Versatile actors

[Yaworski]

I suspect it, acting, is like a lot of jobs, much harder than we think.

Acting isn't easy, especially film acting. Stage acting is far simpler, you don't have to get your face to show emotions that you aren't feeling.

I'm not a good liar. I could never make my face look sad when I'm not.

 

[Yaworski]

One of the interesting things I learned about the old Andy Griffith show was they only used one camera. Watch it and most scenes have shots from three or more different angles... close up of each person when they are talking and then a wide shot of them.... the actors would do the scene over and over again with the camera and lighting and such being moved between each....

That's true for many shows. Establishing shot. Wide shots. Close ups. Reaction shots. They have to do it multiple times or the cameras used for the other angles would in frame.

Back in 1995, CNN interviewed me. We sat facing each other with the camera behind her. She asked her questions and I gave my answers. Then they put the camera behind me and shot just her asking the questions.

 

[Slyk Willy]

Daniel Day Lewis

 

[Danjet500]

I've watched a lot of westerns, still do. One fairly big star that impresses me is Burt Lancaster. The Professionals, Lawman, & Tell them Valdez is coming. Three totally different main roles & they just aren't another Burt character but totally different people.

One of Lancaster's best performances was in "The Swimmer". One of my favorite "stars" in a different type of role. He always seemed to play the big hero type and this film is the quite the reversal.

 

[Cholo]

Tom Hanks. He could be a kid in Big, a prison guard in The Green Mile, and simply Forrest Gump.

 

[Watertender]

Sterling Hayden acted in movies to support his passion for boats and sailing.
During WW2 he was a Captain in the Marine Corps attached to the OSS. He rescued downed fliers and ran guns to Yugoslavia for the resistance against the Nazis. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for this.
Sterling Hayden was also an unlimited Captain in the Merchant Marine and was Captain on both sailing and steam ships at various times in his life.
He hated the Hollywood machine and only took acting parts to allow him to be a full-time sailor.

 

[vito]

I saw an interview with a famous actress recently in which she was saying that a "movie star" essentially plays the same character in every movie and we go see it because we like that actor's character. John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day, Harrison Ford, and Tom Cruise are all good examples.

I disagree about Tom Cruise, who I think is an excellent actor who is certainly not always the Tom Cruise of "Mission Impossible". Watch him in "Collateral" with Jamie Foxx, or "Valkyrie".

For those who think acting is easy, just try it yourself. There is always some local theater group where anyone can audition. Acting may be a skill that you hold in low regard, but it is a real skill. Some movie stars are not necessarily good actors. They may be stars because of their looks or other attributes that moviegoers enjoy watching, such as Arnold Schwarteneggar, who no one has accused of being a good actor. The skilled actors are the ones who can portray a role so convincingly that the viewer no longer sees the movie star, but just sees the character of the story.

As som others have mentioned, Tom Hanks is a great example. But although he has portrayed a very wide range of characters, they have almost always been "good guys". For me, that was why I found him less than believable in "Road to Perdition" where although he was again a "good guy" he was also supposed to be the machine gun toting hit man for the mob boss (Paul Newman). I just couldn't see Hanks as a hit man. Then I think about the movie "Forrest Gump", a role that I cannot imagine any other actor portraying successfully.

 

[GypsmJim]

Arnaz was a serial adulterer.

There are a few greatly respected Presidents that fit that classification as well.

 

[bergmen]

I'm surprised Peter O'Toole hasn't been mentioned yet, especially his role in Becket.

Dan

 

[gnappi]

My son calls me a "vidiot" and I see I'm not alone :-)

 

[Yaworski]

I disagree about Tom Cruise, who I think is an excellent actor who is certainly not always the Tom Cruise of "Mission Impossible". Watch him in "Collateral" with Jamie Foxx, or "Valkyrie".

All Tom Cruise roles are Maverick in another setting.

 

[Yaworski]

There are a few greatly respected Presidents that fit that classification as well.

Sad but true.

 

[KIR]

I would think that character actors might be more versatile at playing different roles than many of the actors named above in this thread. I am thinking of Bruce Dern who {gasp} killed John Wayne in a movie and while hated by many for taking on that role, I felt empathy for him at his own demise in the movie "Silent Running". Another would be Jack Elam, a villainous looking actor for sure, but he also did some great comedic roles as well.

 

[Fox Mike]

I would think that character actors might be more versatile at playing different roles than many of the actors named above in this thread. I am thinking of Bruce Dern who {gasp} killed John Wayne in a movie and while hated by many for taking on that role, I felt empathy for him at his own demise in the movie "Silent Running". Another would be Jack Elam, a villainous looking actor for sure, but he also did some great comedic roles as well.

I remember an interview with Bruce Vern. He said when he took the role in The Cowboys and they told him that he was going to kill John Wayne. He said he figured that would be his last job ever.

 

[gnappi]

I remember an interview with Bruce Vern. He said when he took the role in The Cowboys and they told him that he was going to kill John Wayne. He said he figured that would be his last job ever.

Imagine an actor portraying a fictional character killing another actor portraying a fictional character getting professional repercussions by a viewing audience.

Gads that's an idiotic character flaw of the viewing public, kinda like people whining and crying over Diana's death.

 

[Paul B]

C'mon Jeff Goldblum plays a perfect Jeff Goldblum every time.


I do like actors that can play any role and be believable. The really good ones make you think to figure out who it is. Gary Oldman comes to mind.

I agree with you on Gary Oldman. Probably one of the most interesting bad guys ever. I don't remember him ever playing a good guy in any movie.

One of Lancaster's best performances was in "The Swimmer". One of my favorite "stars" in a different type of role. He always seemed to play the big hero type and this film is the quite the reversal.

