How Do You Differentiate Good Acting From Bad Acting?

Slate ^ | 2014 | Marcus Geduld

[CondoleezzaProtege]

There are many ways an actor can surprise. Jack Nicholson surprises by being … surprising. Even though he’s not a chameleon like Oldman or Depp, you never know what he’s going to do next. But whatever he does, it’s grounded in psychological reality. It never seems fake. Christopher Walken, Glenn Close, Al Pacino, and many others have a surprising danger in them… you feel they might jump you or blow up at you at any time. They are ticking time bombs. And, many comedic actors (e.g., Julia Louis-Dreyfus) surprise us in all sorts of quirky, zany ways…

Some people think acting is good if they like the movie. Keanu Reeves, in my mind, is a horrible actor—it often seems as if he’s reading from cue cards rather than saying words that are his. There is a difference between playing an undemonstrative person and being a wooden actor. In fact, playing someone who is reserved is very difficult…But some people like Reeves because they think the Matrix films are cool.

Lots of people think an actor is great if they like his or her character…Or they think she’s good if she pulls off some impressive effect, such as gaining or losing a lot of weight or pretending to be handicapped… If you forced me to rank Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man versus Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer, I’d say he did more exciting work in the latter. In Rain Man he was able to hide behind some stunts. In Kramer vs. Kramer, he just had to be truthful.

Tom Cruise… rarely surprises me, and he doesn’t seem to dig deep into a anything raw or vulnerable inside him. He seems guarded. The must vulnerable I’ve seen him is in Eyes Wide Shut…but it’s not the norm.

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TOPICS: Arts/Photography; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: acting; actors; arts; film; hollywood

[PeterPrinciple]

Good actors don’t have to act, they be themselves.

Trump doesn’t have to act and pretend.

Biden was all pretending.

[lowbridge]

“STELLA! STELLA! HEY, STELLA!!!”

Now, let’s see Brando try and top that.

[Howie66]

My wife watches those “K-Dramas”. There is a shit ton of BAD ACTING examples to view. Should be addressed in the Geneva Accords, if you ask me.

[ansel12]

I’ve said many times that you could put Michael Caine in a western while he was wearing his golf clothes and he would still fit the part, he doesn’t seem to need wardrobe or props to deliver his roles.

[RandallFlagg]

Good and bad in the same movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Good acting: Johnny Depp as Glen (Nancy’s boyfriend).
Bad acting: Ronee Blakley as Marge (Nancy’s Mother).

[Bullish]

Good screenplays MAKE good acting. Bad ones do the opposite.

[algore]

one of my favorite actors

[E. Pluribus Unum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KN5tu7i7h8

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Acting is funny. We've all seen stilted, wooden people reciting lines drone-like from memory. You watch that and don't see anybody realistic.

But often that blah person is interacting with a very convincing person opposite them who is natural and believable in the part. You see the "real" imaginary person, not the actor.

It's a strange thing. I'm sure the wooden person is trying their hardest, but they just can't pull it off.

I've been watching a lot of "Death Valley Days" and "Tales of Wells Fargo" shows the past six months. They are full of unknown actors and actresses, many who were outstanding at their craft. I've seen many gorgeous and outstanding women in their 20s and 30s who just disappeared from the Hollywood scene by their mid- to late-30s.

[VideoDoctor]

If you're a GOOD ACTOR multitudes of viewers SEE your movie and your WORK and APPLAUD it.

If you're a BAD ACTOR in a $HITTY movie then you do NOT receive PRAISE and NO ONE cares that your performance was WEAK and/or MEANINGLESS.

[HYPOCRACY]

Ask Al Pacino. He can do both equally as bad/good.

[Libloather]

Recently watched The Quatermass Xperiment. Brian Donlevy constantly delivered a few pages of script in one sitting and one take. Impressive.

[coloradan]

Dirka dirka jihad.

[dfwgator]

The only actor today that I consider to be good is Billy Bob Thornton.

[jackibutterfly]

One of the best acting scenes I ever saw was John Wayne in the Searchers where Ed Begley, Jr and John Wayne were talking about finding John Wayne’s niece who was taken by the Indians. Ed Begley started to tell John Wayne about how she was found, and John Wayne went off on him. THE most heartrending scene ever! And talk about acting! John Wayne SHOULD have won 10 Oscars for that scene!

[RoosterRedux]

Good actors don’t have to act, they be themselves.

Not true.

There are two main types of actors: personality actors, who essentially play versions of themselves across roles (like Clint Eastwood or Jack Nicholson), and transformational actors, who fully disappear into their characters (like Gary Oldman or Daniel Day-Lewis).

Both styles can be powerful—one draws on authenticity, the other on versatility.

[Alberta's Child]

Christian Bale is a phenomenal actor. Might be the best in the business right now.

[JBW1949]

Best actor was the only real “James Bond”... Sean Connery....

[John Milner]

Watched (don’t ask me why) a movie with Steven Seagal. I swear he was reading his lines from cue cards off camera. No feeling, no emotion. Laughably bad.

I had been able to avoid his “craft” up to that point but, wow, I was impressed by his ability to be successful with no acting talent or drive.