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strangefruit42 (6)
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"It's JUST the role" is bollocks. Take the best movie with the best written script ever, and put the wrong actor in the role, and you risk to ruin the whole movie. Horror movies again often work with stereotypes, character development doesn't happen that much. The secret is to have the right actor for the right role, and a good actor will be able to adapt to a larger variety of characters and work with it to make the very character their own. There's a type of actor who occasionally has a clause in their contracts that they're allowed to more or less massively alter the character and work that out together with the author and director. That doesn't necessarily mean it'll become great, but it's far from just "reading the lines", and the chances you get something outstanding aren't bad.
That being said, yes, there are actors that are built up by the studios, because they bring profit. But those actors aren't automatically considered outstanding. Take Chris Evans. OK actor, not more, but built up mostly because the kids like him. Movie industry isn't welfare, that's a fact.
Hugh Grant
Meg Ryan
Adam Sandler
Will Ferrell
Jon Cryer
Johnny Depp (lately. I like his earlier stuff, but since Captain Sparrow he mostly plays annoying freaks, and his look-I'm-a-badass-rocker attitude since some time is pathetic)
In some cases the extraordinary is not as obvious, but I agree, there are enough cases that leave me wondering as well. Sometimes I think they give an Oscar to an actor that was overseen before.
In 2008, I remember, enough people seemed to be upset that Robert Downey Jr was nominated for Tropic Thunder (and please, no one whinging about the reputed "black-facing"). I confess, I had to watch the movie more than once to completely understand why it was so special. When you notice that he really put the layers of the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude on each others, it becomes mighty impressive. English is not my first language, but I was told, that once in a while you hear a bit of the Australian accent through the American accent of the role of his role, and when "the dudes are emerging" that change in accents is both hilarious and brilliant. Plus in the first scene he's parodying himself from a terrible 90s action crap named "Danger Zone".
Seriously, I still wonder if there'd have been be any differences in the Oscar winner that year, if Heath Ledger wouldn't have died. No question, he deserved it, but he wasn't the only one. (And we'd probably all prefer if he would still be with us)
I hardly dare to say it ... William Shatner. I was 11, and he still had his own hair and was slim in Star Trek, so forgive me.
He's ok, just not my type. I'm not into those generic good looks, and love the darker type with brown eyes better (Antonio Banderas as mentioned above would be more my kind). But that's personal taste. For me it doesn't get any better that this:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/48/e2/a8/48e2a886dc3239c8f1e83b6151906653.jpg
The only blonde and blue-eyed compromise I'm willing to make:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8c/09/30/8c093099f33786c769d62799df97a5f4.jpg
Robert Downey Jr, Robert Downey Jr, and Robert Downey Jr.
Let's add a platonic girl-crush on Meryl Streep, so it doesn't look too one-sided.
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