I agree with you onThe Swimmer. The surprise at the very end was the icing on the cake. I wonder just how many here saw The Swimmer. I thought he was good in Elmer gantry as well.
Paul B.

 

[Yaworski]

I wonder just how many here saw The Swimmer.

I'm old, I read the short story. Saw the movie a few years later.

 

[Paul B]

I remember an interview with Bruce Vern. He said when he took the role in The Cowboys and they told him that he was going to kill John Wayne. He said he figured that would be his last job ever.

I'm sure you meant Bruce Dern. He's figured in a few movies lately, mostly small parts. He played a dying man in Badlands, a sheriff in a dying Texas town, a high ranking police officer in Mullholland Falls IIRC, another small part in Wild Bill and a retired army officer in The Hateful Eight. I've even spotted him a in few older movies, very small parts to be sure so I think his "killing John Wayne" in The Cowboys did harm his career.
Paul B.

 

[Yaworski]

I've even spotted him a in few older movies, very small parts to be sure so I think his "killing John Wayne" in The Cowboys did harm his career.

I'm not sure if you're joking. He been a supporting character in well over 100 movies. He's not a leading man.

 

[Joe Reilly]

Karl Malden always portrays someone with a large nose.

 

[Jeepnik]

Imagine an actor portraying a fictional character killing another actor portraying a fictional character getting professional repercussions by a viewing audience.

Gads that's an idiotic character flaw of the viewing public, kinda like people whining and crying over Diana's death.

And yet actors are threatened and even attacked by folks for just that sort of thing. The problem is, and has always been, you can't fix stupid. Well you can, but it's illegal.

 

[Watertender]

Karl Malden always portrays someone with a large nose.

Karl Malden had a clause in his contracts that he could use the name
"Sekulovich" in his movies or television shows. His given name was Mladen Sekulovich and he wanted to honor his parents by mentioning the name.
When Karl Malden mentioned the name Sekulovich in the movie Birdman of Alcatraz his father objected saying that there had never been a Sekulovich in prison.

 

[Watertender]

And yet actors are threatened and even attacked by folks for just that sort of thing. The problem is, and has always been, you can't fix stupid. Well you can, but it's illegal.

During the filming of Marty in the Bronx Ernest Borgnine said people were threatening him in Italian because of the death of Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity.
He replied to the people in Italian that it was just a movie and he was friendly with Frank Sinatra in real life.

 

[wproct]

I have not read all of the previous posts. First, I've always loved Lee Marvin, he was truly authentic and I had immense respect for him. There are a number of actors who I generally watch any movie that they are in. Examples would be, not in any order, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Kevin Costner, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson, Sally Field, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, I wont go on much further because my list would be too long. There are actors who surprise me. An example is Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon playing Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in I Walk The Line. They did an excellent job in not only playing their parts but also doing the vocals quite well.

 

[gnappi]

And yet actors are threatened and even attacked by folks for just that sort of thing. The problem is, and has always been, you can't fix stupid. Well you can, but it's illegal.

I say we CAN fix stupid... All we need to do is just take all of the warning labels off of everything and nature will reset the levels for the whole race :-)

I don't think THAT would be illegal? If it is we start by repealing the stupidity protection laws.

 

[vito]

And yet actors are threatened and even attacked by folks for just that sort of thing. The problem is, and has always been, you can't fix stupid. Well you can, but it's illegal.

I don't think its a matter of being stupid. Disliking an actor because of the character played by that actor is just a testament to the degree to which some people "buy in" to the fictional portrayal on the screen. We all have a suspension of disbelief when watching a movie or TV show. If we didn't, the entire story would just seem silly and have no emotional power whatsoever. That a viewer can have their emotions triggered so realistically is evidence of good movie making. One of my adult sons cannot tolerate any movie in which a dog is harmed. He knows that the dog was not really harmed and it is only a story, yet the portrayal of it being harmed is enough to really upset him.

But I don't deny that some people seem to be unable to differentiate between reality and the fiction they see on the screen. I'm reminded of a story that was told by Dan Blocker, who played "Hoss" on the TV show "Bonanza". He spoke about an older women coming up to him while he was out in public who told him that his "father", referring to the fictional father on the show, should fire the Chinese cook and hire a good woman to cook for the boys. Blocker reminded the woman that this was just fiction and that he really was an actor and not the cowboy "Hoss" that he portrayed on the show. He said the woman just looked confused, and dazed, and then returned to telling him that they just needed to get rid of that Chinese cook. Blocker said at that point he just smiled and walked away.

 

[Jeepnik]

Well, just my opinion, but anyone who "buys in" to a movie character so deeply they can't tell reality from fiction is "stupid". I'm sure there is some other non- hurtful and inclusive word that could be used to spare feelings but "stupid"works for me.

 

[Paul B]

I'm not sure if you're joking. He been a supporting character in well over 100 movies. He's not a leading man.

I'm not joking. I have a DVD collection of over 1,100 movies and I think I've seen him in maybe five tops. Offhand currently I can only think of three or four. I think I'll stand on what I said based on my movie collection.
Paul B.

 

[Yaworski]

I'm not joking. I have a DVD collection of over 1,100 movies and I think I've seen him in maybe five tops. Offhand currently I can only think of three or four. I think I'll stand on what I said based on my movie collection.

I can't think of 1,100 movies that I'd want to own. Most movies I never want to see again. My wife used to buy movie after movie and when she died most went into the trash, unopened.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Dern#Filmography

 

[Paul B]

When we retired, my late wife and I would have dinner and a movie just about every night. They were important to her and as time went on to me as well. Too bad you're so discriminating. You must miss a lot of life.
Paul B.