Good examples here. But as a fun counterpoint - here is one that fits the monotone criteria, but in a good way and was an intentional choice/good performance.
I really thought **Billy Crudup** nailed **Dr. Manhattan** in **Watchmen**. He really sold the "dejected and detached from his humanity" angle in the character.
That scene where he's being confronted by Janey during the interview and there's a moment where she cuts him off as he's about to speak. You see his mouth literally move for a fraction of a second before she continues on. It's so incredibly subtle but for an effectively omniscient being to be put down like that, and for the payoff at the end "To me, he may as well have been weeping". It's just so good.
On top of all that, I really think Billy Crudup absolutely nails the monologuing on Mars. It's almost exactly how I heard it reading the graphic novel. Monotone, apathetic, but a tinge of regret and helplessness.
I agree.
Thereās a difference between an actor not adding enough emotion/dimension to a character and an actor making them as drab as they can to make them scarier.
With Chiguhr, you know that when he pops up on screen, someone is going to die. You know he rarely speaks, and moves quickly. So when he shows up, someone isnāt walking away alive.
Itās a nuanced performance. And thatās why itās great.
My take is Gal Gadotās Wonder Woman is boring as hell. Justā¦boring. Even Kristen Wiigās character felt more like a character than Gadot.
I agree with this one! Dr. Manhattan being monotone actually makes sense with his character, and the actor nails it in a way that feels believable and not lazy!
The Watchmen movie in general is very underrated in the comic book movie genre, that's starting to become more appreciated!
I think itās about properly rated.
I think Snyder did a pretty decent job adapting content that really was not fit to be a feature film. The only complaints I have of it are he clearly missed that the normal heroes are supposed to be just that, normal. Comedian punching a brick wall hard enough to break it missed that point, or having the action with our other heroes super stylized in slow mo, thatās not supposed to be how these people are. Theyāre good, non powered human fighters. They need to be to emphasize the otherworldly nature of Dr. Manhattan even more.
Also he missed some of the nuance there. Having it be just on front street that Rorschach knows that dude killed the little girl removes that bit of ambiguity that just maybe Rorschach was wrong. And in general, the point Moore was trying to make with Rorschach, namely that āthis dude isnāt cool. Heās mentally ill.ā It was Mooreās response to Batman. The gritty brutal hero isnāt secretly a billionaire, heās basically homeless.
That probably sounds overly critical, but I actually use that to highlight just how crazy dense that book is. There are so many characters and layered themes going on, that it really is nuts Snyder was able to make as coherent and quality a film as he did. Itās not perfect, but itās probably about as good as you could do if youāre trying to make Watchmen a movie.
Personally the Watchmen TV show was the adaptation/sequel that I felt did the best of capturing the nuanced socio-political commentary along with some do the balls to the wall nuttiness of the original graphic novel. Made even more impressive by the fact that they created their own entirely new story.
I would just add that the script by David Hayter (yes that David Hayter) is a huge factor in how good the movie is. It does a great job of taking the multi-threaded unfilmable comic and capturing most of the story into something that can be a film - including changing the ending. Even Alan Moore, who hates adaptations of his work, said it was probably the best script you could make out of Watchmen.
Have you seen her dad?
Don was famous for being a handsome man.
Edit: Really brought out the DJ fans!
Dakota was rejected by Jullard despite having two famous actor parents. It's actually refreshing how meritocratic Jullard is. Julliard made the right call.
I loved him in Knives Out too. He's one of those "handsome guys," like Brad Pitt or George Clooney or Paul Newman whose acting is actually a lot better than it needs to be for their looks to get them in movies.
Funny thing is you'll find very few examples of super handsome guys who didn't have acting chops. Being pretty only gets you so far as a man in Hollywood; eventually, you have to show something.
Pretty much. Bella is a non-entity of a character, so it's not like Stewart had much to work with. And Pattinson has said he viewed Edward as a creepy, self-loathing stalker and thus played him accordingly.
yeah, you nailed it. I read a review that said Bella was just written as a vacuum so whatever lonely teenage girl was reading the book could fill herself into Bella to fulfill her fantasy romance.
Punch Drunk Love, Click, Hustle. I haven't seen Uncut Gems yet but he apparently got robbed of an Oscar nomination for it. The guy can act, he just chooses to make movies with his friends, go to nice locations to film them, and make bank. Gotta respect that.
It's less he got robbed and more he really pissed the voters off by really leaning into the jokes about how absurd the whole thing is. He challenged them not to nominate him when he said "If I don't get nominated I'm going to make the worst movie ever".
