Hollywood's opinion of good acting

[Peppergirl]

Do any of you absolutely CRINGE when a specific actor/actress is on the screen? Bonus points if its one that Hollywood has bestowed its so-called 'awards' upon.

I'll start:

Angelina Jolie. And it's not just because I think she's a phony skank. I can put that aside. Bitch can NOT act.

Julia Roberts. She acts the same in every movie.


Anyone else?

[Nyoibo]

Hayden Christensen

[AdminAssistant]

I do cringe at some movies, but understand that people like Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts are movie stars, not actors. They don't become characters, they play themselves. Not to say that doesn't work sometime. I love a good number of movies with Bruce Willis. Is he a great actor? No. But he's developed a type that works for him and he's interesting to watch. Ditto with George Clooney. As far as awards go...it's all political. The Academy needed to make sure Julia Roberts got an award at some point, just because she's so popular.

[Fryk]

Nick Cage. Ugh. That's one name that, anymore, will make me not see a movie.

[Boozy]

Has no one seen Changeling or A Mighty Heart?

You may like or dislike Angelina Jolie as a person, but I don't think one can call her a bad actress.

[gremcint]

Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who actually likes nicolas cage (matchstick men)

[McDreidel09]

I like Nicholas Cage. I grew up watching his films with my dad.

Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, and Hilary Duff. Whenever someone watches a movie with any of those girls in it with me in the room, I feel like I'm watching some terrible homemade video for English class. It feels like they are just reading the script and their actions and movements are them trying to have emotion.

[blas87]

I think Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are both total jokes.

I think Team America might have something to do with hating Matt Damon, though.

[XCashier]

Leonardo DiCaprio. Every time I see him perform, I want to scream at him, "Get some glasses and stop squinting!" (That, and he's almost a dead ringer for Arch Hall Jr.!)

Will Ferrell. I don't know why, just something about him gets on my nerves. Same thing with Jim Backus (yes, that's going back a way, I know. The only show he was in that I liked was Rebel Without A Cause, and fortunately he was only in a small part of it, and James Dean more than made up for him!)

Honestly, I think most of Hollywood could learn something from the BBC. Not that every British actor is brilliant, but most of them are far more believable than the majority of Hollywood actors. Plus they tend to cast by who fits the role, not who's prettiest.

[Peppergirl]

Has no one seen Changeling or A Mighty Heart?

You may like or dislike Angelina Jolie as a person, but I don't think one can call her a bad actress.


Saw Changeling. Wasn't impressed.

Like I said, I'm pretty good about being able to put aside my personal dislike for an actor/director and appreciate their talent. Sean Penn is a perfect example. I can't stand him, but I think he's a terrific actor who has come a long way. Even Roman Polanski. Total dirtbag who deserves to fry (IMO), but I don't have a problem with him winning the award in '04. He's an extremely talented dirtbag.

I guess it's subjective.

[gremcint]

Kevin Smith, big waste of time.
Rob Shneider also.

Adam Sandler has been getting better.

I still like the actors that have been around for years, Tom Hanks, Tommy Lee Jones, Arnold, Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson.

[Mytical]

Dakota Fanning. A little better in PUSH, but just cringe when I hear the name.

Steven Seagal (is that really how you spell his last name?!). Now I like most of the movies he's been in, but they have been saved by the rest of the actors in those movies. He has one expression..period.

Paris Hilton..my god what was somebody thinking putting her in ANY movie?

[Nyoibo]

Paris Hilton..my god what was somebody thinking putting her in ANY movie?

"We get to live out our fantasy and kill her in the most gory way we can think of."

My best guess.

[Mytical]

For somebody who can't act, can't sing, and has pretty much done nothing, she sure is famous. Your right though, I guess that is a reason to put her in a movie. :D

[SimplyAnother]

Nick Cage. Ugh. That's one name that, anymore, will make me not see a movie.

I can't stand Nicholas Cage, and it seems like everyone I know in real life adores him. Ick.

Also, Will Ferrel.

[tropicsgoddess]

"We get to live out our fantasy and kill her in the most gory way we can think of."

My best guess.

I think that was it. I dunno how anybody could stand that twit. Steven Segall sucks, IMHO.

[Stormraven]

Will Ferrel - if he's the headliner. He's not capable of carrying a movie by himself, and should never, ever, be the lead.

As a secondary character, he can be quite impressive.

Adam Sandler. I've seen one of his movies from start to finish, and bits of others. My viewpoint on him is that he needs to be directed. I can see potential, but like Ferrel, he needs to be restrained.

[lordlundar]

Hollywood has no opinion on good acting, because they don't hire actors. They hire movie stars, which most often are people who have mediocre acting skills at best and a VERY good publicist.

