Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
Are there “actor’s actors”?
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In writing there’s a term called “writer’s writers,” which is a term that (and I’ll just quote Emily Temple’s Lithub article here) “suggests something unusual or extra impressive with their chosen form—something another writer in particular would marvel at, because they would understand firsthand how hard it is. Often this means that said writer is obscure to the general public, but not always.”
Is there an equivalent for actors? Like, are there actors who employ techniques and are skilled in ways that the layman might not appreciate?
EDIT: If so, what techniques are they using specially? Are there specific skills that stand out other than just feeling that they bring depth and complexity to a convincing portrayal?
Top Comment: Sam Rockwell, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Sally Field, Alan Rickman to name a few.
An actor you had no expectations for but who turned out to be great.
Main Post: An actor you had no expectations for but who turned out to be great.
Top Comment: Robert Pattinson. The whole Twilight thing really overshadowed the fact he had genuine talent.
He is a great actor though
Main Post: He is a great actor though
Top Comment: When I think about arya I always remember 7×1 when she met the lannister soldiers, which would have been a great scene to show that there are fine people everywhere but because of ED SHEERAN I couldn't take it seriously.
Who is an actor or actress that according to others is extremely difficult to work with?
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Lea Michelle is a prime example, based on what I’ve heard from the cast members from Glee! It appears that her character; Rachel Berry (who is considered a self-entitled ego maniac by some fans of the show that hated her character) is no different to what she’s like in real life apparently!
Top Comment: Was on Top Model. Tyra Banks was awful.
THE #1 QUESTION ASKED IN ANY ACTING SUBREDDIT! I got it again today. So in case you don’t scroll down and see all the information I post almost everyday, I’m going to post it again myself: WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO START ACTING? Read below to see the full question and answer.
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This question is asked in many different ways, but what they really want to know is “How do I jump into an acting career without any real experience and get cast in a major film or tv show? How do I get those auditions?” Here is our full conversation:
Student: Whats the best place to start acting?
I have some experience in acting and drama classes but how do you audition? Is it a website or something to find roles?
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Me: This is the most asked question in any of the acting subreddits and most of them will just delete it because they have the answer already in their sub info. I, however, can see that many Redditors don’t search a sub to find those answers. And some of the subs have incorrect answers. Here is what I have to say about the topic:
The truth of the matter is, the business has changed a lot since the pandemic. Casting Sites and self tapes are used so much more than they used to be. You need to join one (or several) that is active in your area. And where you live is very important. In order to get work you need to live in a place that is doing productions of film, tv or stage work. Where do you live? That is an important factor in your career.
Eventually you need to get an agent to represent you, who will send you out on auditions. Good agents have connections with the Casting Directors who do important, professional work. They will submit your headshot and if the CD is interested, they will call you in for auditions or ask for a self tape. When searching for an agent, don’t fall for scams that charge you for representation. Agents make a percentage of what you make when you work. There should be no upfront charges.
But these agents have no patience for amateurs. You need to know what you are doing. Everyone’s reputation is on the line including theirs. You need to be highly skilled, ready for the big time. They need to be able to see that you are ready. This is where the casting sites come in. I’m talking about sites like Actor’s Access, Backstage and a variety of others. There, professionals should be able to find several headshots of you that show your marketability (the different types of roles you could play). The photos need to be eye-catchingly compelling so they are interested in seeing your work. They also need examples of your acting on some type of demo reel. They are mostly looking for actors with good credits on their resume and tape to prove it. If you don’t have any, your self-made demo needs to show them what you can do. It needs to impress them enough to take a chance on you. You need to make something that really shows how extraordinary you are.
So saying you’ve had “some experience” in acting classes does not mean you are ready to audition. It’s a lot like saying “I’ve taken a few ice skating lessons. How do I audition for the Olympics?” The acting business is one of the most competitive in the world and you won’t get the interest of an agent or book a job unless you are the best they see.
The fact that you know nothing about how to get and actually DO auditions, means that your acting teachers left out some very important information. It means they probably don’t know themselves and didn’t teach you what is necessary for creating a great self-tape and how to put together a demo of your work to show your skills. Chances are you don’t have those skills...yet!
This is an acting class. I am an acting teacher who coaches people for auditions almost every day. I spent 14 years on set with a celebrity on a tv series. And I teach my students how they need to audition in order to get the job. Until you know that, you don’t want to get auditions. Most actors want to jump into getting great opportunities when they don’t know what they are doing. Actors are always creating a reputation whenever they act. You want your opportunities to come when you are ready. That’s why I recommend my students get coached for their auditions so we can record them together and do it right.
Check out the pinned posts in this sub. Read and watch the many written and video lessons I offer here for free. I also give Zoom lessons that are affordable and extremely effective. Join me here in r/actingclass. This is the best place to start acting. Ask questions. Visit here regularly. Explore all this sub has to offer. You need to be at the top of your game and a mentor to help you learn how to get there. I can do that for you if you are serious about having an acting career.
Start with reading the 2nd post at the top of the r/actingclass sub page.“How to Get Started - Read This Post First” It has links to all the most important lessons. The lessons are listed and linked towards the bottom of the post. Read them in order. Or you can use the r/actingclass search engine to get answers to specific subjects. They are free!
And check out our YouTube channel. There are over 150 acting lessons there! Click on “Videos” and watch them from the bottom up. They are all free.
This is a warm supportive community and I am available for questions and feedback, regularly. I take great interest in helping everyone along on their journey. I’m also giving Zoom classes where you get the opportunity to team up with scene partners. Class creates confidence, skill and close friendships. And I give private coaching as well, if that’s what you would prefer, helping students to create great self-tape and live auditions.
