What classifies a Great actor from a Crappy actor.

[SoulManX]

I have noticed from most thread in the movie section that Megan Fox is a crappy actress. So my questions are what make a great actor well great? What make an actor like Cuba hit the B-C list ? Please discuss among yourself, I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[BobJM]

It's difficult to say nowadays. Normally I would say "look at his/her awards", but they seem to be handing Oscars and Golden Globes out to everyone these days.

 

[StrainedEyes]

Someone who sticks to their art and really believes in what they do. Who do movies because they sound good, regardless of money.

 

[Warhammer]

The key thing that decides what I think of an actor is credibility.
Not how "good" or "bad" they are, but if I can believe them, no matter how good or bad the film was.

Too many people judge an actor's performance based on how bad the movie was, me thinks.

 

[SoulManX]

The key thing that decides what I think of an actor is credibility.
Not how "good" or "bad" they are, but if I can believe them, no matter how good or bad the film was.

Too many people judge an actor's performance based on how bad the movie was, me thinks.

I agree it seem they don't give them time to get better, they just write them off so quickly.

 

[Mr. Socko]

The key thing that decides what I think of an actor is credibility.
Not how "good" or "bad" they are, but if I can believe them, no matter how good or bad the film was.

Too many people judge an actor's performance based on how bad the movie was, me thinks.

Completely agree!

 

[Abaddon]

The key thing that decides what I think of an actor is credibility.
Not how "good" or "bad" they are, but if I can believe them, no matter how good or bad the film was.

Too many people judge an actor's performance based on how bad the movie was, me thinks.

well said.

 

[Iglius]

Yeah, like, going back to Megan Fox...for me, in Transformers, alot of the time it seemed as though she said her lines as if in the back of her mind she knew what she was saying was ridiculous. But, it could have just been me.

 

[Soapy]

I find someone to be an exceptional actor when I can see a totally different person through them.

I'll give you a bad example of what I mean. Look at Tom cruise, he's by no means a poor actor, but when I'm watching one of his movies all I'm seeing is Tom Cruise acting, not the character. There are tons of actors like this.

 

[Iglius]

That's just because he fails to keep his personal and professional lives separate.

 

[Figs]

A great actor is someone who can become that person in the role. When you see them in other roles you either forget it's them or didn't realize it was them to begin with. Gary Oldman is a great example of this, damn good chameleon actor. A crappy actor, I guess would be someone who just doesn't have range or much emotion when delivering their lines. Someone who tends to play the same character in every film, and I don't mean picks the same roles. They just act the same all the time. Take Nicolas Cage, I like him, a lot of his movies are fun to watch but I don't think he's a great actor. He constantly acts the same in so many of his movies, especially in the last few years.

 

[Cyrusbales]

With range, how many different roles they can portray, with repsective amounts of believability.

If they allow you to suspend disbelief and see them as the character.

 

[DorkyFresh]

here's how i differentiate between actors....

bad actor - someone you says their lines with no feeling or emotion, just going through the motions

okay actor - someone who is believable in the situation they're in but doesn't have much personality or always acts like themselves

good actor - someone who has a lot of personality that can also play their roles accordingly

great actor - someone who feels totally different in each role they play, very versatile

 

[AhabTheArab]

nic cage - used to be good, then he started taking jobs just to keep working. now hes lowed than c class actor.

same will be said for sam jackson, give him a couple more films.

 

[OptimusCannabis]

An easy way to tell is see who has stuck around. Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, Anjelica Huston, and Harrison Ford all come to mind as great actors.

Of course there are more but anyone in the game for over 30 years has to be pretty good. Does that mean guys like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis are great actors. Basically, yes it does. Time and time again they have been able to make movies that are entertaining and believable. Not believable to the fact that Rocky Balboa can take 1000 blows to the head or Arnold can kill 100 bad guys with ease. Believable to the effect that they ARE THE CHARACTER.