You want to see good actors, go to a play. Even low budget plays often have better REAL actors than a summer blockbuster.

[protege]

For somebody who can't act, can't sing, and has pretty much done nothing, she sure is famous.

She's famous...simply because she's rich, and because she parties with various celebrities--Lindsey Lohan for one :rolleyes: As for me, I can't stand that idiot. She needs to get smacked around with a 2x4. Now *that* would be hot :p

Anyway, one actor I can't stand, is David Caruso from CSI:Miami. Something about him annoys me. Mainly, because he tries to "intimidate" people by acting tough. Yet, when he does that, I laugh at him. Maybe it's the sunglasses. Sorry, but I can't take the guy seriously.

I agree about Adam Sandler. He's getting better--his characters now vary from the loud, obnoxious assholes he's known for.

[Fryk]

Anyway, one actor I can't stand, is David Caruso from CSI:Miami. Something about him annoys me. Mainly, because he tries to "intimidate" people by acting tough. Yet, when he does that, I laugh at him. Maybe it's the sunglasses. Sorry, but I can't take the guy seriously.

For me, it's the cadence of the way he speaks lines. His voice is always rising and falling at weird times in the sentence.

"The GUY we are looking FOR faVORS his left leg." Stuff like that. I don't know if it's just him, or the director.

[AdminAssistant]

I love how Michael Weatherly ("Anthony DiNozzo", NCIS) makes little references to Caruso...sometimes he wears similar sunglasses and occasionally you can see a picture of Caruso behind his desk. :D

Ooh! Here's him doing an impression: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP1XZcDJsC0

[Kalli]

I think Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are both total jokes.

I think Team America might have something to do with hating Matt Damon, though.

Ooohhhh... I'm going to have to get defensive here!

Mind if i ask which movies you have seen these two in?


edit: Before you even think it, I don't find either of them the least bit attractive.

[Boozy]

Matt Damon was ingenious in The Talented Mr Ripley and The Informant.

I'm a big fan of Matt Damon. And no, I don't find him particularly attractive either.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I like Nicholas Cage. I grew up watching his films with my dad.

Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, and Hilary Duff. Whenever someone watches a movie with any of those girls in it with me in the room, I feel like I'm watching some terrible homemade video for English class. It feels like they are just reading the script and their actions and movements are them trying to have emotion.

Couldn't agree more about those "actresses". Miley irritates me anyway, but seeing her trying to act is as relaxing as going to the dentist.

Nicolas Cage can act, but it has to be an action movie; he was very good in Face/Off, for example.

[Nyoibo]

of them the least bit attractive.

I've never seen why people think Brad Pitt is attractive, yeah he had a great body in Troy, but his face doesn't do it for me.

[kiwi]

Scarlett Johansen and Renee Zellwegar
Scar Jo is apprently a "subtle" actress, aka NO acting required just read your lines and appear bored out of your brain.
Zellwegar murdered the role of Roxie Hart, she is the eptiome of catt but face.

Thank god Anne Hathaway is improving, she has actually made me throw things at the screen in her earlier movies.... WAY to cutsey pie perky make me want to kill you acting.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Hollywood isn't about acting, it's about selling mass market entertainment and providing a never-ending stream of professional beauty for 'average' people to look up to. People like Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton and Hilary Duff don't act as their main profession. What they are is professionally beautiful. Their job is to look rich and beautiful in public. The entertainment they 'act' or 'sing' in is simply a vehicle for their main profession, which means it doesn't have to be all that good.

Miley and Hilary are both teen stars; their job is to be professionally beautiful for children and teenagers, to get them interested in Hollywood's beauty culture, so they will be lifelong spenders on beauty products, fashionable name brand clothing and later in life, on plastic surgery and anti-aging products.

As for specific actors, many of the not-so-talented ones became famous because of their personas, not their acting chops.

Julia Roberts became a star precisely because she acts the same in every movie. Hollywood is about personas, not characters. That's why so many of them are white-hot for a few years, then drop off the radar. We grow tired of their particular persona. It's also why a few certain ones become legendary. There are some specific personas that we love and never grow tired of, because they are almost archetypal:

The persona of the sweet, beautiful, warm-hearted woman is a very popular one and women who can convey this warmth to a screen tend to become very famous. Julia Roberts is a perfect example; she's never been a great actress but she fills the seats at theaters because people go to bask in the presence of her sweet, warming persona. That's why she always does best in romantic comedies. Another one who has become legendary in the television world is Florence Henderson, the Mother from the Brady Bunch. She had the ability to effortlessly communicate warmth and happiness to the screen. Mary Pickford, Maureen O'Hara, Carole Lombard, Sally Field, and Audrey Hepburn are all examples of this persona.