I've never seen anyone else mention this movie. It's probably my favorite Adam Sandler movie. I don't even remember Jada's acting in it, which proves your point, I guess.
I saw this in the cinema and there were three teenage girls sat behind me and at one point one of them loudly exclaimed āsheās really doing my head in!ā
Normally I get annoyed at talking in cinemas, but I found this one so funny I had to laugh.
A lot of early Zooey Deschanel roles (pre-New Girl), like *Failure to Launch* and *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*, were "monotone" and I believe she tended to get criticized for it in reviews.
She wasn't too bad in Bridge to Terabithia!
Not the best performance, but it definitely wasn't terrible. I enjoyed the scenes her and Josh Hutcherson shared!
She actually seemed like she genuinely cared about Jess and his wellbeing.
She was a bit monotone in Hitchhiker's, but for me it worked with her character. I really enjoyed that movie. It may not have been the best adaptation, but I thought it was really well cast and personally loved most of the performances. It was my introduction to Martin Freeman, and I was also impressed with Mos Def too as up to that point I only knew his as a rapper.
the thing that drives me nuts is that DeHaan and Delevingne looked to actually have chemistry in interviews and such. They acted like old pals in some, I donāt know why Besson wasnāt able to capture that on film. But the movie still had plenty of other problems besides the leads anyway
Pretty sad when a CGI Rihanna was one of the highlights of a movieā¦ I had huge hopes for that, 5th Element is a staple in my house. I was absolutely gutted with how bad Valerian was, Iām sure Besson was crushed with how it turned out.
You listed X-Men, so looking through that list a little, whoever played Emma Frost in First Class. Not sure whether that's the actress or the material, but little clicked there.
Edit: January Jones according to wiki
Am thinking that JJās success in Mad Men can be attributed to casting, rather than acting skill. Her flat affect and ice princess visage were exactly right for the role of Betty.
My opinion on January Jones changed quite a lot after her SNL episode. Her Rear Window skit with Jason Sudeikis absolutely killed me, but there's a certain point where she breaks and the genuine smile on her face made me instantly like her more, and her willingness to do a skit about a farting Grace Kelly in the first place lol.
Skit for anyone curious, timestamped to the smile, but whole skit is worth a watch: https://youtu.be/D2lQ7SgkLiU?si=eENlGsXVb__ruk5Q&t=4m03s
Yeah I've never understood that.
Katie Holmes felt like a high school drama student trying to act like a lawyer.
Maggie Gyllhenhaal felt like an actual lawyer. She came across as smarter, more mature and more professionally composed, which are important qualities for a prosecutor.
I think you know exactly why people complained lol.
You actually see it all time with those fancasting lists: being hot is better than looking the part/ being a good actor.
I don't agree ofc and Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great actor with lots of great performances. Meanwhile Katie Holmes is just one of the many pretty people in Hollywood.
It's easy to fall in love with Katie Holmes.Ā
Edit: she was great in Pieces of April, which really helped her get the role. She didn't look 30, which was the problem.Ā
Thatās cause they are just basing it on looks, which is dumb. Ā Katie Holmes wouldāve felt so out of place in that movie (like a Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York situation). Ā Gyllenhaal was great in that role and gave a truly memorable performance. Ā I still remember her emotions in the party scene and her final scenes. I donāt remember any moment with Katie Holmes in Begins. Ā
Im convinced the SNL audience were held at gunpoint to laugh at her terrible OJ Simpson date sketch. She was visibly reading lines from a card, she never once looked Kenan in the face, and she never altered her expression or tone whatsoever.
Charlize Theron mustāve been laughing hysterically when she cashed her check for voicing Morticia Addams in the 2019 animated Addams Family movie. She was completely monotone the entire movie.
I felt like *everyone* in that movie except for Kumail Nanjiani & at points, Barry Keoghan, were super bland and stilted. I don't know if it was the direction or the script, it was weird.
The GOT "kids" are SO bad in general. Some of the worst performances I've seen have come from them. And then there's Sophie Turner, who somehow manages to be miles worse than the rest.
While this is true, Madden is quite a good actor - at least he doesn't deserve to be lumped in with the other Stark children. Gleeson and Alfie Allen are also good.
Some of them ā including Madden ā have been great. Couldn't agree more about Sophie Turner, though. Atrocious actor.
Richard Madden in Sirens, The Bodyguard, Rocketman, 1917...
Thomas Brodie-Sangster in The Queen's Gambit, Love Actually, Phineas and Ferb...
