American Actors vs Non-American Actors
American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#1American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 10:01am
Recently, I was thinking about all the actors who I have thought turned in consistently good performances. And I realized my list was very short on American actors. Among the actors I enjoy seeing are Emma Thompson, Judi Dench, Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Blethyn
Have American actors lost the ability to create a character? Are they more interested in fame than in acting?
Two who really grate my nerves at the moment are:
Meryl Streep - I don't see why everyone thinks she's a great actress. (She's no Emma Thompson). Early in her career, she played a couple of roles where she had to use an accent. That passes for acting? I don't see any inner life in her acting. To me, it's all surface. Plus, she's everywhere now, hamming it up.
Christian Borle - He was ok in Smash, but didn't do outstanding work. I thought his performance in The Sound of Music was a bit forced. It looks like he's trying to be the Sean Hayes of musical theater, so I guess we can expect his next project to be The Music Man. But I really don't see any inner life in his performances either.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
yankeefan7
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/12
#2American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 12:35pm
I think Tom Hanks turns in pretty darn good performances in most movies and if I remember correctly did ok recently on Broadway.I would also add George Clooney who routinely receives good reviews.
Updated On: 1/18/14 at 12:35 PM
#2American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 1:25pm
Are you kidding me?
Cherry Jones, Rosemary Harris, Judith Ivey, Dana Ivey, Elizabeth Wilson, Mary Louise Wilson, Audra Macdonald, Diane Wiest, Frances Sternhagen, Alfre Woodard, Glen Close, James Earl Jones, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, Matt Damon, F. Murray Abraham, Leonardo Di Caprio, Raul Esparza, Norbert Leo Butz, Denzel Washington, Sam Waterston.... to name just a few.
Gothamp, I didn't think my opinion of you could get any lower.... I was wrong.
Updated On: 1/18/14 at 01:25 PM
yankeefan7
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/12
#3American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 2:41pmSouth Fl Marc - Cherry Jones is amazing, loved her in "Doubt" and of course her years as POTUS on "24". The others you mentioned are wonderful also but she made such a impression on me in "Doubt".
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#4American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 2:55pm
"Gothamp, I didn't think my opinion of you could get any lower.... I was wrong."
SouthFlMarc, join the line with all the others. Thankfully, my self-worth doesn't depend on what anonymous people post on a Broadway chatboard.
Of the people you mentioned, I will single out Dianne Wiest. Even though her Desdemona in the 1980s was the whiniest Shakespeare performance ever seen on the stage, I have seen her turn in some wonderful performances.
I want to reserve my opinion on Cherry Jones until I've seen some more of her work.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
yankeefan7
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/12
#5American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 3:01pm
"I want to reserve my opinion on Cherry Jones until I've seen some more of her work."
Might be hard to do since she is primarily a theatre actress with few exceptions like the TV series "24".
#6American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 3:06pm
Are you thinking of screen or stage?
In any case, you should think harder.
To add to the above list, surely you approve of Laura Linney, Julianne Moore, Edie Falco...etc.etc.etc.
Nationality has nothing to do with anything, in my opinion.
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#7American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 3:23pm
I saw Cherry Jones in The Heiress. I thought that entire production was a fine production. But I try not to judge based on a single character.
One on my list is Marcia Gay Harden. Her work in Angels In America was heartbreaking. She's also turned in good performances in Mystic River and Mona Lisa Smile among other movies. Her performances become three-dimensional people and she doesn't bring into her performance her personal "tics" that you see other actors use.
Jay Lerner-Z, I don't mean it to be an argument about nationality, but more about actor training. I think that the American actors are getting lazy and as Stanislavski said "live more for applause" than actually creating a character.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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#8American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 3:38pmYou think Meryl Streep's acting is all surface???? Oh sweety nothing could be farther from the truth! She is absolutely brilliant. I'm genuinely sorry you don't see that.
"Brevity is the soul of wit"--Hamlet
#9American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 3:53pm
It's really a matter of taste. And like her or not, you certainly can't fault Streep for lack of training.
#10American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 4:00pm
You're waiting to see more of Cherry Jones' work? She's been working for three decades and has two Tonys. And will probably be nabbing a third this year.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
Updated On: 1/18/14 at 04:00 PM
Phantom4ever
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/17/07
#11American Actors vs Non-American Actors
Posted: 1/18/14 at 4:58pmThis thread is a great example of the low-level of discourse on this site. Just take a look at how my posters can't argue a point without an ad hominem attack. I get that it's easy to be nasty online, but this inability to argue without getting personal is quite pathetic.