Angelina Jolie can act fantastically when she wants to, (see Girl, Interrupted) but she tends to put most of her will and creativity toward her children and her job as a UN ambassador, so most of her films are not great art, they are mass market entertainment that she doesn't have to put a lot of effort into. That's her choice. Luckily for her, her persona contains many elements of anther archetype that makes certain actresses legendary: the siren. She is very beautiful to a lot of people and she can be shockingly sexual, two requirements for a siren. Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Jessica Alba and the up-and-coming Megan Fox are all sirens. They don't have to be talented---they just have to be brazenly sexual onscreen. People go to their films to experience all the raw sexuality they project.

[MergedLoki]

I find it's ALOT more common in 'actresses' (note the '' :P) than 'actors'

for this.. ala... yes angelina and her latest younger incarnation megan fox :P

both cannot ACT worth shit. but they are good looking so they get major blockbuster roles and are applauded for their 'acting' talent.

The only thing angelina has done that IMO is decent was girl interuppted (sp wrong i know but it's 6am and i'm tired) and that was a good... what? 10 - 12 years ago now?

actor-wise i can't think of any but that could be because any of the actors my female friends find 'so hot' lol are actually DECENT actors (johnny depp, christian bale, etc.).

If you want good acting watch low budget and/or indie films. those movies HAVE To have good plot/storyline/acting because they have a special effects budget of $1000 lol. (and i could reccomend a few of my personal favs)

[jackfaire]

If you want good acting watch low budget and/or indie films. those movies HAVE To have good plot/storyline/acting because they have a special effects budget of $1000 lol. (and i could reccomend a few of my personal favs)

Doesn't guarantee good acting.

[Boozy]

The only thing angelina has done that IMO is decent was girl interuppted (sp wrong i know but it's 6am and i'm tired) and that was a good... what? 10 - 12 years ago now?

Seriously, has no one seen Changeling?

She was also brilliant in A Mighty Heart, but I didn't particularly like the movie itself.

[AdminAssistant]

Doesn't guarantee good acting.

Sure doesn't.

Last year everybody was falling over themselves to praise Slumdog Millionaire, which I thought was a very plain movie.

[Rageaholic]

I got one,

Charlie Sheen, a jerk on and off the screen.

[XiaoTortuga]

Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman, the guy from Spiderman, Tom Cruise and um... that famous lady... Meryl Streep.

And not on the topic, but an actor who has surprised me with just how good he is: Jason Alexander.

But yeah, I agree with the sentiments expressed that it isn't about acting often times, it is about personalities and names.

[Boozy]

Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman, the guy from Spiderman, Tom Cruise and um... that famous lady... Meryl Streep.

Wait...are these actors whom who don't think can act? And Meryl Streep is on that list? Are you serious?

I think Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of her generation.

[AdminAssistant]

Wait...are these actors whom who don't think can act? And Meryl Streep is on that list? Are you serious?

I think Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of her generation.

As do I...she's fantastic and doesn't limit herself to one particular genre.

[the_std]

And not on the topic, but an actor who has surprised me with just how good he is: Jason Alexander.

Agreed. So agreed. Ever watched Duckman? He wasn't acting per se, it was voice acting, but he showed an incredible range of diversity. One of my favourite shows of all time.

[crashhelmet]

I'm going to throw a monkey wrench into this. A lot of the people that were already named appear to be horrible actors. However, how many of them are victims of bad writing?

For example, Natalie Portman is a great actress. The writing in the Star Wars prequels, especially part 3, was so horrible that it made it look like she didn't have any talent what so ever.

Jim Carrey can act when he has a script written like the Truman Show or The Majestic. Maybe even Liar Liar. Everything else was Ace Ventura Part X: How Ace Stole Easter

CH

[XiaoTortuga]

As do I...she's fantastic and doesn't limit herself to one particular genre.

Yeah, I was expecting that response. I just don't find her to be good.

[Peppergirl]

Jim Carrey can act when he has a script written like the Truman Show or The Majestic. Maybe even Liar Liar. Everything else was Ace Ventura Part X: How Ace Stole Easter

CH

Agreed. He was amazing in Man on the Moon, too. He almost made me believe he WAS Andy.

[blas87]

I think actors sometimes lose their credibility and reputation when they "sell out".

Like "The Rock" and Vin Diesel. Granted, they aren't the best actors to ever exist, but before they started doing Disney kid movies, I actually took them halfway seriously.

[Slytovhand]

I'm suspecting that acting and income/fame are inversely proportionate.

There are some actors who have started out good, but for some reason have crashed, as their salaries increased. There are some exceptions to this, who have actually become better, or managed to pull out a side of themselves they weren't allowed to before (ie, Robin Williams when he went from comedy to other stuff).