There are lots of different ways to learn in r/actingclass and so much information to take in. And the students involved (from all over the world) are the best! I think you’ll enjoy it.
I hope to see you in class!
All the best, Winnie Hiller
Top Comment: Here are some more posts and videos that will help: THE #1 QUESTION IF YOU HAVE AN IMPORTANT AUDITION AND NO EXPERIENCE AUDITIONS MEETING AGENTS AND CASTING DIRECTORS HOW TO BECOME AN ACTOR PLAYING THE ROLE OF A SUCCESSFUL ACTOR PROOF I HAVE ANSWERED THIS QUESTION MORE THAN ONCE . This was only 2 weeks ago. Read that whole conversation. So many people think they are ready. Some even think they are experts. But if they are still confused about what to do next they need more help.
Why do actors in American movies often seem too polished or perfect compared to actors in British movies?
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As someone outside the U.S., I’ve noticed that American movies and shows tend to cast actors who are extremely attractive, polished, and charismatic, even for roles where that seems unrealistic. In contrast, British shows often cast people who look more like regular folks, which somehow makes the acting feel more grounded and believable.
Is there a reason for this difference in casting culture? Is it driven by audience expectations, industry standards, or something else?
Top Comment: We’re an awfully optimistic lot in many ways. I think that a comparison of the UK vs the US versions of the Office is extremely illustrative of the cultural differences and expectations of media. While the US version is about imperfect people who despite all their flaws, have a lot of good in them. The end conclusion is you can find happiness and meaning even in drab, ordinary places. The takeaway of the British version is to have a laugh as you accept the futility of life. David Brent has no redeeming qualities, and seems beyond. There’s almost a sense of fate, that things are just destined to be dysfunctional. All of this to say, that I think many Americans have an aspirational relationship with media. They want to see characters they wish they could be, whereas a Brit might think it was all a bit too fanciful, like it beggars belief. There are of course plenty of exceptions on both sides, such as Seinfeld, which is fully nihilistic. I hope this all makes sense as an answer to your question.
Who's an actor that is just painfully mediocre?
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Someone who's never given a particular good or bad performance. They're just kinda of there taking up cinematic space.
My pick would be Sam Worthington. He was all set to be a huge name appearing in two major blockbusters (Terminator and Avatar), but has never really proven his acting chops nor taken a big swing-and-a-miss flop performance.
Another one that comes to mind is Angelina Jolie. For being as famous as she is, I can't recall a single role in the past two decades in which she really gives a knock out performance. Its weird because I do think she's capable of great acting but after Girl Interrupted she kinda coasted on her good looks and didn't vet her scripts well enough to showcase her talents
EDIT: Lot of y'all are just naming bad actors but the brief is about actors who you are completely neutral about. Also, to all who have pointed out Changeling as a great role for AJ, I agree and I humbly acknowledge the will of the masses
Top Comment: Liam Hemsworth
What actor or actress do you think has the worst case of wasted career potential?
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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a phenomenal actor when he is given excellent material to work with, and I was kinda expecting him to have the career that Pedro Pascal ended up having following their run on Game of Thrones.
But he hasn’t been in the best projects ever since he finished that series, or has really been involved in anything mainstream.
If he was cast in the right project, I could see him doing incredibly well for himself where he’d be among the many actors who are considered A-listers!
Top Comment:
It's pronounced Nikolaj.
Actor/Actress you used to love but can't stand anymore
Main Post: Actor/Actress you used to love but can't stand anymore
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Whoopi recently tried to publicly shame a bakery for their oven being down when she wanted cupcakes lol. She thought they were just refusing to serve her.
*Edit: There's a few people replying that she didn't name the specific bakery, but she didn't need to. The cupcakes have a distinct look that they're famous for in the area. And if you Google "Charlotte Russe (the type of cupcake, which Whoopi mentioned on the show) New York" the bakery is among the top of the results, with pictures showing them identical to the ones on the show. Plus all their customers would identify them when watching that episode of The View or reading about the whole thing.
Also, when Whoopi stated that they refused to make them for her, one of the other The View co-hosts spit her's out onto the desk and another set her's down in disgust. Very childish, entitled behavior, and an attack on the bakery.
The best actor from every decade
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Who is, in your opinion, the best television/film actor from every decade? Who defined that respective decade in a way no one else really did? Including both men and women of course.
No need to go through every single decade, just interested to see your thoughts on a handful of them.
Of course best is fairly impossible to quantify so you could just do your favorites. But please give some reasoning behind it.
Some examples of mine:
1920s - Charlie Chaplin (Directed, composed, acted. Could be hilarious and tragic. Propelled silent cinema forward.)
1930s - James Cagney (Electric to watch. Performed in a way far ahead of the times he was working in.)
1950s - Marlon Brando (Arguably the OG method actor. Again, developed a style that was way ahead of his time.)
1970s - Jack Nicholson (Had a golden run of spectacular films this decade including Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Versatile, ferocious, poignant.)
2000s - Heath Ledger (Completely shattered audiences' views on "comic book" cinema. Crafted one of the most masterful villain performances of all time. And this was after a string of other nuanced, deeply affecting roles from films like Monster's Ball and Brokeback Mountain.)
Keen to see what you think! Cheers.
Top Comment: 1990’s - Tom Hanks Went from sitcom to comedic 80’s movie star to multiple Oscar wins for dramatic performances in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Nominated for Big, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, etc.
Actors of reddit, what are some lesser known drawbacks of acting?
Main Post: Actors of reddit, what are some lesser known drawbacks of acting?
Top Comment: “I’m going on stage in 30 seconds and I’ve never once looked at the script” nightmares. Same format as exam nightmares, just a different subject matter.