MasterClass Acting

MasterClass was founded on May 12, 2015, by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen, launching with just three inaugural instructors: James Patterson for writing, Dustin Hoffman for acting, and Serena Williams for tennis. Rogier's vision was to create a platform where the world's greatest practitioners would teach their craft directly to students through cinematic, beautifully produced video courses — a concept inspired by his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, who taught him that education is the one thing that can never be taken away. The platform quickly became a cultural phenomenon, attracting A-list talent across dozens of disciplines and raising hundreds of millions in venture capital. For actors, MasterClass represents something unprecedented — the ability to sit with Oscar, Emmy, and Tony winners as they break down their creative process in intimate detail, filmed with the production quality of a documentary. The acting curriculum has grown to include courses from Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Mirren, Jodie Foster, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Amy Poehler, Judd Apatow, and Kevin Hart, among others. With over 200 celebrity-led classes and 3,500 individual video lessons across all subjects, MasterClass has established itself as the premium tier of online creative education.

In 2025, MasterClass continues to expand its acting library with new instructors and updated content added monthly. What makes MasterClass fundamentally different from other online acting platforms is the caliber of its instructors — these are not coaches or teachers but the actual working artists whose performances have defined generations of cinema and theater. Natalie Portman's 20-lesson course covers emotional preparation, vulnerability, and the interior work of building a character from the script up. Samuel L. Jackson teaches how to craft memorable, commanding characters and shares insights from a career spanning over 150 films. Helen Mirren — winner of the Oscar, Golden Globe, Tony, and Emmy (the rare 'triple crown plus' of acting) — shares her approach to research, text analysis, and the art of working with directors. Jodie Foster's course focuses on the director-actor relationship and the technical craft of screen performance. Ron Howard teaches directing but includes invaluable lessons on what he looks for in actors' performances. The courses function less like traditional classes and more like extended masterclasses with genuine masters — you are getting the creative philosophy, personal technique, and career wisdom of artists at the pinnacle of the profession.

Each MasterClass acting course follows a consistent format: approximately 20 to 30 pre-recorded video lessons, each running 10 to 20 minutes, presented in a cinematic style with Hollywood-grade production values. Students also receive downloadable workbooks containing exercises, assignments, supplementary reading, and reflection prompts designed to help internalize the instructor's teachings. The courses are entirely self-paced — you can watch them on any device, at any time, and revisit lessons as often as you like. There is no live interaction with the instructors, no peer feedback, and no assignment grading — this is purely observational learning from the instructor's perspective. New users sign up through the MasterClass website, choose a subscription plan, and immediately gain access to the entire library. The platform also offers an audio-only mode for lessons, allowing students to listen during commutes or workouts, and Plus and Premium plans include the ability to download courses for offline viewing.

The daily experience of studying acting on MasterClass is akin to watching a beautifully produced documentary about your favorite actor's creative process — deeply inspiring, rich with insight, but fundamentally a passive learning experience. Each instructor's course has a distinct personality and focus: Steve Martin's comedy course is structured around his decades of stand-up and film experience, Amy Poehler emphasizes finding your comedic voice and the improv-to-screen pipeline, and Kevin Hart shares the business and performance strategies that built his career. The workbook exercises push students to apply the instructor's concepts in their own practice, but there is no mechanism to receive feedback on that work from the platform itself. The production quality is genuinely exceptional — lessons are shot on atmospheric sets with professional lighting and editing, making the viewing experience feel elevated and special. MasterClass regularly adds new content, and the acting library continues to grow as the platform signs new instructors. Students who consume the courses actively — taking notes, pausing to try exercises, and discussing insights with scene partners — get dramatically more value than those who simply watch passively.

MasterClass's acting courses attract a wide audience — from serious aspiring actors who want to study the philosophies of their artistic heroes, to working professionals seeking inspiration from the highest levels of the craft, to hobbyists and film enthusiasts who are simply fascinated by the creative process of great performers. The platform's universal appeal means that students range from teenagers exploring acting for the first time to mid-career professionals looking for a fresh perspective. Because MasterClass courses are taught by performers rather than teachers, the content tends to be more philosophical and experiential than technical — you learn how Natalie Portman thinks about a role, not how to execute a specific Meisner repetition exercise. This makes MasterClass most valuable for actors who already have foundational training and can contextualize the instructors' insights within their own practice. The platform does not replace scene study, coaching, or technique classes, but it provides a layer of creative mentorship that is virtually impossible to access any other way.

MasterClass offers three subscription tiers in 2025: the Standard Plan at $10 per month ($120 per year), the Plus Plan at $15 per month ($180 per year) for two users with download capability, and the Premium Plan for up to six household members. Promotional pricing frequently drops these rates to $5 per month for Standard, $7 per month for Plus, and $10 per month for Premium — so timing your subscription to coincide with a sale can save significantly. All plans grant unlimited access to every course on the platform, not just acting — so your subscription also unlocks classes in writing, filmmaking, music, cooking, business, and dozens of other subjects. There is no per-course fee, and all content is available immediately upon subscribing. MasterClass offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers, making it risk-free to try. Compared to other online learning platforms, MasterClass is priced at a premium — but the caliber of instructors is unmatched, and the unlimited access model means you can study every acting course on the platform for less than the cost of a single private coaching session.

MasterClass is best used as a supplement to hands-on acting training rather than as a replacement for it — if you are an actor who already has foundational technique from scene study, coaching, or conservatory training, MasterClass provides a layer of creative inspiration and artistic mentorship that will elevate your understanding of the craft. It is particularly valuable for actors who want to study the creative philosophies of specific performers they admire — watching Natalie Portman articulate her approach to emotional preparation will change how you think about your own process. For actors at the very beginning of their journey, MasterClass can be a wonderful introduction to the art form that inspires you to pursue formal training, but it should not be your only education. If you are looking for practical, feedback-driven training that will directly improve your audition skills, self-tapes, or scene work, you need a platform with live instruction and coaching — consider ActingStudioOnline, The Actors Pulse, or in-person classes instead. For the price of a single coaching session, a MasterClass subscription gives you access to insights from the greatest actors alive, making it one of the most cost-effective investments in creative inspiration available.

Watch each acting course in full from beginning to end rather than skipping around — the instructors build their ideas sequentially, and the cumulative effect of watching a complete course is much greater than cherry-picking individual lessons. Take detailed notes and pause after each lesson to try the exercises in the workbook, ideally with a scene partner — the active application of concepts is where the real learning happens, not in the passive viewing. After completing a course, revisit key lessons periodically as you progress in your career — insights that did not resonate when you first heard them may become profound once you have more experience to contextualize them. Take advantage of the unlimited library by studying courses outside of acting — Ron Howard's directing class, Aaron Sorkin's screenwriting course, and Hans Zimmer's film scoring class will all deepen your understanding of the collaborative art form you work in. Time your subscription to coincide with a promotional sale, as MasterClass frequently offers 50 percent off annual plans — a few weeks of patience can save you $60 or more.