For me, I can't stand Jim Carrey - yes, just his name puts me off. Now, in bringing him up, he did a great job as the Riddler in Batman - it was 'his' role! And one or 2 others.

But take Will Smith... I liked a couple of his earlier stuff, but once he got his name in lights and his money, his talent seems to have gone down.


On the other hand, there are known actors out there who have been playing the game for years, yet still don't bring in the super big dollars for their face! I saw Excalibur again not long ago, and there's Patrick Stewart!! (with hair!) Now, he's Jean Luc Picard... fortunately making money!


And let's not forget the whole type-casting thing! I can't stand Steven Seagal now.. Sure, I loved his earlier stuff... but now, oh, it's the same movie I saw last time... out of the special forces, probably divorced (or she's dead), wants to be left alone to become a hermit type, someone picks on him for no good reason (someone who always knows someone who also knows some other martial art - so they can have a great little face off at the end of the movie), and a need to blow things up!

To pick a good actor, you need to see them outside of their usual sphere... Tom Hanks not playing a romantic comedy. I love (now) Eric Bana. Why? Go look at where he started... Full Frontal and Comedy Company!


And lastly, I'd just like to say that sometimes, 'bad' acting is actually very good acting... because they're not putting on a face, they are doing what any normal person would do...

[fireheart17]

I think Team America might have something to do with hating Matt Damon, though.

I think that's happened with a few people.



For example, Natalie Portman is a great actress. The writing in the Star Wars prequels, especially part 3, was so horrible that it made it look like she didn't have any talent what so ever.

Jim Carrey can act when he has a script written like the Truman Show or The Majestic. Maybe even Liar Liar. Everything else was Ace Ventura Part X: How Ace Stole Easter

CH

He was OK in Yes Man. Not too bad in Bruce Almighty. Fun with Dick and Jane made me crack up (I haven't seen the original). The Truman Show, The Majestic and Liar Liar-again, good ones. But yeah, most of the others were a bit odd. (The Grinch is a half/half for me)

Natalie Portman I personally think does OK depending on her role.


Whoever wrote up about Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus and Paris Hilton can also add the Jonas Brothers to that list. I seriously get very tempted to throw something at the TV whenever they come on.

What's more scary is that my sister loves and watches that stuff....and she's 16! :eek:

Some good actors though, I've noticed tend to come from TV as well. Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly are great as Gibbs and DiNozzo on NCIS. Pauley Perrette as well. Cote De Pablo and whoever plays McGee (his name escapes me at this moment) are a bit so-so for me.

Mariska Hargitay on SVU: Absolutely brilliant.

Movie wise, I'd agree with most of the good ones: Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt (I loved Inglorious Basterds), Jim Carrey (IMHO, one of the few decent comedy actors), Natalie Portman (to an extent), Uma Thurman (ditto), Drew Barrymore and to an extent Kate Hudson.

Anne Hathaway has improved since she stepped up to the more mature roles (basically anything after Princess Diaries/Ella Enchanged) and I think she fits better in them.

Of the teenage/youngish actors: Jamie Campbell Bower was brilliant in Sweeney Todd, Dakota Fanning I feel is so-so, and obviously Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are brilliant in Harry Potter. (although the problem seems to be that they're pigeonholed into those roles, since December Boys didn't fare too well and Thunderpants was a flop)

[AdminAssistant]

whoever plays McGee (his name escapes me at this moment) are a bit so-so for me.

Sean Murray. As much as I like Sean Murray, the fact that he's Donald Bellisario's (the creator of NCIS) stepson has always bothered me. Did he even have to audition? You shouldn't get acting jobs because you're related to somebody (although that has done wonders for Helena Bonham Carter).

I like Jim Carrey in movies like Man on the Moon and Bruce Almighty, but I generally don't care for slapstick, goofball comedies like The Mask, so my dislike of that film doesn't have to do with the actor. Ditto Steve Carell - I didn't realize what a great actor he was until I saw Little Miss Sunshine.

Someone mentioned Patrick Stewart. Stewart has also been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Shakespeare company in Britain, nay, the world. (Other RSC members include Ian McKellan and Judi Dench.) So, although I love seeing him in movies and on TV, he could certainly survive financially without Star Trek.

[blas87]

Then there are actors who should only stick to certain roles.

As soon as Adam Sandler started doing serious roles, I lost all interest and respect for him.

I think he's sucked pretty royally for several years now. If I go back and watch Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison, it just makes me mad how someone who used to be so funny and entertaining is now just a douchebag.

[lordlundar]

So, although I love seeing him in movies and on TV, he could certainly survive financially without Star Trek.

He does need to work on his voice acting ability though. His work in Steamboy was grating.:D