Is is really THAT HARD to find a professional bodybuilder who can act?

[SpandexFan]

I know some of today's body builder's look freakish because they are so stacked, but is Arnold Schwarznegger really the best that Hollywood will ever be able to find?

I ask because I've always wanted to see a superhero movie with a REAL looking superhero. A Superman who really looks like he could lift a mountain, a Batman who looks like he could destroy a mob of 20 hoods, an X-Man who looks like he spends 10 hours a day in the danger room.

I'm not going to knock acting. It really is harder than it looks. But if you think about it, most of today's actors are in it because of their looks, not because of their thespian skills. I find it hard to believe that Hollywood can't find one one single stacked bodybuilder with some half-decent acting skills to be one of our favorite heroes brought to the big screen.

If name recognition is a problem, various franchises starting with the first big one -- Superman -- have proven that if you cast an unknown name as the hero but surround him with a collection of known names, you can still have huge box office success.

 

[co2]

Yes, Arnold is an original, and has god-given charisma...but there have been many other quality physiques in films. Stalone, Van Damme, Dolph, Wesley Snipes, Thomas Jane...the list could go on. Some may debate the acting skills, but I would call these bodybuilding physiques...not on the professional, ananbolic drug using level, but bodybuilding level physiques none the less.
The thing is, a professional bodybuilding lifestyle doesn't fit in well with the late night filming, and long hours that movie making calls for. Both skills call for dedication to different lifestyles and it is probably rare to find someone that has been able develop those skills in both.

 

[kedrell]

Lord knows we need someone with Arnold's physique(in his prime Conan/Terminator1 days) for Captain America and Thor. Minus the gapped-tooth grin of course.

 

[nocomics]

Lord knows we need someone with Arnold's physique(in his prime Conan/Terminator1 days) for Captain America and Thor. Minus the gapped-tooth grin of course.

Well, I would'nt want someone as big as arnorld for capt. america. The guy from anaconda's 2,forgot his name. Someone his size would be okay for the part. Not too big nor too small of a build. Now maybe someone arnold's size for Thor,maybe. Though I would rather have someone who could act first before u get someone to physically fit the role..

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

Because that's the wrong way to go about it. You don't look for a body builder that can act. You look for an actor that can body build.

Actors that have enough devotion to their craft will do what it takes to tranform themselves into an accurate enough physical representation of the character. Bale does it, Jane does it, Jackman does it, Routh does it, Maguire does it (well, in the first movie at least).

When I was a little kid, my grandmother would always suggest that Schwarzenegger should play Batman. Because she saw the comics, knew he was beefy, but just...didn't get it. Even at 6, I got it. I knew it would look strange having a man that massive in the batsuit (acting and accent aside).

It's just...I can't explain it. They shouldn't be that big. It would look cartoony. In a bad way.

 

[Mr. Socko]

Lord knows we need someone with Arnold's physique(in his prime Conan/Terminator1 days) for Captain America and Thor. Minus the gapped-tooth grin of course.

LOL!


I agree.

 

[GL1]

Yes... yes it is that hard... especially if you have additional requirements (skin tone, hair color, facial structure) which we do for these characters... furthermore... how much acting is enough? Arnold is a swell guy, but he was in dozens of movies before he gave a half-decent performance by today's standards...

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Because that's the wrong way to go about it. You don't look for a body builder that can act. You look for an actor that can body build.

Actors that have enough devotion to their craft will do what it takes to tranform themselves into an accurate enough physical representation of the character. Bale does it, Jane does it, Jackman does it, Routh does it, Maguire does it (well, in the first movie at least).

When I was a little kid, my grandmother would always suggest that Schwarzenegger should play Batman. Because she saw the comics, knew he was beefy, but just...didn't get it. Even at 6, I got it. I knew it would look strange having a man that massive in the batsuit (acting and accent aside).

It's just...I can't explain it. They shouldn't be that big. It would look cartoony. In a bad way.

Exactly. Exactly exactly exactly exactly.

The comics EXAGERATE musculature for dramatic effect. OBVIOUSLY you don't do that in real life.

Saying an Arnold Schwarzennegger-size guy should play Batman is like saying a porn star with enormous plastic breasts should play Mary-Jane. Because that's what she looks like in the comic.

You could have an enormous, 6'5'' bodybuilder as Superman. Or you could have Christoper Reeve.

Same goes for all superheroes. For me, Christian Bale's physique in Begins is more-or-less as big as I always imagined Batman to be.

 

[odiin]

Exactly. Exactly exactly exactly exactly.

The comics EXAGERATE musculature for dramatic effect. OBVIOUSLY you don't do that in real life.

Saying an Arnold Schwarzennegger-size guy should play Batman is like saying a porn star with enormous plastic breasts should play Mary-Jane. Because that's what she looks like in the comic.

You could have an enormous, 6'5'' bodybuilder as Superman. Or you could have Christoper Reeve.

Same goes for all superheroes. For me, Christian Bale's physique in Begins is more-or-less as big as I always imagined Batman to be.

Holy crap, this is exactly what I've been saying for a while now. Comic book characters are exaggerated for optimum effect on paper. You wouldn't adapt a film from a manga and look for someone with an insanely large head, little body, and insanely giant eyes.

