guests. As it turns out, behind that persona there is (a) an extremely good sport (pace Will Ferrell) and (b) a brilliant, multidisciplinary intellect driven by a passion for culture as a whole and theatre in particular, who has played almost every role you can think of in the creative process of performance. (You will not BELIEVE the photos of him as a young leading man starting out in New York…)
Lipton’s life beyond the Actors’ Studio has been a rich and in some ways astonishing one, both in experience and accomplishment, of which I’ll just say that equestrian show-jumping is NOT the most unexpected! Because the book is structured around the people and experiences he feels have most influenced him, it has a pleasantly rambling, picaresque quality, flashing back and forth between different periods of his life, but anchored by regular returns to the stage of the New School and his personal most memorable moments from his interviewing years; there’s plenty of wisdom on offer (his own and many others') about culture, art, and what he firmly and unabashedly refers to as the “craft” of acting. As one might expect, his writing style can be a bit formal and 19th century – with appealing self-awareness, he starts right off with a reference to David Copperfield - but it’s always eminently readable and often very funny. Like all memoirists, he doesn’t entirely avoid the inevitable trap of “hey, let me tell you something else amazing about me,” but the reality is he has had kind of a fascinating life among notable people, and it’s hard to play that down all the time when it’s just how things are.
And going back to that Interviewer Lipton Character: whether you love or hate his style, for fifteen years he’s elicited some of the most extraordinary and self-revelatory conversations ever with most of the notable creative artists of our time, a remarkable archive for the cultural record (remember that the hour or so that’s broadcast is only about a third of the interview that’s filmed live), so we have to give that performance a pretty good review – he must be doing something right!
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Sep 09, 2009

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

The most interesting part of this book is found in all of the ideas and quotes of Lipton's self-professed "Heroes": the actors who have appeared on his show and revealed their emotional guts to students and a nation of TV watchers.

The least interesting part of this book, (unfortunately much larger in comparison), is all of the name-dropping, self-important bloviating by the author.

Lipton's prose style is about as freewheeling as a loaded train in a swamp bog- j...more

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Jan 22, 2011

Travis McClain rated it

· review of another edition

Like many people, I was largely familiar with James Lipton from his hosting duties on Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio series and sporadic appearances on Late Nite with Conan O'Brien. I've long prided myself on my vocabulary, so Lipton has existed for me on a particularly high pedestal; he's one of those few people who bandy about uncommon words with such ease that it does not feel pretentious or condescending. It's rare enough to find someone who will challenge the anti-intellectual strain of...moreLike many people, I was largely familiar with James Lipton from his hosting duties on Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio series and sporadic appearances on Late Nite with Conan O'Brien. I've long prided myself on my vocabulary, so Lipton has existed for me on a particularly high pedestal; he's one of those few people who bandy about uncommon words with such ease that it does not feel pretentious or condescending. It's rare enough to find someone who will challenge the anti-intellectual strain of the masses and rarer still to find someone who does it with such ease and familiarity with the English language. In other words, this is a particularly well told story.

Lest you fear that Inside Inside is little more than a wordy exercise in linguistic excess, Lipton's had quite the life to discuss. There are passages of his time spent living in Paris that are among the most page-turning tales I've read yet--and you should know that last year, I read The Sexual Life of Catherine M. His experiences within the various fields of acting (as an actor, ballet dancer, producer, writer and director) offer great insight to that world, and he does not hesitate to invoke remarks quoted by A-list stars to complement his thesis. When you can cite Paul Newman as a reference, you've got some serious credibility when you're talking about acting.

Lipton's relationship with his estranged father dominates the book, and this anchors the tome. Time and again, Lipton explores not only his own circumstances, but includes discussions he has had with other folks about their relationships with their parents. It should come as no surprise that he dedicates no small amount of time to remembering time spent on stage interviewing Angelina Jolie. In the hands of so many others, their frank conversation would be passed off as celebrity gossip; in Lipton's capable hands, it becomes a genuinely touching exploration of a very universal theme of the human condition.

