Upen Patel has been away inu00a0 Los Angeles brushing up on his acting skills.

He has enrolled himself for a refresher course at the Institute of Lee Strasberg Theatre.

Constant learner

Upen is happy to admit, "I am a firm believer that one doesn't stop learning ever and so, am doing this course. You have to clear auditions to get into this course and only if they are impressed, do they pick you for this class. I got in and now I just randomly go for a monthly or a two-month workshop."

Learning?

Of course, there is the question of how much Upen will really learn by attending a class every now and then. That doesn't seem to bother Patel, "There are 20 students in the class and the classes go on for five hours, seven days of the week. We do specific workshops on improvising, reading of scripts, collective memory etc.

They also teach different techniques and unusual acting skills. I have now decided to go to Lee Strasberg at least twice a year to brush up my acting skills." We are waiting to see the results...

Notable Alumni
Robert DeNiro
Al Pacino
Alec Baldwin
Dennis Hopper
Scarlett Johansson
Matt Damon
Angelina Jolie
Julia Roberts
Ray Ramano
Mickey Rourke
Uma Thurman
Julianne Moore

Other Indian actors who cleared the course
Ritiesh Deshmukh
Ranbir Kapoor