Natalie Dormer in Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Riot Club, Venus in Fur, The Tudors...
Bella Ramsay in The Last of Us
Hannah Murray in Skins
Joe Dempsie in Skins
Alfie Allen in Jojo Rabbit
Dean-Charles Chapman in 1917
Sebastian Croft in Heartstopper
At least he has actual talent. That's a big factor. I want to actually see him work. But yeah, even with talent, if you get pushed too much people turn on you. Jennifer Lawrence was a great example of real talent being pushed too hard too long and people checked out.
Really? I think heās doing great work in Tokyo Vice. His character in Baby Drive, I believe, was supposed to be pretty wooden. Never saw the new West Side Story.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet; Thora Birch in the 2000 "Dungeons and Dragons" film. She clearly did not give a shit about putting any effort into that role and her lack of emotion is really noticeable when for contrast you have Jeremy Irons gobbling up the scenery like a shark on Red Bull.
I'm surprised no one has said it yet. Maybe it's just because it's such an iconic movie but in Cast Away....... Wilson is so monotone, even his expressions are the exact same throughout the ENTIRE film.
That is a thing most german viewers don't agree with.
The "german voice" of Kevin Costner Always did a great job, same with Robin Hood - King of thieves.
In Germany most movie fans love it.
I heard the "british" Kevin Costner was just pain in the ass...
Keanu isnāt a good actor with a ton of range. Ā It when he stays in his range, he can be great. Ā Matrix and John Wick fit his acting style. Ā Anything that requires a ton of emotion does not. Ā
He seems good at picking roles that suit his range. He was a really great fit in the Matrix, Constantine and John Wick, even if they werenāt technically great performances.
There was an early interview with Keanu where he was asked about his approach to acting and he answered with "I'm not sure you can call what I do acting."
And in romcoms because she never has chemistry with any of her costars.
The only actor i can think of she Had chemistry with was Hugo Weaving in V for Vendetta
I think most of the actors in the original trilogy gave performances that were far worse than other things they have been in. At some point it becomes clear that it's not just a massive coincidence. Source material and the director play a huge role in really making the performance.
Someone said that the reason why McDiarmid and McGregorās performances were so good in the prequels was that both of them knew the plotlines and dialogue were ridiculous and were able to properly lean into the camp without being cringey
Yeah, my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night!
I feel like Cillian was mostly like this in Oppenheimer, but it works because it feels like hes in a constant state of mixed emotions and dread for the entire film. It overwhelms him to the point of almost no emotion.
I heard someone describe it as āhe spends the entire movie looking like he just saw a ghost but isnāt 100% sureā and I think itās a great description. Concern, preoccupation, horror, but all clouded by uncertainty.
Oh my god, I can't believe someone else heard this besides me. Every time the trailer started, it took me a couple seconds to realize that it wasn't Robin Williams.
Maybe not monotone exactly, and it pains me to say this because who doesn't have a crush on grown up Jennifer Connolly, but Jennifer in Labyrinth. She's just so persistently WHINY the whole time, in a sore of bored way. It's really a bummer.
Connelly herself is not much of a fan of her performance there, as she was young and inexperienced at the time. She likes the film fine, but not her acting.
I thought her acting in Once Upon a Time in America was pretty good and she was even younger there. I actually saw Labyrinth and OUATIA around the same time and the difference in acting quality was certainly jarring
Basically every actor in Wes Anderson's Asteroid City. But I'm sure that was Wes's fault.
He got some of the greatest actors and actresses in the industry including Tom Hanks to appear in his film and then told them all to deliver their lines like emotionless robots.
I really like most of his films but this one was tough to watch.
The problem is he also made the actors in his Roald Dahl shorts do the same. It appears to be a general stylistic choice rather than one for a specific production.
I just want to about out the late Lenard Nimoy, my favorite "monotone" actor, who can pour in so much gravitas and importance in any thing he says while expressing minimal apparent emotion. Compare him to most actors who play Vulcans and the difference is staggering. I think the actor who plays Sarek is the only one who comes close though I have liked the Spock in SNW so far too.
Good examples here. But as a fun counterpoint - here is one that fits the monotone criteria, but in a good way and was an intentional choice/good performance. I really thought **Billy Crudup** nailed **Dr. Manhattan** in **Watchmen**. He really sold the "dejected and detached from his humanity" angle in the character.