There is one thing I feel compelled to note here, and that is that when I first set out to read this book earlier in the year, I had great difficulty concentrating long enough to absorb more than a paragraph at a time. As it happened, I was also having a difficult time absorbing vitamin D; my tested levels were at 5.1 nano-grams per milliliter, far below the 34 recommended minimum. It's hard to read a work of this caliber under those circumstances, and it took me nearly nine weeks to finish. I suspect my enthusiasm would have been more forceful had I been able to dedicate myself to reading this in earnest, and I consider it a credit to James Lipton's sensibilities as a writer that his verbose stories sustained my attention at all during those weeks.(less)

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Feb 15, 2010

Deborah Edwards rated it

· review of another edition

Those familiar with the show "Inside the Actor's Studio" will know the author of this book as the host of that show. The book's title suggests that we will encounter a book filled with the details of Lipton's discussions with the actors/directors/musicians he has interviewed over the years, and perhaps new details of their approach to craft. Several chapters do indeed deal with this subject matter and often the material offers rare insights that can be translated to any creative pursui...moreThose familiar with the show "Inside the Actor's Studio" will know the author of this book as the host of that show. The book's title suggests that we will encounter a book filled with the details of Lipton's discussions with the actors/directors/musicians he has interviewed over the years, and perhaps new details of their approach to craft. Several chapters do indeed deal with this subject matter and often the material offers rare insights that can be translated to any creative pursuit. As a poet, I often see parallels in the actor's craft pertaining to creating a backstory for a character. The pursuit is meant to lend specificity to the character, hopefully translating to a greater universality in the way an audience relates to the character. When Lipton sticks to the words of the actors as they discuss the way they craft a role, this book is bright and engaging and can even spark a greater understanding of interpersonal relationships on a larger scale.
Sadly, though, much of the book has nothing to do with "Inside the Actor's Studio" and more to do with "Inside the Ego of James Lipton" and that is a massive place populated with every famous brush with greatness he has ever had, every celebrity he has ever shared a room with and every accomplishment worthy of his own self-congratulatory pat on the back. Yes, Mr. Lipton has had a very interesting life and met some very famous people, and all of that could have been truly fascinating had it been an exercise in letting us have an insight into their lives rather than a vanity piece dedicated to each time Lipton was mentioned in a conversation or every clever thing HE ever said to THEM. The need for approval was so desperate at times it became embarrassing.
Some autobiographies transcend the details and become about something more, something with which the reader can identify, a story the reader begins to share on a more meaningful level. For all his immersion in the world of people who create connections and tell greater truths for a living, Lipton himself seems to have no understanding of that human element in his own writing. Lipton's life and background contain fascinating characters and some really interesting occurrences. They could have made for a powerful accompaniment to the details of the show and the talk of craft. Instead they became an unwelcome source of tedium as I skimmed in search of the next excerpt relating to craft and creation. Five good chapters in a book containing far more chapters than five. Maybe Lipton should have put the details of his life into the hands of a writer trained under his tutelage. (less)

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Oct 27, 2009

Lani rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: biography, non-fiction, own

Favorite James Lipton facts:
- He's married to Miss Scarlet.
- He was a pimp in France.
- He was a nationally competitive equestrian.

This is a pretty difficult book to review... The first third of the book is largely about Lipton's pre-Bravo career. I suppose if I knew more about earlier eras of film and the entertainment industry this could have been fascinating. But I find Method acting to be irritating - successful or not, its practitioners are always annoying as he...moreFavorite James Lipton facts:
- He's married to Miss Scarlet.
- He was a pimp in France.
- He was a nationally competitive equestrian.

