Film Actors Who Are "Surprisingly" Good Theatre Actors- Page 2
Film Actors Who Are "Surprisingly" Good Theatre Actors
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#25Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 2/28/19 at 2:07pm
Dave28282 said: "This is actually a really interesting discussion.
I think there is a huge difference in acting between stage and screen. It baffles me that many casting directors for tv and film do not seem to see this difference. They visit an actor in a play and then cast them in a film, based on what they have seen on stage,which results in wrong choices and unrealistic acting on screen.
I will try to put this into words a bit clearer. To me, acting on screen needs to be "real". The scenehas to look and feel like real life. As realistic as possible. This seems to be a very difficult task, as in 95% of the cases it looks very acted. Whenever I zap along tv channels, in a split second I can tell what is acted and what is real. Most actors take on an "acting posture", which doesn't seem to bother the director or casting directors, as it happens all the time. But it hardly looks like real life, nuanced reactions, intonation, eye-movements, it almost seems too over-thought. Very rarely you see an acting performance on screen that feels like no thought has been put into it, because it's real. When I zap along a performance like this, I must stop and pay attention because it's so real. Julia Roberts and Amy Adams often have moments like this. I can imagine Julia Roberts not being a good stage actress at all. I see this goodnatural acting in some of the new netflix series and films too, especially in projects that are not from the USA. I thought the film "Calibre" had some very wellacted scenes.
Acting in this realistic way, like we would talk to eachother in real life is the only way acting on screen becomes real,but the stage is a different ballpark. Stage per definition needs a different approach. Amore "carried" intonation, perhaps give the voice a bit more support, everything is slightly more elevated in energy, a very different delivery of lines, pauses,you need to work with all the rows in the theatre. This is a language we somehow accept when sitting in a theatre because, naturally, this is not a close face to face situation, which is resembled by a close up on a screen. An actress that comes to mind that does this well on stage is JudiDench. Whenever I see Judi Dench on screen it makes me cringe a little. Her acting is on screen is way too stage-like which makes every choice, intonation, eye-movement, reaction, even the way she listens to her co-actors, insincere. It looks very, very acted. She should not be given roles on screen, no matter how good she may be on stage."
Can't disagree more. Judi Dench became 'famous' as a global movie star (I know she was already very famous, greatly admired and loved in the UK for her stage and TV work) after the age of 60. Yet she managed to get 7 Oscar nominations since then, and is now 'famous' as a great movie actress. The main reason is because she is so natural. I would guess that you just don't like her.
SomethingPeculiar
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/15/14
#26Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 2/28/19 at 3:02pm
Jarethan, I would put Helen Mirren in a similar category as Dench. Mirren was slightly more well-known when she won the Oscar for The Queen at age 60, but I feel like her career has exploded since then. Olivia Colman is a little younger (45), but I feel like her career could have similar trajectory: a bunch of high-profile projects and critical acclaim that she gets nominated for because they like having her around.
#27Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 2/28/19 at 5:49pm
ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "Are there stage actors you think have adapted well on screen despite their stage training? Based on your post, you made me wonder what actors do you think are excellent on screen. I know you said you felt Julia Roberts and Amy Adams have moments. I do think it really depends on the material. Not every film wants total realism because otherwise we'd have much more "mumblecore" films or amateur actors (hiring people of the local community who have had no acting experience) which I know a lot of movie-going audiences can't stand. They still want to see some acting craft in their screen performances just things like line delivery and conveying characters. Movies may try to capture more "real" moments, but they are still dependent on the basic tenants of drama for storytelling purposes and are exaggerated moments of life because it is through that exaggeration that we get the heart of the matter and it feels more real."
What I meant is that the actors do have to master the craft, like you say, but the art is to make the lines, the listening, the micro-details as realistic as possible while delivering the written line, which is carefully written. To me, when I catch them acting, it loses the heart.
Good question about the stage-trained actors that I think do well on screen. I must say I mostly see (and judge) the film performances and most of the time I don't know the actor's background, unless I really see stage mannerisms on screen which makes the acting insincere.
I do have to say that I think Amy Adams is the best screen actress I know.
#28Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 2/28/19 at 5:55pm
Jarethan said: "Judi Dench is now 'famous'as a great movie actress. The main reason is because she is so natural. I would guess that you just don't like her."
No, it really is not like that, I appreciate her as a theatre actress. I just think audiences and even many casting directors don't see the difference.
#29Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 3/1/19 at 7:25pm
I'd definitely go with Denzel Washington,Jake Gyllenhaal and Stanley Tucci (Frankie and Johnny). Also, Vanessa Redgrave and Sally Field. All have stage presence and adjust their approaches to a different medium. One person who surprisingly did not was Joanne Woodward. I saw her years ago in 'Candida' at Circle in the Square and she had zero presence or command of the stage. It was like she disappeared. Her co-star Jane Curtin (from SNL) was far superior.
MollyJeanneMusic
Broadway Star Joined: 3/10/19
#30Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 3/10/19 at 5:04pm
Melissa Benoist was EXCELLENT in Beautiful. I went to see the show just for her (and also Kara Lindsay), and she was wonderful.
"I think that when a movie says it was 'based on a true story,' oh, it happened - just with uglier people." - Peanut Walker, Shucked
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#31Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 3/10/19 at 11:24pm
Nicole Kidman? Her stage work, which I've never seen, seems to be almost unversally praised.to have been almost universally praised.
I don't know why that would be surprising, but...
#32Film Actors Who Are
Posted: 3/11/19 at 9:58am
Paddy Considine comes to mind. He had never done a play before The Ferryman, but you'd never know it.
