It doesn't impress me.
I guess it's all part of the method v classical argument. Reminds me of that apocryphal story of Hoffman and Olivier - Hoffman had apparently stayed awake for days in preparation for a particularly harrowing scene. Completely unimpressed, Olivier said to him "have you tried acting, dear boy?"
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Why not read some stories instead
NEW! Want a quick read for your coffee break? Why not try this... Flash Erotica: Scrubber I wonder how much of a negative effect those radical transformations will have on their longtime physical health. I think their critical acclaim should be based solely on their acting performance not whether they are willing to lose or gain drastic amounts of weight for a multi-million dollar payroll.
It's admirable that some actors would go to such lengths to be more believable in a role. But you still have to have some ability. Lindsay Lohan can get big and fat or rail skinny, she still doesn't have the same acting ability as Meryl Streep. (or Bugs Bunny for that matter). No matter how fat or fit Steven Segal is, he's still a shitty actor. Whether or not an actor has made some sort of miraculous physical transformation should have no bearing on their nomination for an Oscar.
In the original examples listed by DD, i was particularly impressed with the acting of Charlize Theron in "Monster" and Ellen Burstyn in "Requiem For A Dream". Their transformations added to the credibility of the character, but their skill as actors made their appearances believable.
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser. Socrates Im not a fan, I find it unhealthy. doing a diet or packing on some muscle/bulk like Tom hardy I don't mind. I'd rather just have a naturally skinny actor play someone skinny, or a heavier actor play someone heavy than force it on people at the opposite end of the spectrum. Jonah hill got skinny and he's still not funny. They could have just found a funny guy in average shape.
Ultimately it's unnecessary, just a way to get big names into movies where they don't belong.
"Let's force this actor everyone knows to kill his or her body so we can cram them in and get more ticket sales."
more economics than art
I don't like it either, I think there are enough talented actors to better fit the role rather then forcing ya self to fit the role. If u need to change yerself to that extreme u need not do the role and let someone else better fitting do it. It's not healthy and it doesn't make ya a better actor because u can drop 40-50 pounds or gain just as much for a single role then bounce right back to fit into another role. They say that's wut actors do but that isn't smart to me. It's like wen u hear ppl say that models are a blanket canvise and the designers make them who they are to fit their needs. It's dumb if u ask me.
†Jinxy Approved†
To me, the best authors are those who either have extensive experience with whatever they are writing about - or they've done a ton of research into various topics which all fit into their particular story/novel/book.
Anyone can make up shit out of whole cloth fiction...the story verifiers here see that every day. Guess how many of those stories don't make it to the front page.
If the actors/actresses go to these kinds of lengths to obtain their mindset or put themselves into the character...I think it's 'neat'. I don't think that most of them try to do so to gain acclaim from their peers or adoring public. I could be wrong. As cynical as I am about 99% of everything else, I find it humorous that I'm not cynical about this.
The same GQP demanding we move on from January 6th, 2021 is still doing audits of the November 3rd, 2020 election.
Apparently...
Daniel Day Lewis insisted on being addressed as Mr President (even when off camera) during the shooting of 'Lincoln'....
(He's FAMOUSLY method... A guy I know who worked a bit part in "In The Name Of The Father" told me that Day Lewis asked to be ACTUALLY beaten during the interrogation scenes and also remained hooded for hours at a time to understand his character...)
In one of Ricky Gervais' "EXTRA" scripts, A Very Famous Actress, (It might have been Kate Winslett...) says, "If you want to win an Oscar play a retard or a Nazi..."
xx SF
Someone who did need a transformation was Don Johnson who played Sonny Crocket in the old Miami Vice TV show. He had a great tough guy voice but his puny skinny arms always displayed in sleeveless shirts were not realistic at all. He needed to lift some weights and bulk up just enough to be believable. No way he could rough up a perp with those toothpick arms.
In order to fo penance I have placed 3 plastic pink flamingos in my yard.
In order to fo penance I have placed 3 plastic pink flamingos in my yard.
Radical changes and all that is probably because we are much more visual about what we just see as looks, not the way they speak or all the other traits that bring out a character. Before it was more about how they presented the lines, maybe they way walked, if they were hunchbacked or had a twitch. Before the character was important. Now, the first and most important thing has become the looks, and then mostly how they look in a single screenshot, not how they walk or talk. Just look at all the great classics. They didn't alter their looks that much(ok, Boris Karloff did) but they still won Oscars. Looks wasn't important then. Now with the HD and 3D and whatnot, suddenly looks become important, and then you have to have the looks to fit the part.
Love the movies, but it can't be good for the body.