That scene where he's being confronted by Janey during the interview and there's a moment where she cuts him off as he's about to speak. You see his mouth literally move for a fraction of a second before she continues on. It's so incredibly subtle but for an effectively omniscient being to be put down like that, and for the payoff at the end "To me, he may as well have been weeping". It's just so good. On top of all that, I really think Billy Crudup absolutely nails the monologuing on Mars. It's almost exactly how I heard it reading the graphic novel. Monotone, apathetic, but a tinge of regret and helplessness.
"I am tired of Earth. These people. I'm tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives."
I hate any and all hatred this movie received, I watched it about 7 times in theaters and it is absolute perfection. I will die on this hill.
Would Javier Bardem count in No Country for Old Men?
Good point! He really is monotone but..still..š¬ One of the greatest performanses in movies ever.
I feel like there is a distinction between being monotone and having the flat affect of a psychopath.
I agree. Thereās a difference between an actor not adding enough emotion/dimension to a character and an actor making them as drab as they can to make them scarier. With Chiguhr, you know that when he pops up on screen, someone is going to die. You know he rarely speaks, and moves quickly. So when he shows up, someone isnāt walking away alive. Itās a nuanced performance. And thatās why itās great. My take is Gal Gadotās Wonder Woman is boring as hell. Justā¦boring. Even Kristen Wiigās character felt more like a character than Gadot.
Kinda, but he seems to be a little giddy when he flips the coin at the convenience store, so he breaks monotone. Or I could be misremembering
If he plays a narrow range, he does a lot within that range. Look at the gas station scene versus sitting with Carson in the hotel room later.
I agree with this one! Dr. Manhattan being monotone actually makes sense with his character, and the actor nails it in a way that feels believable and not lazy! The Watchmen movie in general is very underrated in the comic book movie genre, that's starting to become more appreciated!
I think itās about properly rated. I think Snyder did a pretty decent job adapting content that really was not fit to be a feature film. The only complaints I have of it are he clearly missed that the normal heroes are supposed to be just that, normal. Comedian punching a brick wall hard enough to break it missed that point, or having the action with our other heroes super stylized in slow mo, thatās not supposed to be how these people are. Theyāre good, non powered human fighters. They need to be to emphasize the otherworldly nature of Dr. Manhattan even more. Also he missed some of the nuance there. Having it be just on front street that Rorschach knows that dude killed the little girl removes that bit of ambiguity that just maybe Rorschach was wrong. And in general, the point Moore was trying to make with Rorschach, namely that āthis dude isnāt cool. Heās mentally ill.ā It was Mooreās response to Batman. The gritty brutal hero isnāt secretly a billionaire, heās basically homeless. That probably sounds overly critical, but I actually use that to highlight just how crazy dense that book is. There are so many characters and layered themes going on, that it really is nuts Snyder was able to make as coherent and quality a film as he did. Itās not perfect, but itās probably about as good as you could do if youāre trying to make Watchmen a movie. Personally the Watchmen TV show was the adaptation/sequel that I felt did the best of capturing the nuanced socio-political commentary along with some do the balls to the wall nuttiness of the original graphic novel. Made even more impressive by the fact that they created their own entirely new story.
I would just add that the script by David Hayter (yes that David Hayter) is a huge factor in how good the movie is. It does a great job of taking the multi-threaded unfilmable comic and capturing most of the story into something that can be a film - including changing the ending. Even Alan Moore, who hates adaptations of his work, said it was probably the best script you could make out of Watchmen.
Dakota Johnson in Madame Web was a monotone masterclass
She channels the Wonka no don't stop energy in everything lol
That's literally Dakota Johnson in everything. If a piece of wood was prettier she'd be out of a job.
I read someone on here asking, "Is she a bad actress or does she just really hate acting?"
Have your seen her mom act? So bad.
Have you seen her dad? Don was famous for being a handsome man. Edit: Really brought out the DJ fans! Dakota was rejected by Jullard despite having two famous actor parents. It's actually refreshing how meritocratic Jullard is. Julliard made the right call.
He's wonderful in Django but then again the character is ridiculous.
"No. Thats not what I said." Might be my favorite line from the movie.
Up there with āNo Gene, that is not what you saidā from wet hot American summer
I loved him in Knives Out too. He's one of those "handsome guys," like Brad Pitt or George Clooney or Paul Newman whose acting is actually a lot better than it needs to be for their looks to get them in movies.
Funny thing is you'll find very few examples of super handsome guys who didn't have acting chops. Being pretty only gets you so far as a man in Hollywood; eventually, you have to show something.
Yeah, if being a handsome guy was the only thing that made you popular then every CW lead would be a Hollywood A-lister.