This is a pretty difficult book to review... The first third of the book is largely about Lipton's pre-Bravo career. I suppose if I knew more about earlier eras of film and the entertainment industry this could have been fascinating. But I find Method acting to be irritating - successful or not, its practitioners are always annoying as hell. The occasional snippet from the show would slip in, or an account of time spent with Bob Hope, or some interesting trivia would catch my interest. I was mostly bored.

And then... suddenly the Drama School is created, along with the TV show. The creation of the School and show is actually pretty interesting. What a shockingly unique idea! The rest of the book is largely recounts of various moments from the show. With over 200 episodes, it covers some highlights, many of which weren't aired on TV. Humor, tragedy, and interesting patterns emerge from the talents that appear on stage. I had no idea such a wide array of people had done the show. My one season of viewing (even though I watched a LOT of Bravo that year) barely scratched the surface.

Mostly this book made me want to watch the show. Without cable, one of the few networks I miss is Bravo, and this show is one of the biggest reasons. I spent a large chunk of my last year of college parked in front of the TV crocheting and watching Inside the Actors Studio and 2 episodes of the West Wing every day. Sadly, there aren't seasons of the show out on DVD. It's a shame, this would probably be one of very few shows that I would be willing to invest a couple hundred dollars in.

Until I got to the second half of the book I was pretty bored and annoyed. Lipton is as pompous as he is often portrayed, though by the end of the book I'm more willing to tolerate it. Before I read this I had little understanding of WHY James Lipton could sit on stage and hound these talents. I now have a better sense of who Lipton is, his range of skills, passions, and successes make it a lot more reasonable and his cockiness more well-deserved. By the end, I'm left really liking Lipton, and really missing the show.

Highly recommended to any fan of Inside the Actors Studio, though I'm not sure there's much of a point if you haven't seen the show. The book is a good repository of industry talk (not just gossip), but I suspect most people who are interested in these discussions of craft are probably already fans of the show anyway.

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Jul 26, 2008

Bev Sykes rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography, show-biz

I decided I have to review this book in three sections. I found it a little difficult to get into because the erudite Lipton can be rather pompously pedantic and I could not proceed at my usual lickety-split pace. But once I slowed down and began to savor the writing and immerse myself in Lipton's own incredibly varied story, and learn about Stanislavsky, "The Method," and the foundation of The Actors' Studio, I was hooked and could not put the book down. My journal entries reflect ...more

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Sep 15, 2009

Lena rated it

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Shelves: memoir

James Lipton is the host of the Bravo network's Inside the Actor's Studio, a show in which performers and directors discuss their lives and craft. Inside Inside is Lipton's account of the events in his life that lead him to found the show and a reflection on some of the program's most memorable moments.

The subject matter of the book covers three primary sections. In the beginning, he discusses his relationship with the Actor's Studio and the founding of its Drama School, of which t...moreJames Lipton is the host of the Bravo network's Inside the Actor's Studio, a show in which performers and directors discuss their lives and craft. Inside Inside is Lipton's account of the events in his life that lead him to found the show and a reflection on some of the program's most memorable moments.

The subject matter of the book covers three primary sections. In the beginning, he discusses his relationship with the Actor's Studio and the founding of its Drama School, of which the show is a part. He includes here some historical information on acting and explains why the Stanislavski method in which the school is based was so revolutionary. These discussions were particularly interesting to me as they made sections of the show in which actors discuss these subjects more accessible.

From there, Lipton moves back in time to trace the events in his own life that led him to the position of founding the Actor's Studio Drama School. Lipton has led a remarkably charmed life, and the stories he tells include entertaining musings on the soap operas that supported him and many other Broadway actors, the odd series of events that led up to his writing of the best-selling An Exaltation of Larks, fascinating glimpses of careful cultural negotiations during his production of Bob Hope's Road to China special in the early days after Nixon's visit, and how he came to be married to Miss Scarlet from the Clue board game.

