Rate the acting ability of Smallville cast

[SpandexFan]

Which characters do you think are the best actors?

My rankings:

#1 True Thespians - Could Easily Adapt to Movies (and coincidentally, they are the only regulars on the series who have several movies to their credits)

Annette O'Toole
John Glover

Both of these actors steal scenes even though they're not given as much time as Welling, Rosenbaum, Durance, and others. Lionel Luthor is a deliciously evil bad guy who makes us forget that Lex Luthor is supposed to be the most evil man in the universe and O'Toole turns Mrs. Kent into a deep character when that character really doesn't have much substance from the writers. Think of the episode where the prom queen freak of the week possessed bodies. She went through every main character on the series, and O'Toole was the one who did the best job as a 16-year old airhead. t:

#2 Experienced Actors and It Shows

John Schneider

Who knew that The Dukes of Hazzard could provide an actor with so much experience? Once again, the Kent Family becomes an interesting character element in Smallville because one of the parents does such a great job with it. Didn't you want to punch Mr. Kent in the face so many times when he was an arse to Lex Luthor? Great job!

#3 Natural Actors Who Have Done a Good Job Considering Lack of Experience

Michael Rosenbaum
Allison Mack

The episode in which Rosenbaum splits into the evil Lex Luthor was a classic. Did he not remind you of the Kevin Spacey Lex Luthor? Rosenbaum has the quirky, cocky, evil elements of Lex mastered, but he still sometimes shows his inexperience. For example, when he had to play Lex Luthor possessed by Zod, I thought he didn't do as great a job as Annette O'Toole in the aforementioned example. I thought he relied too much on his Lex Luthor eccentricities instead of pulling off the role of a distinguished General like Terence Stamp did in Superman II.

As far as Mack, I think the reason so many people want Clark to hook up with Chloe instead of Lana is that frankly, Allison Mack makes Chloe a much more interesting character. It may based on some of her natural demeanor in real life but she does a terrific job pulling off the sweet, yet ruthlessly aggressive journalist. She would make Margot Kidder proud, and puts Erica Durance to shame.

#4 Meh Actors - At least they're better than most models turned actors.

Tom Welling
Kristen Kreuk
Erica Durance
Sam Jones III

I will say that all four of these people have at times done great jobs and made me think they were leaping to the next level. Pete's character had his moments, and maybe if the writers could have ever figured out how to gives Sam Jones III more worthwhile screentime instead of episodes about illegal street racing, he would have shined a little better. Lois Lane can be a funny character to watch but she never feels quite natural with Durance acting the part. It just feels a little too forced, someone trying to be the cocky aggressive Lois Lane, instead of looking natural in the part like Margot Kidder or even Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns. Tom Welling is almost there.... sometimes..... then you watch scenes that make him do more than the typical Clark Kent bashful facial expressions and cringe. Rememer when he had to scream out Christopher Reeve Superman the Movie style with the dead Alicia in his arms, and how awful it was because he didn't have a quarter of the acting ability of Reeve? And Kristen Kruek has to be the most boring hot actress on the show. She's fun to look at, but oh my goodness, Lana has zero depth because Kruek has never made her as interesting a character as she should be. I think the main reason why so many viewers hate the Clark/Lana relationship is not only because the writers pointlessly tease us with it for so long but because they're not the best actors on the show and neither one can carry the other, unlike Clark/Chloe or Clark/Alicia relationships where the great actress on the other end compels you to watch.

Actors with Small Parts Who I Thought Were Better than the #4 Meh Actors

Eric Johnson
Ian Somerhalder
Sarah Carter
James Marsters
Emmanuelle Vaugier

In the director's commentaries, the show creators credit Eric Johnson for making Whitney a fun character when he was never meant to be an integral character. Fans were still rooting for him to come back in season three, so I think he did a pretty good job, and the episode where he joins the kryptonite gang is still one of my favorites. Ian Somerhalder as Adam might be the only Lana boyfriend who was ever slightly interesting. Sarah Carter of course deserved to be a regular, but they had to kill her Alicia character. James Marsters was a bad arse villain, an actor who always made you want to watch his scenes, I wish the writers could have done a better job with him. Emmanuelle Vaugier is one of the few Lex Luthor bimbos who I still remember. I thought she was better when she was written as the understanding doctor who helped the Kents, but she did a good job in making her doctor a mysterious character you couldn't read.