When a character makes the jump from the page to movie screen, they should look like someone that belongs in the real world even if the movie itself has otherwise out of this world elements.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Holy crap, this is exactly what I've been saying for a while now. Comic book characters are exaggerated for optimum effect on paper. You wouldn't adapt a film from a manga and look for someone with an insanely large head, little body, and insanely giant eyes.

When a character makes the jump from the page to movie screen, they should look like someone that belongs in the real world even if the movie itself has otherwise out of this world elements.

 

[Sandman138]

A slow clap for KR and odiin.

 

[Brian Braddock]

I know some of today's body builder's look freakish because they are so stacked, but is Arnold Schwarznegger really the best that Hollywood will ever be able to find?

I ask because I've always wanted to see a superhero movie with a REAL looking superhero. A Superman who really looks like he could lift a mountain, a Batman who looks like he could destroy a mob of 20 hoods, an X-Man who looks like he spends 10 hours a day in the danger room.

I'm not going to knock acting. It really is harder than it looks. But if you think about it, most of today's actors are in it because of their looks, not because of their thespian skills. I find it hard to believe that Hollywood can't find one one single stacked bodybuilder with some half-decent acting skills to be one of our favorite heroes brought to the big screen.

If name recognition is a problem, various franchises starting with the first big one -- Superman -- have proven that if you cast an unknown name as the hero but surround him with a collection of known names, you can still have huge box office success.

I get what your'e saying but personally, I'd hate to see a bodybuilder play Superman (I cringed when I saw Hearn play Superman in Worlds finest) or Cap America (can't imagine Arnold being able to lift all that mass in order to perform a quick evasive manuoever all that well).

One of the main reasons I love Kevin Maguire as an artist (facial expressions aside) is that he's not just one of those artists who just draws all of his characters as huge, hulking brutes. He draws his characters with achievable physiques.

Take a look at Maguires renditions of Batman, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold etc during his J.L.I. run and you basically see physiques similiar to those of Pitt in Troy, Bale in Equilibrium, McConaughey in Sahara and Craig in CR.

Again, achieveable phsysiques. Exaggerated, sure, but real and achievable nonetheless.

The only Character I would really agree with a body-builder type guy playing is Thor. As i've mentioned in different threads, look-wise, Dolph circa MOTU was perfect for Thor.

That's the role for me that's the most difficult of them all - to find a guy as built as that built who can act as well.

So in answer to your question 'Is is really THAT HARD to find a professional bodybuilder who can act?' -

Well, I guess we'll see.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

The only Character I would really agree with a body-builder type guy playing is Thor. As i've mentioned in different threads, look-wise, Dolph circa MOTU was perfect for Thor.

The weird thing is (or not), He-Man is based on Thor in that movie. That's why he wears a red cape.

 

[Dr. Fate]

I know some of today's body builder's look freakish because they are so stacked, but is Arnold Schwarznegger really the best that Hollywood will ever be able to find?

I ask because I've always wanted to see a superhero movie with a REAL looking superhero. A Superman who really looks like he could lift a mountain, a Batman who looks like he could destroy a mob of 20 hoods, an X-Man who looks like he spends 10 hours a day in the danger room.

I'm not going to knock acting. It really is harder than it looks. But if you think about it, most of today's actors are in it because of their looks, not because of their thespian skills. I find it hard to believe that Hollywood can't find one one single stacked bodybuilder with some half-decent acting skills to be one of our favorite heroes brought to the big screen.

If name recognition is a problem, various franchises starting with the first big one -- Superman -- have proven that if you cast an unknown name as the hero but surround him with a collection of known names, you can still have huge box office success.

Apparently yes.

 

[TheVileOne]

Hey Mr. Universe Lou Ferringo played the Hulk for several years remember?

And he even came back to voice the Hulk in the animated series on UPN for 2 seasons. The difference? They didn't get a guy to play both Bruce Banner and the Hulk in those shows. They had one actor for Banner (well not Banner in the TV show, right?), and another guy to play the Hulk side. Not sure if that would work today, but whatever.

Anyway, I didn't see anything wrong with Bale's physique as Batman. Or Maguire's as Spidey (Spidey has never and shouldn't be a jakked up looking body type).

Of course is someone is cast for the role you want them to look the type and train to get that way if need be. But why does someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger need to play Batman? I think that's ridiculous. Batman should not look like Bane.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Hey Mr. Universe Lou Ferringo played the Hulk for several years remember?

And he even came back to voice the Hulk in the animated series on UPN for 2 seasons. The difference? They didn't get a guy to play both Bruce Banner and the Hulk in those shows. They had one actor for Banner (well not Banner in the TV show, right?), and another guy to play the Hulk side. Not sure if that would work today, but whatever.

Anyway, I didn't see anything wrong with Bale's physique as Batman. Or Maguire's as Spidey (Spidey has never and shouldn't be a jakked up looking body type).

Of course is someone is cast for the role you want them to look the type and train to get that way if need be. But why does someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger need to play Batman? I think that's ridiculous. Batman should not look like Bane.

Or Mr Freeze.