Last week, we shared the six acting techniques every actor needs to know. It’s common for actors to use these techniques to develop their own system, but some of our favorite stars say they don’t use any technique to prepare for roles. In the words of Laurence Olivier, some actors need only to “keep their eyes open and get on with it.”

Comedian and Comedy Central show-runner Amy Schumer told Backstage magazine that, even though she did attend a Meisner acting class, she doesn’t need time to learn a character before becoming one.

“The way I audition now, I just treat it like a rehearsal. I treat it like I already have the role and I’m just going to rehearsal,” Schumer said.

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When asked about his chosen methods for stepping into a role, Nice Guys star Russell Crowe quipped that he’s not even sure what different techniques most actors use.

“I use the Russell Crowe method,” Crowe told a crowd at the Cannes film festival this month. “I have never been to drama school.”

“I don’t even know what the Stanislavsky method may be,” he continued, “and I don’t care to know… Seriously, it’s not that complicated. If you want to be an actor, work it out yourselves.”

Surprisingly, Susan Sarandon’s personal technique also has nothing to do with formal acting. The 69-year-old told Interview that she needs a peaceful moment to transform into a character, which she likes to call “mooding up.”

“I never really studied acting so I kind of kiddingly talk about ‘building your circle’ and ‘mooding up,’ because I really didn’t learn any technique. But sometimes when you have to go into something, unless you’re gifted and can just turn it on and off like a jukebox, you find someplace where there’s nothing going on to get yourself into whatever state your character is entering into,” Sarandon said.

Sarandon doesn’t take her work home with her. She believes that, unless you’re memorizing lines, there’s no need to focus on a character when you aren’t on set.

“I don’t think you can plan. I don’t like to plan. Very often, for me, acting is like loving; it’s using the muscle that you use in loving, in that your heart feels open. Physically, you feel open. And so therefore your job is to enter, open, and listen. And see what happens.”

Unless you’re Susan Sarandon — and the odds aren’t in your favor — you should still study these six essential techniques every actor can learn and develop from. And if for some reason  they don’t feel authentic then perhaps you should try “mooding up,” Susan Sarandon style.