The Thank God They Killed Him Off List

Jensen Ackles

I have no idea how the Jason Teague character made it 22 episodes. Gag me! It's bad enough having to watch Lana Lang angst with another guy besides Clark, and this fellow was about as intersesting as a boulder.

 

[Justice Bringer]

Thats almost spot on.

Just add:

Actors with Small Parts Who I Thought Were Better than the #4 Meh Actors

Justin Hartley


I wouldnt consider O'Toole a thespian though. Shes okay but nothing mind-blowing. I'd put her in #3.

 

[Justice Bringer]

Kyle Gallner is a naturally talented actor with little experience too.

 

[jr24tw]

I agree with the first and second. The third only partially with MR. AM isn't in Michael's league. She can't do emotional emotional scenes and death scenes very well. Small emotional scenes yes. Big ones she overdoes. Same for her death scenes. Could say more about AM but I will leave it at that.

I'm gonna let the Tom fans say something about Tom's acting.

As for KRISTIN KREUK (that's how her name is spelled btw) she does the best with the crap she is given. And you finding her character boring has not much to do with the actress. More so the fact that she isn't given decent material to work with like AM. If you think Kristin can't act I suggest you watch her last project 'Partition'. The girl can be pretty bloody good if you give her a consitent role and a decent storyline.

I agree on ED and SJ though (where Smallville is concerned anyway).

 

[SpandexFan]

Thats almost spot on.

Just add:

Actors with Small Parts Who I Thought Were Better than the #4 Meh Actors

Justin Hartley


I wouldnt consider O'Toole a thespian though. Shes okay but nothing mind-blowing. I'd put her in #3.

Or maybe even rank John Schneider higher. I think my Dukes of Hazzard bias put him below them. Yes, I can see your point, maybe Glover is the only one who deserves to be in the "true thespian" category.

Justin Hartley, meh, need to see more of him. Good character, and if I can rank someone like the Adam character on that list, he probably deserves to be on it too, but for now, to me, he's the same as Welling. And again, it may be the writers. Green Arrow is such a bitter bad arse character in the comics, I feel like there's so much more depth they could explore with him instead of the jaded prep school kid.

 

[SpandexFan]

I agree with the first and second. The third only partially with MR. AM isn't in Michael's league. She can't do emotional emotional scenes and death scenes very well. Small emotional scenes yes. Big ones she overdoes. Same for her death scenes. Could say more about AM but I will leave it at that.

I'm gonna let the Tom fans say something about Tom's acting.

As for KRISTIN KREUK (that's how her name is spelled btw) she does the best with the crap she is given. And you finding her character boring has not much to do with the actress. More so the fact that she isn't given decent material to work with like AM. If you think Kristin can't act I suggest you watch her last project 'Partition'. The girl can be pretty bloody good if you give her a consitent role and a decent storyline.

I agree on ED and SJ though (where Smallville is concerned anyway).

I agree that poor writing sometimes doesn't bring out the best in characters, and Lana did get slightly more interesting when she started having more scenes with Michael Rosenbaum instead of Tom Welling, but she's still that same emotionless boring Lana to me. She never matched the level of Rosenbaum. James Marsters didn't always have the most entertaining storylines as Brainiac but he was one damn good actor who always made you watch. Same for Annette O'Toole who is usually given the cliche caring mother storyline, yet she brings a level of depth to Mrs. Kent that Kreuk doesn't with Lana Lang.

 

[Justice Bringer]

As for KRISTIN KREUK (that's how her name is spelled btw) she does the best with the crap she is given. And you finding her character boring has not much to do with the actress.

Yeah I was going to say that. Shes at least equal to Alison Mack in talent now.

But neither Mack or Kruek are on Rosenbaum's level.

 

[Justice Bringer]

Justin Hartley, meh, need to see more of him. Good character, and if I can rank someone like the Adam character on that list, he probably deserves to be on it too, but for now, to me, he's the same as Welling. And again, it may be the writers. Green Arrow is such a bitter bad arse character in the comics, I feel like there's so much more depth they could explore with him instead of the jaded prep school kid.

Blame the writers for that. He did the best with what they gave him. He made a better and more natural first impression to me than most regular actors on this show when they started.

Even Rosenbaum didnt really nail Lex down till Season 2. He played him kinda gay in season one.

 

[jr24tw]

Yeah I was going to say that. Shes at least equal to Alison Mack in talent now.

But neither Mack or Kruek are on Rosenbaum's level.

