I purchased this book in hopes of reinvigorating my curiosity and love of acting. I haven't been in a class for a while, I graduated from grad school almost ten years ago and I was looking to find another viewpoint and learn something I was unfamiliar with. "Another tool in the box", as actors say.
Look, I am struggling if I should be honest about this because I believe the craft of acting seems to be a dying art form in the TikTok age. No one seems to want to actually learn the honored and valued tradition anymore. So to poo poo on this book seems as though it's not helping the cause.
However, if I were to take the scene Loughlin uses twice (repeating the same scene on different pages), the transcription of another actor's words, the name dropping of actors talking about how great this technique is, the intro of how great this technique is and how it will change my life... I pretty much have a 10-15 page essay of this technique. It felt like Loughlin was trying to write a paper and her professor said the word quota was a book... I don't understand why one would promote their book and technique when I've already bought the book. You don't need to sell it to me anymore. I'm sold. Now just get to work. I honestly don't understand why she just doesn't do what Uta Hagen did: bring in some cameras to a couple sessions, go through her technique and sell those. It would have been a lot more helpful.
For those actors who are trained: it's the same stuff. Make bold, specific choices, relax, search the text for clues, ask the whys and hows, and be in the moment.
For those who have an interest in acting: Have fun. This is an incredible tool to help you have a solid foundation in the craft of acting.
This technique isn't revolutionary. It's basic acting principles dressed in semantics.