A great actor/actress is able to make you believe they are that person and they CAN overcome the odds. Having a wider spectrum of films does not necessarily make someone a good actor. All it means is that they have more facets to their life as a person and are able to make us believe a wider range of concepts than others who seem to do the same roles again and again.

It's very difficult to describe and explain but I think a truely great actor is one that is.... well, famous. Just like Leonardo Da Vinci, William Shakespeare, and other famous artists; famous actors are great because they take the art of acting very seriously.

In short...

FAMOUS ACTORS = GREAT ACTORS
UNKNOWN ACTORS = CRAPPY ACTORS

 

[Cyrusbales]

^I would disagree.

Fame does not equal skill.

Tony Leung for example is not half as famous as Arnie, but is so much more of a btter actor.

 

[CFE]

He has an AMAZING range in the roles he chooses to play:

From a 1980's serial killer to a futuristic totalitarian enforcer to a skin and bones insomniac to the dark knight himself.

Plus Bale's even went as far as to risk serious physical health problems in order to get an audience to believe in his character...TWICE (Machinist and now Rescue Dawn.) Irresponsible? Maybe. Devoted...more than any actor I've seen in a very long time...

As far as I'm concerned, his portrayal of my favorite comic character aside, Bale's one of the most talented and dedicated working actors today.

CFE

 

[Hush]

He has an AMAZING range in the roles he chooses to play:

From a 1980's serial killer to a futuristic totalitarian enforcer to a skin and bones insomniac to the dark knight himself.

Plus Bale's even went as far as to risk serious physical health problems in order to get an audience to believe in his character...TWICE (Machinist and now Rescue Dawn.) Irresponsible? Maybe. Devoted...more than any actor I've seen in a very long time...

As far as I'm concerned, his portrayal of my favorite comic character aside, Bale's one of the most talented and dedicated working actors today.

CFE

Cant forget The Prestige. Should have been nominated for that role.

 

[Cyrusbales]

Cant forget The Prestige. Should have been nominated for that role.

Really? I'd say hell no, Harsh Times, YES. BB and the prestige, no.

 

[CFE]

His works:

Empire of the Sun
Swing Kids
A Midsummer Night's Dream
American Psycho
Reign of Fire
Shaft
Equilibrium
The Machinist
Batman Begins
The Prestige
Harsh Times
Rescue Dawn
The Dark Knight

can't remember any others, so if I forgot any...

---------------

I haven't seen all of these films yet, but out of the one's I have seen, Bale has done a very good job in.

But what makes him a great actor is the fact that I never think of it as Christian Bale in every single film.

When I'm watching American Psycho, I'm watching Patrick Bateman.
When I'm watching Equilibrium, I'm watching Cleric Preston.
When I'm watching Machinist, I'm watching Trevor Reznik.
And when I'm watching Begins, I'm watching Batman.

That's what sets Bale apart from a lot of actors for me.

 

[Lobo]

The key thing that decides what I think of an actor is credibility.
Not how "good" or "bad" they are, but if I can believe them, no matter how good or bad the film was.

Too many people judge an actor's performance based on how bad the movie was, me thinks.

well said

 

[shapeshifter]

It's difficult to say nowadays. Normally I would say "look at his/her awards", but they seem to be handing Oscars and Golden Globes out to everyone these days.

awards are rubbish.
i think its the ability to own a role. to be a hero one day and a villan the next.
the ability to make yourself a completely different person at will.
so called actors and actresses like sandler, farrell (either one), schnider, stallone, knoxville, lopez, rodriguez and a pile of others i have forgotten. are one trick ponys

 

[Cyrusbales]

Festivals are much better than academy awards.

 

[AhabTheArab]

Really? I'd say hell no, Harsh Times, YES. BB and the prestige, no.

really? you think harsh times was a good movie? i hope youre joking.

 

[Cyrusbales]

really? you think harsh times was a good movie? i hope youre joking.

Why would that be?