Mack should be on Rosenbaum's level...or close to it. Kristin started acting with 18...she did one Season of her Canadian show before she was hired on Smallville. She basically had the second least experience when she started. AM pretty much started as a baby so the woman should have tons of experience (due to years of work) yet she isn't at the level MR is. Even now after years on this show.

 

[Justice Bringer]

Well some people like Rosenbaum and Gallner are just natural talent. They need not need that much experience to rock it.

Allison has definitely had her cringe-worthy moments this year acting wise; I doubt she'll evolve beyond this.


Heck, I'd be willing to wager Kreuk and Rosenbaum are the only ones that will come out of this show, when it ends, with blooming careers. Glover will probably continue with theatre and side-projects. Mack will probably fade into obscurity in Vancounver. Durance will probably continue with Canadian-based scifi projects playing token 'sexy' characters.

 

[triplet]

Cripes...

It's probably not a huge surprise, but I think that Tom is far better than you've given him credit for. He doesn't do flashier acting like John Glover or Michael, but he's just as good, only he's different.

He has a far more natural, easy going style than most actors. He just makes it look so easy that he doesn't seem to be acting at all, but he is. Episodes like Labyrinth and Transference and Splinter should be enough to convince most skeptics, but if you can't see his talent, it's your loss.

And Jenson Ackles may not be brilliant but he was damned effective, especially late in the 4th season.

He was truly awesome in that season's finale and he is wonderful in Supernatural. Did you see the two part finale of that show? Jenson was fantastic, it was some of his best acting.

I don't know why I'm bothering to comment, I've got the Deathly Hallows to finish reading....

However, if you think Eric Johnson is better than Tom there is no convincing you. You and I clearly are not watching the same show.

 

[KalKai]

I think you're clearly overestimating some of them, & underestimating others. Naturally, the older ones are the better ones, that's pretty obvious.. but, an actor can only do so much, it's all about the script & the character itself. They all do equally good with their roles & with what they're giving.

 

[Lane & Kent]

Cripes...

It's probably not a huge surprise, but I think that Tom is far better than you've given him credit for. He doesn't do flashier acting like John Glover or Michael, but he's just as good, only he's different.

He has a far more natural, easy going style than most actors. He just makes it look so easy that he doesn't seem to be acting at all, but he is. Episodes like Labyrinth and Transference and Splinter should be enough to convince most skeptics, but if you can't see his talent, it's your loss.

And Jenson Ackles may not be brilliant but he was damned effective, especially late in the 4th season.

He was truly awesome in that season's finale and he is wonderful in Supernatural. Did you see the two part finale of that show? Jenson was fantastic, it was some of his best acting.

I don't know why I'm bothering to comment, I've got the Deathly Hallows to finish reading....

However, if you think Eric Johnson is better than Tom there is no convincing you. You and I clearly are not watching the same show.

Well put triplet

 

[jr24tw]

Heck, I'd be willing to wager Kreuk and Rosenbaum are the only ones that will come out of this show, when it ends, with blooming careers. Glover will probably continue with theatre and side-projects. Mack will probably fade into obscurity in Vancounver. Durance will probably continue with Canadian-based scifi projects playing token 'sexy' characters.

Kristin could maybe if she wanted to. But I think she wants to do something other than acting after Smallville. Allison as far as I know wants to go back to work on stage. Erica does seem to attrack the 'lack of clothing' roles and that's probably where her future lies. I think Glover will get back on stage too. Tom I really can't put my finger. IMO MR will be the only one actively getting back to his big screen career.

 

[Justice Bringer]

Yeah that seems realistic. As far as KK, because of the interviews I saw of her about Partition on TV; she made it seem like she wants to keep acting onscreen but only with challenging roles that mean something;.....which begs the question why shes still playing Lana.

Erica will probably end up like Jolene Blalock post-Enterprise.

 

[jr24tw]

Yeah that seems realistic. As far as KK, because of the interviews I saw of her about Partition on TV; she made it seem like she wants to keep acting onscreen but only with challenging roles that mean something;.....which begs the question why shes still playing Lana.

Mmm...then you should watch the Tribute interview she did for Partition. If you listen closely you might get a different idea.

 

[Justice Bringer]

I just saw the ones they aired on the Canadian E-Talk daily. I was flipping channels and saw her trying to do an Indian accent; and was amused.

 

[mellyM]

Cripes...

It's probably not a huge surprise, but I think that Tom is far better than you've given him credit for. He doesn't do flashier acting like John Glover or Michael, but he's just as good, only he's different.

