It's April and that means the A to Z Blogging Challenge!
This year my theme is film terms.
Underacting refers to an understated, neutral and muted acting performance.
Bruce Willis in Unbreakable (2000).
Clint Eastwood in High Plains Drifter (1973)
Can you think of performances in which the actor plays an understated or even stoic role?
Hmmm. Good question. How about Peter Sellers in "Being There." Would that count as understated?
ReplyDeleteTrudy, I would say Sellers wins the prize for that one. I enjoyed the movie, despite it's lagging pace. I liked the concept of a "slow" man assumed to be wise and articulate.
DeleteLeonard Nimoy, as the Vulcan/human hybrid,Spock. Mark Lenard, as his Vulcan father, Sarek and Jolene Blalock, as the endlessly fascinating first Vulcan woman in Starfleet, T'Pol.
ReplyDeleteVulcans are the consummate underactors! Very quiet body language. Tiny shifts of facial expression say so much...
I see you're from Wyoming. I actually met Bruce Willis once, when I was a waiter at the Old Faithful Inn. He came in just after we closed from lunch, and asked if I could show him where he could buy a sandwich. It wasn't until I returned from that mission that my coworkers told me who I'd helped. He was all alone, dressed just like any other tourist, although I think he might have been filling The Sixth Sense at the time.
So, at least that day, he was an underactor in real life, too. =)
But still more kinetic than your average Vulcan. =D
Boldly Going Through the Alphabet!
@shanjeniah
Part-Time Minion for Holton's Heroes
shanjeniah's Lovely Chaos
Great story about Willis. LOL. I agree about the Vulcan characters. As an actor myself, I think it would be difficult to play stoic and still have the audience relate to your character. A balancing act for sure.
DeleteJolene Blalock, who so masterfully portrayed T'Pol, is the kind of person who seems always to be smiling or giggling in interviews. Her pointed eared giggles make the Star Trek: Enterprise outtakes absolutely fantastic to watch.
DeleteShe claimed that, once the makeup and wig were on, she couldn't really recognize herself anymore - she just became T'Pol. I have to agree - the first time I saw her sans makeup, I was blown away that it was the same person!
Leonard Nimoy claimed that the clothing helped him find the character, and that, once he was in it, he'd have a hard time setting it aside, making weekends at home interesting...
I think that it takes a certain type of skill to portray a Vulcan. Spock and T'Pol I love, as well as Mark Lenard (Spock's father, Sarek), and every Vulcan on Enterprise (they had the most, and every one "felt" right to me.) Tuvok, the Vulcan in Voyager, never did - his body language was all wrong, and that's how I relate to Vulcans.
Well, that and the fact that they whisper stories in my head on a regular basis, then insist that I write them! =)
Boldly Going Through the Alphabet!
@shanjeniah
Part-Time Minion for Holton's Heroes
shanjeniah's Lovely Chaos
Jolene Blalock, who so masterfully portrayed T'Pol, is the kind of person who seems always to be smiling or giggling in interviews. Her pointed eared giggles make the Star Trek: Enterprise outtakes absolutely fantastic to watch.
DeleteShe claimed that, once the makeup and wig were on, she couldn't really recognize herself anymore - she just became T'Pol. I have to agree - the first time I saw her sans makeup, I was blown away that it was the same person!
Leonard Nimoy claimed that the clothing helped him find the character, and that, once he was in it, he'd have a hard time setting it aside, making weekends at home interesting...
I think that it takes a certain type of skill to portray a Vulcan. Spock and T'Pol I love, as well as Mark Lenard (Spock's father, Sarek), and every Vulcan on Enterprise (they had the most, and every one "felt" right to me.) Tuvok, the Vulcan in Voyager, never did - his body language was all wrong, and that's how I relate to Vulcans.
Well, that and the fact that they whisper stories in my head on a regular basis, then insist that I write them! =)
Boldly Going Through the Alphabet!
@shanjeniah
Part-Time Minion for Holton's Heroes
shanjeniah's Lovely Chaos
what about Marlon Brando as Godfather
ReplyDeletehttp://www.obliqview.blogspot.in
Absolutely! Marlon Brando is actually like that in many of his films, including Apocalypse Now. Not so much in A Streetcar Named Desire - "STELLLA!"
Delete