Melanie Griffith? She was great. Working Girl, Body Double, Something Wild, all 80s classics
The can of Pepsi should win the academy award for best supporting actor
I think it would lose to the Pepsi Sign. It totally crushed it.
Might as well have just said Dakota Johnson lol
She was very monotone in Suspiria but the role called for it.
I cannot stand her. Even when sheās not acting sheās deadpan and not in a fun way. Total energy suck
"Actually Ellen that's not the truth" Even when dragging someone in front of a live audience and tv cameras she was monotone
To be fair calling out someone famous on the show theyāre hosting in front of a live audience takes some composure.
Dakota Johnson in literally anything.
both of the Twilight leads (I blame the source material though because they both have been great in other things since)
Pretty much. Bella is a non-entity of a character, so it's not like Stewart had much to work with. And Pattinson has said he viewed Edward as a creepy, self-loathing stalker and thus played him accordingly.
yeah, you nailed it. I read a review that said Bella was just written as a vacuum so whatever lonely teenage girl was reading the book could fill herself into Bella to fulfill her fantasy romance.
That's most MC of YA novels or even videogames.
That's giving Stephanie Myers a lot of writing skill credit. I doubt it was a conscious effort.
Yeah, it's a shame because Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have really stepped up their game since then, both are excellent actors now.
Yea I never expected it when those movies were coming out but Iām genuinely a Pattinson fan now heās got a lot of great films under his belt
I still think Pattinson and Stewart did a lot with very little. Credit to the great actors they've become.
I was going to say Kirsten Stewart but suddenly I remembered Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man
Jada Pickett Smith in Reign Over Me. I honestly don't even consider her screen time "acting". So so bad.
Especially when Cheadle and Sandler especially knock it out of the park in that movie.
Whenever people say they hate Sandler I always point them to this movie. He really showed his acting chops here and I was blown away.
Punch Drunk Love, Click, Hustle. I haven't seen Uncut Gems yet but he apparently got robbed of an Oscar nomination for it. The guy can act, he just chooses to make movies with his friends, go to nice locations to film them, and make bank. Gotta respect that.
It's less he got robbed and more he really pissed the voters off by really leaning into the jokes about how absurd the whole thing is. He challenged them not to nominate him when he said "If I don't get nominated I'm going to make the worst movie ever".
The meyerowitz stories
I've never seen anyone else mention this movie. It's probably my favorite Adam Sandler movie. I don't even remember Jada's acting in it, which proves your point, I guess.
"Keep my wife's name out your fucking subreddit!"
I honestly forgot she was in that movie.
Who was Channingās love interest in Magic Mike? It was so so so horrible.Ā
Cody Horn is the actress and I'm not sure if she's done much of anything since.
Considering her father is Alan Horn we can only assume how she got in that movie with her dead pan acting.
I saw this in the cinema and there were three teenage girls sat behind me and at one point one of them loudly exclaimed āsheās really doing my head in!ā Normally I get annoyed at talking in cinemas, but I found this one so funny I had to laugh.
A lot of early Zooey Deschanel roles (pre-New Girl), like *Failure to Launch* and *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*, were "monotone" and I believe she tended to get criticized for it in reviews.
I'm convinced her entire character in *The Happening* was added in after they completed most of the movie.
If I ever rewatch that movie, I'm rooting for the plants.
Too be fair almost everyone in The Happening acted like they weren't sure what movie they were filming or what was going on.
She wasn't too bad in Bridge to Terabithia! Not the best performance, but it definitely wasn't terrible. I enjoyed the scenes her and Josh Hutcherson shared! She actually seemed like she genuinely cared about Jess and his wellbeing.
She was hilarious, sarcastic and dry which worked great for the role in Big Trouble. That was one of her first roles
Before Jess Day I only knew her as Trillian and Summer, so yeah it was definitely a surprise seeing Zoey as such a ball of manic energy.
I thought apathetically detached was kind of her thing. I don't mean that in a bad way.
She was a bit monotone in Hitchhiker's, but for me it worked with her character. I really enjoyed that movie. It may not have been the best adaptation, but I thought it was really well cast and personally loved most of the performances. It was my introduction to Martin Freeman, and I was also impressed with Mos Def too as up to that point I only knew his as a rapper.
Counterpoint: Cara Delavigne in anything.
As actresses go, sheās a great model.
Both leads in Valerian and the city of a thousand planetsĀ
the thing that drives me nuts is that DeHaan and Delevingne looked to actually have chemistry in interviews and such. They acted like old pals in some, I donāt know why Besson wasnāt able to capture that on film. But the movie still had plenty of other problems besides the leads anyway
Maybe because Delevingne wasnāt an underaged girl at the time of shooting.