He has a far more natural, easy going style than most actors. He just makes it look so easy that he doesn't seem to be acting at all, but he is. Episodes like Labyrinth and Transference and Splinter should be enough to convince most skeptics, but if you can't see his talent, it's your loss.

And Jenson Ackles may not be brilliant but he was damned effective, especially late in the 4th season.

He was truly awesome in that season's finale and he is wonderful in Supernatural. Did you see the two part finale of that show? Jenson was fantastic, it was some of his best acting.

I don't know why I'm bothering to comment, I've got the Deathly Hallows to finish reading....

However, if you think Eric Johnson is better than Tom there is no convincing you. You and I clearly are not watching the same show.

Well said, and I think everyone on the show is good and is a credit to their characters. I'm not sure how anyone can't see that Tom is wonderful as Clark, and has grown tremendously over the years. I always feel like I'm watching Clark, not Tom portraying Clark, and the same can be said for most of the other actors on the show. And I don't think you can ever blame the material, if you're good it shows, no matter what you're doing.

 

[KalKai]

Eric Johnson was OKAYish as a football player and as Lana's 1st BF, that's it. I don't know how Ian Somerhalder made that list, or James Marsters for that matter, and I'm not blaming this on him it wasn't his fault but still, he clearly wasn't used to his full potential.

 

[mellyM]

Eric Johnson was OKAYish as a football player and as Lana's 1st BF, that's it. I don't know how Ian Somerhalder made that list, or James Marsters for that matter, and I'm not blaming this on him it wasn't his fault but still, he clearly wasn't used to his full potential.

James Marsters was actually really good when he was on the show, even though he wasn't used fully in the end, but he played the role well, Ian, not so much

 

[Serene]

Glover is simply wonderful. He makes it look almost too easy.

Annette is extremely talented, but due to the nature of Martha's character in this show, she didn't really get many opportunities to stretch out. I've always liked Annette as an actor, well before SV.

Schneider never impressed me as an actor, although he wasn't terrible either. He did have a certain sincerity in portraying Jonathan as a stubbon hothead who was fiercely protective of his family, which did eventually grow on me.

Rosenbaum is great. I don't think he's always perfect as a lot of people seem to think, but his Lex is my quintessential Lex - complex to a disturbing degree. His Lexy-stretchings in eps like Lexmas and Onyx were real treats to watch, while his Zod left a little to be desired.

I'm not sure that Chloe is that far a stretch from the real Allison - based on interviews I've seen with her. I do like seeing her stretch into different areas because I find that Chloe can become a very one-note kind of character. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed her scenes with Jimmy so much; it was nice seeing a different side to Chloe, and Allison was very convincingly happy. Allison has a natural "spark" to her that follows through to her Chloe - it's very easy to see why she's such a fan favorite; she's very appealing.

Erica seemed to take a little time "finding" her inner Lois Lane. But at this point, she totally owns it. She was particularly fabulous in Prototype.
I think being the new girl amongst an established cast is a difficult adjustment, but she seems to have tackled it in a manner not unlike the iconic character she portrays. Lois is flawed and complicated, but with a steely core - and Erica is showing us *that* Lois Lane.

Kristin and Tom have both shown the most progress since the show's inception. There were some painfully green moments in the early seasons for both of them, but they've graduated with honors at this point. And because they've worked together for so long, they play off each other with such a beautiful natural ease. Love 'em or hate 'em, they were hired together for a reason, and that reason has held fast for six seasons.

Both of them manage to convey SO much with just a single look, particularly Tom - who has become a master of expression. Tom has not only met the different acting challenges that have been thrown at him (RedK, Labyrinth, Transference, Kal-El, Splinter) but he's knocked it out of the park every time. His Clark Kent inspires and embodies everything that character is supposed to through Tom's charisma combined with his natural earnestness.

I don't know if it was her work on Partition, or simply getting some meatier stuff for Lana to do finally that blew the lid off of Kristin's performances in season 6, but I suspect it was a combination of both. Regardless of any feelings about the particular storyline, she managed to very respectfully keep up with all that was demanded of her character throughout Lana's roller-coaster of a season. I'd have a hard time picking her strongest episode in season 6 because she had so many.

Honorable mentions to:
The guy whose character shot Clark in Hidden.
The kid who played Ryan.
Kyle Gallner (Bart Allen)

 

[triplet]

Well put triplet

thanks....

