Acting International

Acting International

Acting International
Motto	"L’art de l’acteur au cœur du monde" ("The art of acting at the heart of the world")
Type	Private drama school
Established	1980
Founder	Robert Cordier
Director	Irina Vysotskaya (since 2004)
Address	55 rue des Alouettes, 75019 Paris
Website	https://acting-international.com

Acting International is a private, bilingual drama school located in Paris, France, offering multidisciplinary actor training in both theatre and cinema. Founded in 1980 by director Robert Cordier, the school combines classical and contemporary approaches to acting and welcomes students from over 30 countries. ^[1]

Overview

Acting International describes itself as a professional training center for actors with over 40 years of experience. The school offers instruction in both French and English and emphasizes the development of a complete actor through interpretation, improvisation, movement, voice work, and camera technique. ^[2]

History

Founded in 1980 by American director Robert Cordier, the school was created to integrate acting methodologies such as those developed by Stanislavski, Lee Strasberg, Grotowski, and Meisner. The aim was to provide an international and cross-cultural learning environment. ^[1]

Since 2004, the school has been directed by Irina Vysotskaya, a writer, screenwriter, and director with an international profile. Her novel On the Edge and her play Programs have been adapted into award-winning screenplays, recognized at festivals including the Cannes Film Festival, New York Movie Awards, Toronto International Film Festival, and others. ^[3]

Programs and productions

The school offers several internal production initiatives: ^[4]

• Series production: Original web and TV series are filmed with second-year students. The series Acting International won awards in 2025 and is submitted to international platforms including Amazon Prime, Tubi (Fox), Plex, and Roku.
• End-of-course showcase: Final-year students perform a professional show staged at the Théâtre d’Acting International and partner theaters in Paris, in collaboration with Compagnie Étoile sans Nom.
• Carte Blanche: Students co-produce their own stage projects with faculty oversight. Recent works include the 2025 showcase of Mademoiselle Julie.
• Stand-Up to Acting: A student-driven original stand-up performance series, filmed and distributed online.
• Screenplay Festival: Original scripts selected from a student competition are filmed as part of the Studio Master program and submitted to international festivals.
• Casting and reel services: Students create professional demo reels, participate in casting workshops, and receive professional photographs and videos as part of their portfolio.

Notable alumni

Acting International’s alumni have appeared in internationally recognized productions across cinema and television:

• Julie Gayet – Select Hôtel, Delphine 1, Yvan 0 ^[5]
• Keira Knightley – Boston Strangler, Atonement, Pirates of the Caribbean series ^[6]
• Daniel Craig – Knives Out, No Time to Die, Logan Lucky ^[7]
• Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once, Avatar: The Way of Water ^[8]
• Milla Jovovich – Monster Hunter, Hellboy, Resident Evil series ^[9]
• Denis Ménochet – As Bestas, The French Dispatch ^[10]
• Hippolyte Girardot – The French Dispatch, L'Astronaute ^[11]
• Elodie Yung – Gods of Egypt, The Hitman’s Bodyguard ^[12]
• Camille Claris – Mystère à Saint-Tropez, Mon Bébé ^[13]
• Denis Ostier – Exodus (2025) ^[14]

Faculty

The teaching staff includes active professionals from theatre and cinema. ^[15] Among them are:

• Crystel Amsalem
• Daria Konstantinova
• Julian Eggerickx
• Marcio Darocha
• Elena Serra
• Antoine Lorenzi
• She Dea
• Michael Correia

References

1. "The School – Acting International". Acting International. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
2. "1st Year Training – Acting International". Acting International. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
3. "Irina Vysotskaya – About". Acting International. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
4. "News – Acting International". Acting International. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
5. "Julie Gayet". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
6. "Keira Knightley". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
7. "Daniel Craig". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
8. "Michelle Yeoh". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
9. "Milla Jovovich". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
10. "Denis Ménochet". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
11. "Hippolyte Girardot". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
12. "Elodie Yung". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
13. "Camille Claris". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
14. "Denis Ostier". IMDb. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
15. "Our Team – Acting International". Acting International. Retrieved 25 July 2025.