Rate the acting ability of Smallville cast

[triplet]

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?

I just reread this part, thanks to Sue quoting it and I'd like to add some comments on this.

That particular moment wasn't Tom's best, this is true, but I think the way that moment played out was a directorial choice, not an acting choice.

It was too visual and the camera lingered too long on him in that pose...

I believe the director had wanted to be reflexive of the moment of Christopher Reeve's from the movie where he did the same thing, only it came off false for Tom.

I think part of the reason that happened was because the moment wasn't well motivated.

Tom's Clark is very closed off emotionally, he just doesn't show emotion in huge ways... He doesn't normally scream, even when he's very upset. So it was out of character for him to act that way, even with the profound grief and guilt he felt when he found her dead that's why it rang false, IMO.

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.

You make a good point.

TV acting is far less well honed than movie acting because they aren't given the time to rehearse.

In Smallville, they do a quick run through the scene as the crew sets up the shot. They have to shoot several pages a day so there aren't a lot of opportunties to fix things. They don't do a lot of takes. It's quick and dirty acting.

In film, sometimes they may take days to shoot one page. The movie actor has a lot more time to make things right. They do take after take if necessary, in TV they simply don't have the time.

 

[user123456789]

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.

100% agreed

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

Michael Rosenbaum. He can be funny to plain badass!

Tom is not that bad. He has showed some great acting skills. There is a part in season 3 episode 2 when he pretends to still be affected by Red K and he rips the door off of Morgan Edges Limo. Look at Wellings face as the limo drives way, his face changes from this bad ass looking smirk to oh **** I'm ****ed.

I would like Tom to get good roles in movies. Fog+Cheaper By The Dozen 1+2=

 

[cheungcheung]

tom welling during alicia's death scene = worst acting ever

tom welling during lana's death scene in reckoning = awesome acting

 

[avidreader]

Which characters do you think are the best actors?

I meant to come back and respond to this when I had more time, so now I will.

#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

I agree that Annette is a great actress, although I think Thespian is a bit much. I do some times think though, that she makes the wrong choices on how to act in a scene and she could avoid that if she followed the storyline of what is actually happening in Smallville, but for the little time that she's been on screen, she does a good job.

John Glover

A true thespian, but that doesnt always translate well on to screen. There's no disputing that he is a superb actor, but I sometimes have a hard time believing that people in real life are as dramatic as he is.

#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!

I thought John was a very consistent and natural actor, and while at times I did want to punch him, I agree he played his part really well.

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

I wouldnt call either of these two natural actors, to me they are trained actors, and both of them have been at the game for a long time, so they dont lack the experience either.

Michael Rosenbaum

Out of everyone on the show I find Michael to be the most inconsistent, and inconsistent doesnt necessarily mean that I think he's bad. It's just that sometimes, he doesnt look like he's in the scene or even wants to be there. I feel like I'm watching Michael Rosenbaum playing Lex Luthor.

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.

I couldnt disagree more. Allison is definitely terrific at delivering exposition, but for me, she lacks that thing called screen presence. Her character is interesting because she's a character that the writers can play with and do whatever they want. I'm not knocking Allison, I think she does a great job, but I dont think she's as fantastic as what many make her out to be.

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

With the exception of Sam Jones, I think all three of these actors are alot more than "meh".

All 3 of them DO have that special screen presence and as green as Tom and Kristin were in Seasons 1 and 2, I think it worked perfectly for their characters. Their inexperience added a touch of naivety and charm to Clark and Lana that would otherwise be hard to pull off. Out of all the actors, they are the two that have grown the most.

Tom's acting of Clark is so natural and he has shown just how good of an actor he is when he is placed in out of Clark moments. Out of all the characters, Clark is the one that changes personality the most, and Tom has pulled it off every time.

He's also the one that works the most, has the most screen time and the one that would have the least amount of time to prepare, so in my opinion he does a terrific job.

Kristin this year has had some real challenges thrown at her and she has also pulled it off every time. She's done a terrific job. I think it took her a couple of seasons before she "found" Lana, but I've always enjoyed what she's brought to the show.

