Will Farrell and gang...

[MikeC10305]

Will Farrell along with many other actors tend to play the same character in every film.... Whats the deal? Will SMith is also an example of this... he shyed away from Big Willie style in some films, but he still tends to have that feel. I feel like actors today arent chamellion like enough to adapt to many roles.... Think of an Orson Welles who wrote directed and acted in his films..... WHy has the quality of talent in Hollywood gone south?

[Mattykins]

It's something called TypeCasting. And when there is a specific niche to be filled, it is filled by the first option and normally first pick typecast actor they can find. Which normally produces results. It is capitalism on typecast personality.

The market is there, the talent is there. So fill the niche, make money.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Will Smith shouldn't be lumped in there.
The Pursuit of Happyness, Ali and Six Degrees of Separation proved that he has some serious chops.

[Ming]

Will Smith shouldn't be lumped in there.
The Pursuit of Happyness, Ali and Six Degrees of Separation proved that he has some serious chops.

Thanks, beat me to it.

My favorite example is Sam Jackson. He's a pefectly capable actor, but his Jules Winnfield character is so amazing that that's the character I wanna see whne I see Sam Jackson. When I first heard he was going to be in the Star Wars prequels I remember the site I read it on joking about his Jedi character being played like Jules Winnfield. Looking back he should have played it like Jules Winnfield because that character was utterly forgettable. What Samuel Jackson roles come to mind when I think of Sam Jackson?? Let's see:

1. Jules - Pulp fiction
2. The Long Kiss Goodnight - Mitch
3. The Incredibles - Frozone

More later perhaps gotta get back to work.. the point being... I like a certain character from this actor

[Ted Spencer]

As far as I'm concerned, for the most part, acting in Hollywood movies has never been better. Aside from a few great, superbly acted classics like "Citizen Kane" as you mentioned, or "It's A Wonderful Life" and some others, IMHO most movies from the so-called "Golden Era" are surprisingly poorly acted by modern standards. I've made quite an effort to watch lots of them recently in my ongoing efforts at self-education in filmmaking, and there is a lot of very, very bad acting (again, by modern standards), especially in secondary roles, in some that are even considered "classics".

There's plenty of poor acting in modern films too - don't get me wrong. But actors are much more likely now to be trained better at acting realistically. Even in the 40s and 50s, many film actors were still steeped in a very mannered, planned approach to their performances. Many were also very much stage actors first, and played "larger than life" style, which works much better on stage than screen. Far fewer popular actors do that now.

Regarding Will Smith, I too disagree. I think he's a fine actor with plenty of range. Nonetheless, like all actors, he's generally going to get cast in certain kinds of roles. Only actors who specialize in deep characterizations, like Dustin Hoffman (especially earlier - Tootsie, Midnight Cowboy, Rain Man) tend to go very far afield from what one might generally expect.

As for Will Ferrell, well I simply don't get it. He's not a bad actor in general, IMO - I liked him in "Stranger Than Fiction" - but I think his comedic skills are way overrated. I'm sure he laughs all the way to the bank though...

My $.02

[Tom Marshall]

Acting, in gereral, was bad and stagey according to today's standards until Brando came along and really changed everything.

[Ted Spencer]

And where he did it, according to many film historians, was his performance in "On The Waterfront", which was released in 1954.

[Tom Marshall]

I would say it was in Streetcar, personally. But that's just my opinion.

[Brian Parker]

I gotta agree with Ted, Tom, and the rest. I've watched a lot of classic films and a lot of black and white films in general and the acting is very stagey. Is it me or did the majority of actresses, no matter their character's background or regional origin, use the same damn near British accent? Rural and tough girls were the exception.

I feel like we're in a time where actors are willing to go farther for their roles as a whole. Some may be reaching a little but it seems like we get more daring and diverse performances. That's not to say that there weren't many great actors in the classics.

[J.R. Hudson]

Acting, in gereral, was bad and stagey according to today's standards until Brando came along and really changed everything.

Hardly.

Granted, Brando's style (Method) did indeed change the way the artists approached thier craft but to say any of these actors were bad or stagey (Even if by comparison) is insane.

William Holden, James Mason, Bogart, Gregory Peck, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Laurence Olivier, Mickey Rooney, Jack Lemmon, Ingrid Bergman ...

[Michele Seidman]

I agree with many of you on the stagey'ness in older films and a lot of that was them pulling actors from stage for roles. Plus, those older cameras and lighting were no where near as advanced and I think directors often asked for talent to go bigger.

ps...JR, Brando denounced 'method' before he died, saying it messed up his head. But as the story goes....either Uta Hagen or Stella Adler (can't remember which right now) went over to meet Stanislovski and came back to the states to report of the way Method was taught in the states as, "We got it all wrong". There was even a movement in the 80's in NYCof shrinks teaching 'method' cause so many went off the deep end...

I have nothing against it until a person starts to 'live' their character because an actor should be able to turn it off too! Some of the stories behind it are wild too! Glen Close living her role in Fatal Attraction and her marriage ending because of it is one rumor....Robert Blake disapearing off a movie for 2 days and an unsolved murder is rumored....and everyone knows the Dustin Hoffman story when Sir Lawrence O said "why don't you just try acting Dusty".

Just some fun stuff to share! :)

[Tom Marshall]

But as the story goes....either Uta Hagen or Stella Adler (can't remember which right now) went over to meet Stanislovski and came back to the states to report of the way Method was taught in the states as, "We got it all wrong". There was even a movement in the 80's in NYCof shrinks teaching 'method' cause so many went off the deep end...

That was Stella Adler. Brando really owes his acting techniques to her. He never was a "Method" actor.

Stella Adler said it best (quote from wikipedia) - "Afterwards she allegedly claimed that it will take a hundred years to repair what Strasberg did to acting."

[Michele Seidman]

That was Stella Adler. Brando really owes his acting techniques to her. He never was a "Method" actor.

Stella Adler said it best (quote from wikipedia) - "Afterwards she allegedly claimed that it will take a hundred years to repair what Strasberg did to acting."


Oh thank goodness Tom...glad you knew which one it was. Curious why Brando claimed method messed him up if he did not consider himself a method actor. Any knowledge on that?

Michele

[Tom Marshall]

Brando originally started out at the Actor's Studio (which was mainly Method) and stayed there for a month if I remember correctly. Soon afterward, he met Stella Adler and she probably showed him why Strasberg had such a flawed method with all the sense memory stuff. I have the Brando book (Songs My Mother Taught Me) where he goes into some of that, but I haven't read it in years and don't remember a lot of it.

Stella Adler was such a great teacher. If she was still alive, I'd definitely take classes from her. She has such a different take on acting than a lot of the others. I have the two books that she wrote and she comes off as a very artistic person and just draws you into what she's doing.

[Michele Seidman]

Brando originally started out at the Actor's Studio (which was mainly Method) and stayed there for a month if I remember correctly. Soon afterward, he met Stella Adler and she probably showed him why Strasberg had such a flawed method with all the sense memory stuff. I have the Brando book (Songs My Mother Taught Me) where he goes into some of that, but I haven't read it in years and don't remember a lot of it.


Interesting...was not aware he left the studio that quick. I don't think the comment he made about method would be in the book. I heard he said it in an interview near the end of his life but can't find the source myself. If I do I will pass it on...

ok..gimpy me and my bad shoulder are checking out for the night! enjoyed the banter a bunch Tom!