In the final section, Lipton revisits some of the 200 guests who have been interviewed on the show, telling behind-the-scenes stories of their visits and recapping some of the highlights. As an avid watcher of the show, some of these snippets were already familiar to me, but others came from segments of the four-to-six hour interviews that didn't make it into the 45-minute television program. This section also includes a particularly fascinating gender analysis of the answers to the Pivot question "What is your favorite curse word?"

Whether or not one will enjoy reading this book will depend on two things: their level of interest in the performing arts, and their tolerance for Lipton's particular quirks of self-expression. There is no question that the man has a lot of interesting stories to tell, but his writing can mirror the overwrought, fawning tendencies for which Will Ferrell has so infamously pilloried him on SNL. Lipton has learned, however, to turn these potential weaknesses into strengths; the sections in which he recounts his own interview by Ferrell-as-Lipton and explains the series of events that led up to him dancing with the Horny Manatee on Conan O'Brien are particularly entertaining. Whatever else one might say about James Lipton, it's clear he has a sense of humor about himself.

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Aug 21, 2009

Michael rated it

· review of another edition

I only know of James Lipton from his cable program "Inside the Actor's Guild." Lipton's biography gives him credibility to interview the different entertainers that he has on his show. His experience in the world of entertainment (and I mean a variety of entertainment genres) is fascinating. A great book if you enjoy getting insights on how people have become successful in the entertainment industry. He also includes insights he gained through his interviews with premier entertaine...more

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Dec 31, 2011

Joy rated it

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Who knew there was so much more to the gentlemanly interviewer of Inside the Actors Studio? A first class account of James Lipton's life, well written, alternately serious and crack-you-up amusing. We learn that TV airs only about 20% of the stars' visits to the school, and Lipton knows the rest. A fascinating account by a man who himself has an astonishing array of talents.

I timed this read well. Bravo is having an Inside marathon the day after Christmas. I'm firing up the recorder....more

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Mar 08, 2009

Suzy rated it

· review of another edition

The first read was a library book and I HAD to get my own copy as soon as it was in paperback. I can't believe how much I learned from new words, foreign words, information on "The Method" and Stanislavski to fun stories about many, many actors. VERY well-written and my review doesn't cover much I know, but I don't write reviews as much as my opinions on books.

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Jul 02, 2011

Steven rated it

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I enjoyed the way James Lipton segwayed from his childhood to now. It is interesting to know how some of our most renowned actors, musicians, directors got their start and what they faced (some being harsh realities). They open up alot especially those who are private. I found to be an interesting read. The beginning was slow, but it became very fascinating.

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Mar 13, 2008

Nick rated it

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Who was James Lipton before he became known to millions as the incredibly pompous questioner on Inside the Actors' Studio? He was a ballet dancer, an actor in soaps and on Broadway, a writer and producer of soaps, a producer of presidential galas and Bob Hope specials, an expert on veneral terms, and a pimp. He has apparently met, slept with, or had a drink with every single famous person you've ever heard of. And he's been in really embarrassing positions with most of them -- or they have wit...more

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Jun 13, 2009

Amanda rated it

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Shelves: pop-culture, biography-memoir

Don't get me wrong - James Lipton can come across as a pompous jackass, and I sometimes wonder if he uses certain words just to prove that he can. But in the end, he has a fascinating life history and put together a read that I found myself really enjoying and looking for spaces in my day where I could read more (always the sign of an interesting one). As a fan of the show, I liked the history of the show and the school as well as the actor anecdotes sprinkled throughout.

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Sep 27, 2011

Leypeople rated it

· review of another edition

I picked this up expecting it to be interesting. Let's say there is a reason it was on the discount table. I kept reading hoping it would get better. It never did. Sadly disappointed with a book that had possibilities to be good. Don't waste your time.

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Jan 15, 2009

Bunny rated it

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Shelves: read-in-09

I really really enjoyed this book. For fans of ItAS, they might not have enjoyed the celebrity interview tidbits as much as I did, because I haven't seen a lot of the interviews he talked about. It's also really nice to see his personal take on things, and what happened in the green room.