As far as Erica goes, I think she's had some big shoes to fill and she's done exceptionally well in bringing a toughness and vulnerability to Lois. The only thing I would ask of her, if I could, is to not be so breathless all the time. I find it a bit distracting. Otherwise, I think she's really good.

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

Eric Johnson - Very bland
Ian Somerhalder - Extremely bad
Sarah Carter - Cute, but nothing outstanding
James Marsters - He had the benefit of a great character, but James is an excellent actor
Emmanuelle Vaugier - She was good, but she wasnt better than your "meh" list.

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.

I thought Jenson was really, really good, until he turned bad. He, like alot of the audience, didnt seem to have a clue as to what was going on and I think many times his character read the wrong way, which just added to the confusion of Jason.

 

[mellyM]

I meant to come back and respond to this when I had more time, so now I will.

[/b]

Annette O'Toole

I agree that Annette is a great actress, although I think Thespian is a bit much. I do some times think though, that she makes the wrong choices on how to act in a scene and she could avoid that if she followed the storyline of what is actually happening in Smallville, but for the little time that she's been on screen, she does a good job.

John Glover

A true thespian, but that doesnt always translate well on to screen. There's no disputing that he is a superb actor, but I sometimes have a hard time believing that people in real life are as dramatic as he is.



I thought John was a very consistent and natural actor, and while at times I did want to punch him, I agree he played his part really well.

[/b]

I wouldnt call either of these two natural actors, to me they are trained actors, and both of them have been at the game for a long time, so they dont lack the experience either.

Michael Rosenbaum

Out of everyone on the show I find Michael to be the most inconsistent, and inconsistent doesnt necessarily mean that I think he's bad. It's just that sometimes, he doesnt look like he's in the scene or even wants to be there. I feel like I'm watching Michael Rosenbaum playing Lex Luthor.




I couldnt disagree more. Allison is definitely terrific at delivering exposition, but for me, she lacks that thing called screen presence. Her character is interesting because she's a character that the writers can play with and do whatever they want. I'm not knocking Allison, I think she does a great job, but I dont think she's as fantastic as what many make her out to be.

[/b]

With the exception of Sam Jones, I think all three of these actors are alot more than "meh".

All 3 of them DO have that special screen presence and as green as Tom and Kristin were in Seasons 1 and 2, I think it worked perfectly for their characters. Their inexperience added a touch of naivety and charm to Clark and Lana that would otherwise be hard to pull off. Out of all the actors, they are the two that have grown the most.

Tom's acting of Clark is so natural and he has shown just how good of an actor he is when he is placed in out of Clark moments. Out of all the characters, Clark is the one that changes personality the most, and Tom has pulled it off every time.

He's also the one that works the most, has the most screen time and the one that would have the least amount of time to prepare, so in my opinion he does a terrific job.

Kristin this year has had some real challenges thrown at her and she has also pulled it off every time. She's done a terrific job. I think it took her a couple of seasons before she "found" Lana, but I've always enjoyed what she's brought to the show.

As far as Erica goes, I think she's had some big shoes to fill and she's done exceptionally well in bringing a toughness and vulnerability to Lois. The only thing I would ask of her, if I could, is to not be so breathless all the time. I find it a bit distracting. Otherwise, I think she's really good.

[/b]

Eric Johnson - Very bland
Ian Somerhalder - Extremely bad
Sarah Carter - Cute, but nothing outstanding
James Marsters - He had the benefit of a great character, but James is an excellent actor
Emmanuelle Vaugier - She was good, but she wasnt better than your "meh" list.



I thought Jenson was really, really good, until he turned bad. He, like alot of the audience, didnt seem to have a clue as to what was going on and I think many times his character read the wrong way, which just added to the confusion of Jason.

I completely agree with everything you said. I do find Kristin uneven at times, but she's done well this past season, especially when working with Tom, though one of my favorite scenes is the one in Phantom between Lana and Lex, very well done by everyone.

 

[Riva]

What an interesting topic! Especially as it really reveals how everyone’s opinions and perceptions can be so varied.

Here is my opinion, FWIW on the Smallville cast’s acting ability:


The ‘Wow:’

Tom Welling, John Glover and Annette ‘o Toole.

