Although very complex, one of the basic goals of the Stanislavski system was to portray a believable, natural character on stage. This notion was a striking contrast to the thespians in 19th century Russia. Most of the actors during that era spoke in a grandiose tone, and gestured in an over the top manner. Stan helped to change much of that. In many ways, Stanislavski is the father of today's style of method acting, a process in which actors immerse themselves into their characters as much as possible.