Looking at some of the RIP threads, some people seem to be labelled great actors, when in reality, they do virtually the same thing in every role they play. I'd say Roger Moore and probably Michael Caine are good examples of this, where they seem to be well paid for being themselves. Other actors seem to get less credit, even though they can appear in varied roles, without you being reminded of other things they've been in. For this I'd offer Ronnie Barker and Maxine Peake. Is it just that some people have a personality that suits a certain type of film character, or am I missing some subtleties in what they're doing? To be fair, I'm not a big film goer, so it could easily be my ignorance.
i would say they're like a good ref.....unnoticed. But also totally convincing and plausible, as well as extremely versatile. Robert de Niro in the 70s and 80s for example. Mean Streets, Deerhunter, Once Upon a Time in America.
Caine and Moore arent thought of as great actors, maybe they should be, they are likeable though as themselves. Theres a lot of luvvy bullshit with acting. Look at Judi Dench, we always get told how great she is but she plays the same, prissy uptight spoilt old bitch in whatever she's in. A lot of the old greats get called that because of their stage work, Burton Olivier etc, where the audience could feel the power of the performance.
I don't think anyone would ever claim Roger Moore is a 'great' actor. Caine has a much stronger CV, but I'm inclined to agree with DMD's point that most of the time he sticks to what he knows. While I thought he was good in a different way in the likes of Rita and Hannah and Her Sisters, you'd never put him on the same level as a proper great like Brando or Guinness.
Not enough 'great actors and actresses' any more. They were believable but also commanding on screen. They made you believe the role they were playing. Bette Davis for example. Too many average ones sbout now. Sally Fields/Meryl Streep are a couple more 'greats'.
Completely agree re Olivier, who I thought was a terrible film actor - he never adapted from his stage technique at all. But Burton was bloody superb.
Just heard that Sally Fields reckoned her best on-screen kiss was with James Garner. (I do love a circular conversation.....)
Arjen Robben? Excelled in the recent blockbuster, "Adios Mexico" where his exploits near the end of the movie had global audiences on their feet (unlike himself, his acting exertions leaving him prostrate).
The clues in the title " Actor" Caine and Moore never acted they just talked. Real actors have you believing them, they can be nasty, evil, cruel or really nice chaps when they act and you believe them. Judi Dench when younger was a great actress with loads of different parts, it's only in the last few years she seems to be type cast. Our own Tom Courteney is a bloody good actor, so was Alec Guinness.
Its not an actors fault when they begin to get typecast. I always feel the best actors are the ones who put in the best performances in surreal characters. Jack Nicholson and Ledger as the joker, Bale as Patrick Batemen, Anthony Hopkins and Mad Mikkelson and Hannibal. Oh, and the other Mikkelson and Andy Scott in the Sherlock series. Maybe this says more about me than them.
Integrety in yourself - Professionalism in your behaviour coupled with Intense Discipline. Having a natural physical body free from restraint. Real Love for your colleagues. And a bloody lot of good luck & a healthy self confidence. Cultivate these qualitys and you will make it to the top.
Watch Michael Caine and Parky all the way through and Mr Cain explains it all himself. [video=youtube;N_dImgVD7R0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_dImgVD7R0&list=FLgJnDWQhUhilZgLZLiudsIg& index=3[/video] The relevant part is around 5mins 40 seconds but the whole interview is quite amusing.
He was excellent in The Entertainer. Hard to believe it was the same year as Spartacus looking at Olivier in both. Which was a sign he was a good actor. Which, talking of stage actors, John Laurier, who played Private Frazer in Dad's Army was a top Shakespearian actor, ranked only behind Olivier, Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud. He once told the writers of Dad's Army when they complained he wouldn't learn his lines of all the parts he had memorised written by Shakespeare and he wasn't going to clutter it up with this rubbish.
To be fair to Roger Moore he never professes to be a great actor and is self-deprecating about his abilities. He could outdrink all the supposed heavy drinkers.When they made the Wild Geese everyone was talking about who would drink the most, Burton or Harris. It turned out Moore drank more than either of them, leaving them asleep and was first on the set in the morning, bright eyed and ready to go whilst they were still spark out and dead rough.