Well said, and I think everyone on the show is good and is a credit to their characters. I'm not sure how anyone can't see that Tom is wonderful as Clark, and has grown tremendously over the years. I always feel like I'm watching Clark, not Tom portraying Clark, and the same can be said for most of the other actors on the show. And I don't think you can ever blame the material, if you're good it shows, no matter what you're doing.

John is wonderful, I love watching him do his thing, but Tom is every bit his equal IMO. He's got a strong talent, he's just talented in a different way.

John said it himself, it was very hard playing Clark in Transference. Tom makes it look so easy...

Tom has gotten respect from some people with serious acting chops. John and James Marsters (I loved his turns as Fine, especially earlier on in the 5th season), among others, have said how good he is.

I'd take their word for it over some wannabe acting critics on an internet forum.

Glover is simply wonderful. He makes it look almost too easy.

Annette is extremely talented, but due to the nature of Martha's character in this show, she didn't really get many opportunities to stretch out. I've always liked Annette as an actor, well before SV.

Schneider never impressed me as an actor, although he wasn't terrible either. He did have a certain sincerity in portraying Jonathan as a stubbon hothead who was fiercely protective of his family, which did eventually grow on me.

Rosenbaum is great. I don't think he's always perfect as a lot of people seem to think, but his Lex is my quintessential Lex - complex to a disturbing degree. His Lexy-stretchings in eps like Lexmas and Onyx were real treats to watch, while his Zod left a little to be desired.

I'm not sure that Chloe is that far a stretch from the real Allison - based on interviews I've seen with her. I do like seeing her stretch into different areas because I find that Chloe can become a very one-note kind of character. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed her scenes with Jimmy so much; it was nice seeing a different side to Chloe, and Allison was very convincingly happy. Allison has a natural "spark" to her that follows through to her Chloe - it's very easy to see why she's such a fan favorite; she's very appealing.

Erica seemed to take a little time "finding" her inner Lois Lane. But at this point, she totally owns it. She was particularly fabulous in Prototype.
I think being the new girl amongst an established cast is a difficult adjustment, but she seems to have tackled it in a manner not unlike the iconic character she portrays. Lois is flawed and complicated, but with a steely core - and Erica is showing us *that* Lois Lane.

Kristin and Tom have both shown the most progress since the show's inception. There were some painfully green moments in the early seasons for both of them, but they graduated with honors at this point. And because they've worked together for so long, but they play off each other with such a beautiful natural ease. Love 'em or hate 'em, they were hired together for a reason, and that reason has held fast for six seasons.

Both of them manage to convey SO much with just a single look, particularly Tom - who has become a master of expression. Tom has not only met the different acting challenges that have been thrown at him (RedK, Labyrinth, Transference, Kal-El, Splinter) but he's knocked it out of the park every time. His Clark Kent inspires and embodies everything that character is supposed to through Tom's charisma combined with his natural earnestness.

I don't know if it was her work on Partition, or simply getting some meatier stuff for Lana to do finally that blew the lid off of Kristin's performances in season 6, but I suspect it was a combination of both. Regardless of any feelings about the particular storyline, she managed to very respectfully keep up with all that was demanded of her character throughout Lana's roller-coaster of a season. I'd have a hard time picking her strongest episode in season 6 because she had so many.

Honorable mentions to:
The guy whose character shot Clark in Hidden.
The kid who played Ryan.
Kyle Gallner (Bart Allen)

Quoted for truth.



Kristin has grown an amazing amount... She's gotten so much better the last couple of years too.

 

[Whiteflag]

I won't even bother to comment in detail about what the thread starter says about Tom. I will only say: that's your opinion which, of course, could be wrong. And to me, IT IS.

 

[avidreader]

Tom Welling is almost there.... sometimes..... then you watch scenes that make him do more than the typical Clark Kent bashful facial expressions and cringe. Rememer when he had to scream out Christopher Reeve Superman the Movie style with the dead Alicia in his arms, and how awful it was because he didn't have a quarter of the acting ability of Reeve?

Maybe he was only given all of two minutes to perfect and film it. I dont think you can compare what an actor on TV does compared to what an actor in a film does. However regardless of that, take a look at his scenes when Lana died, in fact that entire episode, and you'll see just how strong his range has become.

 

[KalKai]

I think Rosenbaum would be better off as an entertainer/showman, I could see a much brighter future for him in that department, like getting his own saturday night show or something lol, instead of going for comedies.

Tom is destined for great things, only if he'll want to though, not sure what he wants to do yet, but being 1 of the actors that signed for an 8th season with some other "unknowns", is a good sign.