Unlike the other reviewers, I really enjoyed the personal stuff. James Lipton seems like a guy I'd like to have a conversation with. Though some of the words he used in this book made my eyes cross. ...more

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Nov 18, 2009

Christine rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: bios-and-memoirs

Lipton is so endearingly prolix that you can't help but be lulled by the rhythm of his words! Inside Inside makes me appreciate actors, writers, and directors so much more. Lipton observes how in no other occupation does a person set him/herself up for rejection countless times every year as in the performing arts. How poignant! How true! As the pages I had yet to read kept reducing in number, I had to fight my eagerness to read quickly (because the information was just so intoxicating!) ...more

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Oct 06, 2009

Megan rated it

· review of another edition

While James Lipton is verbose and academic, he always comes across as purely genuine and informative. And he is never dry. A fascinating look at his life, the work of the Actors Studio and its school, and the craft of acting.

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May 09, 2011

Mopar1195 rated it

· review of another edition

Yup, I am an entertainment junkie. I especially like the selection of interviewes that James Liptons picks. I always seem to miss this show this one looks like a greatest hits of all his interviews. LOVE IT!

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Jul 30, 2010

Elizabeth Bonfield rated it

· review of another edition

I felt guilty - like I was reading a celebrity magazine but actually there is a lot of good insight from the interviews that he highlights. I skipped all of the parts about Lipton himself.

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Jan 10, 2012

Lisa Kindberg rated it

· review of another edition

If it were called Inside - James Lipton it would have been aptly named. Frankly I was looking for more about the studio and its members and less about James Lipton touting himself.

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Jul 31, 2011

Deborah added it · review of another edition

Mostly a fun read. Lipton writes elegantly and employs some nice vocabulary words. I especially enjoyed the penultimate chapter about the president of the New School for Social Research.

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Aug 03, 2011

Tina Pegar rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography

I was fascinated. There were so many stories. I always wondered about his life and how he got to Inside The Actor's Studio and this told it all. What a great giant book.

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Feb 18, 2008

Rachel rated it

· review of another edition

This is an interesting book and a fast read. It is amazing what Mr. Lipton has done in his life and who he knows. Almost the entire arts world is HIS world. The language leaves lots to be desired. He quotes many actors who he defines as 'potty mouths' and he's not kidding about that! He himself doesn't have the cleanest language (not in the writing; when he's quoting himself) which really surprises me. I guess I'm pretty simple thinking that people who are so immersed in great literature and the...more

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Feb 07, 2009

Sundry rated it

Recommends it for: Anna

Shelves: memoir, nonfiction

Although I haven't watched _Inside the Actors Studio_ regularly for a long while, I really love what happens on the show.

This book is part memoir and part a history of The Actors Studio Drama School and of the show. It's a bit uneven. Sometimes it was a little slow going, sometimes I was absolutely riveted.

Lipton does come off as pretty egocentric sometimes, but it's forgivable considering that the man has had an amazingly varied career and has hobnobbed with some of ...more

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Apr 23, 2009

Linda rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Linda by: started over 1-21-09 (originally 5-19-08 to 6-4-08 when I left i

Shelves: cmpl

A wonderful memoir by James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor's Studio on Bravo. Lipton's life has been truly blessed - and he realizes it. He left his native Detroit to become a lawyer. Obviously, he never got there, but the detours he has taken along the way have made the man and the show what they are. What you see IS what you get. James Lipton reads the way James Lipton appears on screen. If you like seeing him, you will enjoy reading him. He is an intelligent, multi-faceted, altruisti...more

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Dec 21, 2009

Laurie rated it

· review of another edition

Creator and host of Inside the Actors Studio.
very, very, very detailed.
He has had a most interesting life.

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About James Lipton

James Lipton is an American writer, poet, and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series, Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994. He is also a pilot and a member of AOPA.

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