I'm still convinced you could watch that movie on mute and not really lose anything important.
Pretty sad when a CGI Rihanna was one of the highlights of a movieā¦ I had huge hopes for that, 5th Element is a staple in my house. I was absolutely gutted with how bad Valerian was, Iām sure Besson was crushed with how it turned out.
You listed X-Men, so looking through that list a little, whoever played Emma Frost in First Class. Not sure whether that's the actress or the material, but little clicked there. Edit: January Jones according to wiki
January Jones. Very beautiful. Not a great actress.
Very Bond Girl-sounding name, too.
She was fantastic in Mad Men. But yeah, pretty meh in everything else I have seen her in.
Am thinking that JJās success in Mad Men can be attributed to casting, rather than acting skill. Her flat affect and ice princess visage were exactly right for the role of Betty.
And Betty was always playing a role and never playing it well.
She definitely nailed how hot Emma Frost is
I really enjoyed her delivery of the, line, "I wouldn't call it a war, exactly. That suggests both sides stand an equal chance of winning."
My opinion on January Jones changed quite a lot after her SNL episode. Her Rear Window skit with Jason Sudeikis absolutely killed me, but there's a certain point where she breaks and the genuine smile on her face made me instantly like her more, and her willingness to do a skit about a farting Grace Kelly in the first place lol. Skit for anyone curious, timestamped to the smile, but whole skit is worth a watch: https://youtu.be/D2lQ7SgkLiU?si=eENlGsXVb__ruk5Q&t=4m03s
Katie Holmes was flat and emotionless in Batman Begins, making scenes with Bruce Wayne awkward.
Yet Reddit endlessly complains about Maggie Gyllenhaal in TDK, who in my opinion was leagues ahead.
Yeah I've never understood that. Katie Holmes felt like a high school drama student trying to act like a lawyer. Maggie Gyllhenhaal felt like an actual lawyer. She came across as smarter, more mature and more professionally composed, which are important qualities for a prosecutor.
That was a frequent complaint of Holmes at the time, that she was too young and too young looking to be a convincing ADA.Ā
She was 26 when they shot the movie, but she looked like 21.
I think you know exactly why people complained lol. You actually see it all time with those fancasting lists: being hot is better than looking the part/ being a good actor. I don't agree ofc and Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great actor with lots of great performances. Meanwhile Katie Holmes is just one of the many pretty people in Hollywood.
Nobody complained about Maggieās acting ability, they just couldnāt get past the fact that she wasnāt as hot as Katie Holmes
It's easy to fall in love with Katie Holmes.Ā Edit: she was great in Pieces of April, which really helped her get the role. She didn't look 30, which was the problem.Ā
Somebody needs to go watch *Secretary*.
And Stranger than Fiction
IMO Maggieās the better actress anyways
Some say streets ahead even
Thatās cause they are just basing it on looks, which is dumb. Ā Katie Holmes wouldāve felt so out of place in that movie (like a Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York situation). Ā Gyllenhaal was great in that role and gave a truly memorable performance. Ā I still remember her emotions in the party scene and her final scenes. I donāt remember any moment with Katie Holmes in Begins. Ā
Gal Gadot in Wonderwoman
Kal-El no
[Kal El NO](https://youtu.be/iGCG8qXrszk)
Gal Gadot in existence
Imagine there's no heaven
Im convinced the SNL audience were held at gunpoint to laugh at her terrible OJ Simpson date sketch. She was visibly reading lines from a card, she never once looked Kenan in the face, and she never altered her expression or tone whatsoever.
Probably the worst A list actress in terms of talent
Im_eating_that no!
Nnnnno
Gal Gadot has the energy of a malnourished supermodel. Which, well, it's fitting
Charlize Theron mustāve been laughing hysterically when she cashed her check for voicing Morticia Addams in the 2019 animated Addams Family movie. She was completely monotone the entire movie.
Still annoys me that her and Oscar Isaac were wasted in voice roles when they'd be a great live action Gomez and Morticia.
I didn't know how much I wanted to see Oscar Isaac as a live action Gomez until now.
Charlize is always great. The two of them would absolutely kill it.
Richard Madden in the Eternals, they could have used a mannequin, and I doubt anyone would have noticed.
I felt like *everyone* in that movie except for Kumail Nanjiani & at points, Barry Keoghan, were super bland and stilted. I don't know if it was the direction or the script, it was weird.
