text: 'Secret stuff': Ivana Chubbuck, 62, is a part therapist and part acting coach, known as the 'celebrity whisperer' She is known as the 'celebrity whisperer', a woman whose astonishing skill in honing Hollywood talent made an icon out of a man who used to stand on street corners dressed as a chicken. Today, Brad Pitt is known the world over. Ivana Chubbuck's client list includes Eva Mendes, Charlize Theron, Gerard Butler, Halle Berry, Sharon Stone and many others. So powerful are her methods, she reduced Beyoncé Knowles to tears within five minutes. And within months, the singer was topping the charts with Single Ladies. Part therapist, part acting coach, and very Hollywood, Chubbuck, 62, runs a hugely successful drama school in Los Angeles. She hosts workshops around the globe, as well as in the wood-panelled library of her £3 million home. Beyoncé went to Chubbuck when she was about to play legendary soul singer Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records and was looking to be taken seriously as an artist. Despite her professional success, Beyoncé was also at what she termed 'a pivotal point' in her life. 'I'm about empowering people,' Chubbuck told The Mail on Sunday in a rare interview – one which goes much further into her methods, and her clients' responses, than she usually allows. 'Beyoncé is a black girl from the South, that is her world. Like everyone else on the planet, she has issues. But once she faced those issues and realised she could use them in a positive way in her art, she flourished.' Apparently it's all about the 'secret stuff' that Chubbuck's clients tell her. Certainly it is well known that Beyoncé's relationship with her domineering father has been fractured for years. 'I told her to open up, to really get in touch with her feelings and what was going on inside her,' Chubbuck said. 'She started to feel her secret stuff and we start having a dialogue about it and she became emotional. We were crying together. She tapped into that well of pain inside her. 'She rang me up after we'd worked together on the movie and said, 'Listen to my new record – it's all the stuff you taught me.' And that's when she came out with Single Ladies and all the great female empowerment songs. The little pop star turned into a global icon.' When we meet at Chubbuck's home, model and actress Eva Mendes is just leaving after a three-hour 'intensive session' for her new movie with Ricky Gervais called Special Correspondents. Clients: Chubbuck works with some of the biggest names in show business including Beyonce (left) and Eva Mendes (right) Eva's Prada dress in pale orange . Shop the designer at Saks Fifth Avenue! Visit site . Esmeralda! We LOVE it. And we've a feeling little Esmeralda might be a little style icon in the making, just like her mum. So what that in mind, it's time to revisit one of our favourite Eva Mendes looks. This woman can wear what she likes. Even in bold shades of orange she still manages to look flawless, which is why we've decided to take some autumnal inspiration from this premiere perfect look. She wore this orange Prada dress back in March of 2013, but we still can't quite get over it. It's floaty, feminine and gorgeous. Eva teamed this orange number with a lighter hue satin shoe, which added another texture and dimension to the look. We would definitely suggest a strappy, metallic heel with this. So, if you're keen to update her look for the new season, check out our pick of the best colour-popping dresses (below). We'll be donning Mango's layered mini dress with a leather biker jacket to see out the summer in style. Mango Chiffon Ruffle Dress . Visit site . Boohoo Laura Curve Column Dress . Visit site . Bec & Bridge Isis Angle Dress (now on sale for $178!) at Revolve . Visit site . Carven Crêpe de Chine Dress at Barneys . Visit site . So what did that amount to? Mendes said: 'Ivana's technique could be boiled down to: take the pain in your life and find the most effective way to accomplish a goal with it.' In other words, your guess is as good as mine. Mendes continues: 'It helps you understand humanity – what drives someone to do what they do, good or bad. It's not painful… it's cathartic.' Chubbuck first met Brad Pitt when he was working as a promoter for a fast-food restaurant dressed in a chicken suit, and tells a story of a young man so driven by a desire to succeed that he had no life aside from acting. Today, he is still a client and Chubbuck worked on his most recent movie, Fury. She made an icon out of Brad Pitt, who when she met him was working as a promoter at a fast-food restaurant dressed in a chicken suit . 'Brad always had a work ethic that put others to shame,' Chubbuck said. 'He studied and worked. I would pair him up with a partner and many of those partners would ask to be changed because Brad wanted to rehearse a scene three, four, five hours a day. He was dedicated to his craft. He had no social life. He had his stupid job and the rest of the time he was studying with me. 'For the major talents, fame is never the driving force. Brad worked his butt off, he's taken risks over the years and when he fails he gets back up and works harder. He makes bold choices and isn't afraid to fail.' So what is the secret? Chubbuck says her technique is based on delving into your 'deepest, darkest past' and then using those negative feelings to positively portray a character on screen. Some of this is outlined in a best-selling book The Power Of The Actor (Gotham Books) which has been translated into 18 languages. Stars such as Kate Bosworth, Camilla Belle, Elisabeth Shue and Mendes have given the tome glowing reviews. Mendes said: 'It is my bible – I don't leave home without it.' Chubbuck recently returned from a working trip to London and says the phenomenon of British actors dominating Hollywood (Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Craig) is 'because Brits have a great work ethic and are not afraid to take risks or make fun of themselves'. Do her celebrity friends such as Matthew Perry, James Franco and Jake Gyllenhaal ever expect star treatment? 'Bottom line is they are with me to work,' Chubbuck says. 'Celebrity goes out the window. I'm about stripping them bare. The one thing I have learned over the years is that all of us have the same needs and wants as human beings. 'It doesn't matter if you are in London or the Philippines. There's a shared human story – we all want love, we all have issues with our spouses or partners, with our parents. The key thing is taking the bad stuff and not being a victim. 'You have to use that stuff to empower yourself.'
target: Ivana Chubbuck, 62, is known as the 'celebrity whisperer' and hones talent .
  She's a therapist and acting coach and runs a drama school in Los Angeles .
  Chubbuck counts Beyoncé, Eva Mendes and Brad Pitt among her clients .