- Tom Welling is the most consistently improving actor on the show and since season 4, he’s hit his stride like never before. So many great acting moments prior to season 4 also like ‘Tempest’, ‘Exile’, etc, but from season 4 onwards IMO he has really excelled. Playing all sorts of different emotions and scenes so well. ‘Crusade’, ‘Pariah’, ‘Unsafe’, ‘Hidden’, ‘Exposed’, ‘Reckoning’, ‘Zod’, ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Crimson’, ‘Combat’, just to name some. He is the star IMO who perfectly carries this show.

- What can I say about John and Annette? They are both always amazing, and are two actors who always give the scenes their all, and it just ends up looking effortless.


Following very closely behind the ‘Wow’ category:

Michael Rosenbaum.

- When he’s at his best, IMO he is right up there with John and Annette, and alongside Tom, he has done an excellent job of being the other cornerstone of the show too. He seems to have lost some edge to me in seasons 4 and 5, but he was really great this year again, especially in the latter half of the episodes.


Most improved actors, who continue to grow marvelously:

Kristin Kreuk and Erica Durance.

- While I have always thought of Kristin as a decent actress, this year she has done so incredibly, that it has really elevated her acting ability in my eyes. There has not been IMO a bad note this season, and she has truly been worthy of being the show’s female lead, handling everything that’s come her way. I was in awe of what she did in ‘Combat’ and ‘Nemesis’ especially. Bravo Kristin!

- I have also always found Erica Durance’s acting more than capable, and her initial few episodes in season 4 were especially crackling, with a few good ones like ‘Exposed’ and ‘Oracle’ in season 5 also. But for her as well, this season, she has completely and totally come into her own as Lois Lane with episodes like ‘Arrow’, ‘Crimson’, ‘Prototype’ and ‘Phantom.’ She always seems to give it her best and that wins her major points from me.


So remaining from the current cast is Allison Mack.

- While she is by no means a bad actress, far from it, with her it looks like, since a couple of seasons really, that she’s reached a sort of plateau. I haven’t noticed much growth. She is still verym very dependable, and there are some episodes where when she is really giving it her all, she’s right up there with the best. But on the whole, I am finding that while she has reached a comfortable plateau, the other ladies are surpassing her in actor growth.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

out of the young main cast, Welling is the only I can say that visibly improved over the past 6 years. Rosenbaum has always been great and Kreuk always seemed to be a serviceable actress.

Welling was a bit green in Season 1 and you could tell they really seemed to limit his on screen exposure (as much as they could for a main character). Now he's the "go to guy" for the show and they've let him do so many different things it only speaks to his improvement. Not saying he's Kenneth Branagh or anything, but to call him "meh" would be a great disservice to the guy and really ignores how much better he's gotten. A lot of people tend to rest on their good looks and never develop their acting skills and are screwed once they begin to age (see most of the cast of 90210). From all accounts, the guy is a hard worker and really dedicated to what he does on the show although I think his future may lie more behind the camera as opposed to in front of it.

 

[COMPO]

Good thing is is that a lot of his scenes are with people like Schnieder and Annette who can help and now he's got Glover so now he can learn more. Plus, with directing he's expanding a bit. Which is good.

 

[Justice Bringer]

out of the young main cast, Welling is the only I can say that visibly improved over the past 6 years. Rosenbaum has always been great and Kreuk always seemed to be a serviceable actress.

Welling was a bit green in Season 1 and you could tell they really seemed to limit his on screen exposure (as much as they could for a main character). Now he's the "go to guy" for the show and they've let him do so many different things it only speaks to his improvement. Not saying he's Kenneth Branagh or anything, but to call him "meh" would be a great disservice to the guy and really ignores how much better he's gotten. A lot of people tend to rest on their good looks and never develop their acting skills and are screwed once they begin to age (see most of the cast of 90210). From all accounts, the guy is a hard worker and really dedicated to what he does on the show although I think his future may lie more behind the camera as opposed to in front of it.

I agree. He's inconsistent at times though but hes played the character for so long; any flaws in his performance now come off as almost part of the character. His most natural delivery for me this season was in the episode where Raya returned. I like when he plays the character with that kinda calm and maturity.

I think the nature of the Clark character itself, during his teenage years, is the reason why TW gets alot of flack. It took a long time to evolve to this point.