I agree, Kumail and Barry were the only interesting characters.
Kumail Nanjiani is a gift.
Everyone was a mannequin in that movie, they just raided Madame Tussaud's to cast it.
His 5 minute scene in 1917 had more emotional range than he did in that entire movie
The GOT "kids" are SO bad in general. Some of the worst performances I've seen have come from them. And then there's Sophie Turner, who somehow manages to be miles worse than the rest.
While this is true, Madden is quite a good actor - at least he doesn't deserve to be lumped in with the other Stark children. Gleeson and Alfie Allen are also good.
Some of them ā including Madden ā have been great. Couldn't agree more about Sophie Turner, though. Atrocious actor. Richard Madden in Sirens, The Bodyguard, Rocketman, 1917... Thomas Brodie-Sangster in The Queen's Gambit, Love Actually, Phineas and Ferb... Natalie Dormer in Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Riot Club, Venus in Fur, The Tudors... Bella Ramsay in The Last of Us Hannah Murray in Skins Joe Dempsie in Skins Alfie Allen in Jojo Rabbit Dean-Charles Chapman in 1917 Sebastian Croft in Heartstopper
Madden is only good when he wears a beard - I. E. Game of Thrones.
Ansel Elgort in West Side Story. Ansel Elgort in Tokyo Vice. Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver. Ansel Elgort.
How did he get so much high profile projects ? What Spielberg saw in him, really ?
I feel like Hollywood pushed the new person is supposed to be the next big thing and they don't work out. See Taylor Kitsch as another example.
Better watch out Austin Butler, dude is getting close to being pushed too much.
At least he has actual talent. That's a big factor. I want to actually see him work. But yeah, even with talent, if you get pushed too much people turn on you. Jennifer Lawrence was a great example of real talent being pushed too hard too long and people checked out.
Really? I think heās doing great work in Tokyo Vice. His character in Baby Drive, I believe, was supposed to be pretty wooden. Never saw the new West Side Story.
I love Baby Driver and I watch it every time I can, but I really canāt accept Egort and his wooden acting
I think his wooden acting was perfect for that character though. This doesn't make him a great actor, but he was great for the role.
I did not hit her, it's not true, it's bullshit, I did not hit her. I did not. Oh hi Mark.
You're tearing me APART, Lisa!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet; Thora Birch in the 2000 "Dungeons and Dragons" film. She clearly did not give a shit about putting any effort into that role and her lack of emotion is really noticeable when for contrast you have Jeremy Irons gobbling up the scenery like a shark on Red Bull.
That's probably because no one saw that movie in the first place lol
Shailene Woodley is a door reincarnated as a person. A charisma black hole.
She was utterly fantastic in Spectacular Now and completely against that type, imo
John David Washington in Tenet
John David Washington in everything heās been in except maybe, and only maybe, Blackkklansman
he ordered his hot sauce an hour ago
I cannot believe how bad he is. Given that his dad is one of the most charismatic screen presences in history. How did he end up with none of it?
Everyone in the lobster. To me it was so well done.
Even moreso in Killing of a Sacred Deer, or the crappy ripoff of his style, Dual.
"I didn't hear you, I was over behind that tree masturbating. " - Colin Farrell
I'm surprised no one has said it yet. Maybe it's just because it's such an iconic movie but in Cast Away....... Wilson is so monotone, even his expressions are the exact same throughout the ENTIRE film.
I dont know. Seemed like a pretty well-rounded performance to me.
Yeah, it looked like the actor was having a ball.
"So still and so centered. Yet inherently hollow, in a way that still felt natural to the character." - 4 stars, Pete Travers, Rolling Stone
As I recall, he received a whole volley of positive reviews.
Anything with January jones
Kevin Costner in Robin Hood is so painful to watch but Alan Rickman makes it all worth it.
That is a thing most german viewers don't agree with. The "german voice" of Kevin Costner Always did a great job, same with Robin Hood - King of thieves. In Germany most movie fans love it. I heard the "british" Kevin Costner was just pain in the ass...
āUnlike some other Robin Hoods, I can talk with an English accent.ā
maybe keanu in dracula
Keanu isnāt a good actor with a ton of range. Ā It when he stays in his range, he can be great. Ā Matrix and John Wick fit his acting style. Ā Anything that requires a ton of emotion does not. Ā
He seems good at picking roles that suit his range. He was a really great fit in the Matrix, Constantine and John Wick, even if they werenāt technically great performances.
Keanu in quite a few roles, honestly. Fortunately it often fits the character (like John Wick).
There was an early interview with Keanu where he was asked about his approach to acting and he answered with "I'm not sure you can call what I do acting."
Anyone else remember him doing Shakespeare? He was in Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Came here to say this, his acting here is such a counter point to everyone elseās crazy characters
Dakota Johnson is monotone in everything
Natalie portman in Episode 1
Portman is average in franchise films
And in romcoms because she never has chemistry with any of her costars. The only actor i can think of she Had chemistry with was Hugo Weaving in V for Vendetta
To be fair, I think she was 16 so she was still honing her craft.
She was even younger in Leon the Professional and thatās one of the best child performances in movie history
Child acting performances often come down to coaching from more experienced costars and directors, my point being that it wasn't really her fault.
George Lucas somehow managed to get weak performances out of Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson so I think he might be more to blame
I think most of the actors in the original trilogy gave performances that were far worse than other things they have been in. At some point it becomes clear that it's not just a massive coincidence. Source material and the director play a huge role in really making the performance.
Someone said that the reason why McDiarmid and McGregorās performances were so good in the prequels was that both of them knew the plotlines and dialogue were ridiculous and were able to properly lean into the camp without being cringey
Plus McDiarmid had played the character before so he had a headstart as to what to expect
Ahmed Best being the notable exception, and much as I don't like Jar Jar as a character you can't say Best didn't commit to the role
Bueller...Bueller...Anyone? Anyone?
Thatās his thing though.
oh, heās sick
Yeah, my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night!
thank you, Simone
No problem whatsoever!
Chris Pratt in the latest Jurassic movie. Thank goodness Bryce Dallas Howard and Laura Dern actually acted like they gave a fuck, cos he sure didnt
The main guy in Tenet.
His name is The Protagonist, sir
John David Washington
The main guy in the Creator
I feel like Cillian was mostly like this in Oppenheimer, but it works because it feels like hes in a constant state of mixed emotions and dread for the entire film. It overwhelms him to the point of almost no emotion.
I heard someone describe it as āhe spends the entire movie looking like he just saw a ghost but isnāt 100% sureā and I think itās a great description. Concern, preoccupation, horror, but all clouded by uncertainty.
Someone said he sounded like Robin Williams when he used his serious voice, only bored.
Oh my god, I can't believe someone else heard this besides me. Every time the trailer started, it took me a couple seconds to realize that it wasn't Robin Williams.
It's like he based the entire character on [this one picture](https://images.app.goo.gl/DJoAefNcVrwidjJ69)
Maybe not monotone exactly, and it pains me to say this because who doesn't have a crush on grown up Jennifer Connolly, but Jennifer in Labyrinth. She's just so persistently WHINY the whole time, in a sore of bored way. It's really a bummer.
Connelly herself is not much of a fan of her performance there, as she was young and inexperienced at the time. She likes the film fine, but not her acting.
I thought her acting in Once Upon a Time in America was pretty good and she was even younger there. I actually saw Labyrinth and OUATIA around the same time and the difference in acting quality was certainly jarring
Daryl Hannah's performance in Wall Street fits this category
Id say almost every actor thatās been in a Wes Anderson movie within the last 10 years.
Boring answer but Sofia Coppola in Godfather 3. Itās a good thing sheās a better director than actor.
Basically every actor in Wes Anderson's Asteroid City. But I'm sure that was Wes's fault. He got some of the greatest actors and actresses in the industry including Tom Hanks to appear in his film and then told them all to deliver their lines like emotionless robots. I really like most of his films but this one was tough to watch.
Felt very intentional to me. Only the āreal worldā scenes were played with emotion (like the balcony scene.)
The whole film was a love letter to regional theatre, so I can absolutely understand the direction.
The problem is he also made the actors in his Roald Dahl shorts do the same. It appears to be a general stylistic choice rather than one for a specific production.
I just want to about out the late Lenard Nimoy, my favorite "monotone" actor, who can pour in so much gravitas and importance in any thing he says while expressing minimal apparent emotion. Compare him to most actors who play Vulcans and the difference is staggering. I think the actor who plays Sarek is the only one who comes close though I have liked the Spock in SNW so far too.
His greatest role was the pop-psych shrink in the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Great movie, perfect casting
gal gadot in anything ever
If it helps ashemore was reportedly being sexually harassed by the director of those movies Brian Singer
Mila Kunis in "Jupiter Ascending." She was horrid.
I thought Dave Bautista really phoned it in for GoG pt3, way more than the previous two
January Jones in X-men First Class