Acting - where's the mystery?

simu

"There's no mystery to it. Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume."

-Morgan Freeman on acting

So, what do ye think about this? Agree or disagree? Is that all that is needed to become a Hollywood star along with a hefty dose of good luck? Is all the talk of charisma or "star quality" nonsense then?

I really need to know what people think about this.

Thanks!

solicitous

[QUOTE=simu
I really need to know what people think about this.
[/QUOTE]

Why??

Lafortezza

There are so many films that prove him wrong and show that it's a hell of a lot more than learning lines and putting on a costume.
Off the top of my head Requiem for a Dream.

OY

I think you have to look at who this quote is coming from. Honestly if Morgan Freeman was a brain surgeon he would be saying there is nothing to it, just saw for a bit, make a few cuts and your done!

I think it depends on what acting means to you. If acting is Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke then yes, it could be argued that anyone can do it. There are a lot of great screen actors out there but to be honest i think you do not get better than the stage. When there is no such thing as "CUT", to me that is real acting.

I would make the worst actor in the world. I suck at telling jokes, keeping straight faces, it would be awful. I certainly think that there is more to it than luck and that it really does require a lot of talent. That is my opinion!

yermandan

Well I am an actor and from personal experience it is WAY more than donning a silly costume and reciting something from memory...

It is about learning about the character you are playing and progressing with that character everytime you play him/her.Its about a complete understanding of another person from what their favourite colour is to knowing how they would react in a certain situation.

Morgan Freeman is, in my opinion, one of the finest actors of our time.He is entitled to his opinion of course but I strongly disagree.Acting takes a person and throws them into a world alien to them and forces them to understand what it is like in that world.And it is how much a person can understand and subsequently play the character as true as they can that determins how talented an actor they are...

My two cents anyway!!!

Dan;)

Freelancer

simu wrote:

"There's no mystery to it. Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume."

-Morgan Freeman on acting

So, what do ye think about this? Agree or disagree? Is that all that is needed to become a Hollywood star along with a hefty dose of good luck? Is all the talk of charisma or "star quality" nonsense then?

I really need to know what people think about this.

Thanks!

The presence of Morgan Freeman makes a film 27.8% more classy, thats a fact.

Acting with class, thoughtfully, with a commanding presence, must come easy to Freeman because, well, he's bloody talented.

One needs only to look at "Chain Reaction" where he acts besides Keanu Reeves to see the difference, Keanu with his constant furrored brow and furiously intense gaze (in all his films, these are his two emotions) makes this seemly easy act seem very hard.

I'd defy most people to stand in front of a camera crew, and blue screen, at six o'clock in the morning, and do the simple act of walking towards a mark, saying a sentence over and over again and not feel uncomfortable.

The very idea of being observed or studied while doing something tends to put most of us off the simplest of tasks (think how confident you were ever practice run before your driving test, and then the test, now replace the driving tester with a film crew, and instead of your driving test it's your career and 30 million dollar movie) now imagine theres people looking at you, and observing every aspect of what you are doing, how you speak, how you walk, what direction you're looking at, and try and act, its bloody hard.

It comes easy to someone like Freeman and you see that on the screen, thats why they pay actors serious amounts of money, it requires a talent to do it and seem like you're not doing anything at all.

Tar.Aldarion

lucrecia wrote:

As a student of acting I have to say that in my experience the mystery of acting is INSTINCT.

lucrecia, successful films: 0
Morgan Freeman, successful films: Beyond counting.

/nick Nesf

lucrecia

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

lucrecia, successful films: 0
Morgan Freeman, successful films: Beyond counting.

/nick Nesf

Little do you know that I am in fact Susan Sarandon masquerading as a male drama student with identity issues. Are you Tara Blaise?

Tar.Aldarion

Nah, I'm a male drama student You will usually find me here,
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=255

lucrecia

Who wrote the codswallop about Ulysses etc? I've read more intelligible things on Al Jazeera.

Freelancer

lucrecia wrote:

Being a student of acting myself

<shudder>

Male Drama student

</shudder>

Repeat after me the most important line you're going to need;

"Would sir care to see the wine list"?

A friend of mine was an experienced events manager, who went to trinity to study stage management, she immensely enjoyed first year, it was a a toss up which was funnier, watching the guys leap out of the closest like it was the ending of the lion the witch and the wardrobe, or how surprised the girls in the class where over and over again..........

lucrecia

Em,ok,good for her. And good for you, writing such an uplifting message that will really cheer up drama students around the country. Was only talking the piss with my first message but what is true is that I am a drama student and I'm NOT gay. But I tell you one thing, you have got some really cool friends if they get a kick out of people coming out of the closet. Gosh, what a lark! What a great stage manager she'd make. :mad: I hope she hasn't given up the event management.

Freelancer

lucrecia wrote:

Em,ok,good for her. And good for you, writing such an uplifting message that will really cheer up drama students around the country.

Oh bless the drama student emotes.

What would you like to hear?

"Gosh literally you can't walk pass the Gate without getting offered the lead in a Eugene O'Neil play?"

I'd suggest realism and pragmatism but self delusion is a necessary tool in the drama student's armoury

Was only talking the piss with my first message but

Bollocks you were prententiously potificating about your experience of your art got called on it, and started back peddling, hence you deleted it.

what is true is that I am a drama student and I'm NOT gay. But I tell you one thing, you have got some really cool friends if they get a kick out of people coming out of the closet. Gosh, what a lark!

Actually more the manner in which the events occur. The average drama student can't turn in an essay or go out to doyles on a friday night without making a scene of it, never mind, coming out. Watching that scene get played out over and over again, gave the whole thing a fun surreal air. If you lot didn't take yourselves so seriously it'd be a hell of alot easier for you, but a alot less funnier for the rest of us, though it gets tedious eventually.

What a great stage manager she'd make. :mad: I hope she hasn't given up the event management.

Gosh yes, she must be dreadful human being,

She; having seen something more of the world than Mt Anville, Belveder, and that "like rulll rullll profound three weeks I spent in Morocco" before becoming a drama student, possesses the ability to look at the massive "trauma's" and "drama's" her classmates are going through, put them in perspective and laugh at it.

And yes I can see how running half of the stages of the odd major music festival a few years running wouldn't be in any way helpful to her in her new career.

I don't usually use smiles, but

:rolleyes:

NoDayBut2Day

yermandan wrote:

It is about learning about the character you are playing and progressing with that character everytime you play him/her.Its about a complete understanding of another person from what their favourite colour is to knowing how they would react in a certain situation.

I agree. You have to become the character, not just portray them. It's fun but challenging.

Karl Hungus

simu wrote:

"There's no mystery to it. Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume."

-Morgan Freeman on acting

So, what do ye think about this? Agree or disagree? Is that all that is needed to become a Hollywood star along with a hefty dose of good luck? Is all the talk of charisma or "star quality" nonsense then?

I really need to know what people think about this.

Thanks!

You know, coming from Morgan "Same character in every damn film" Freeman, that means absolutely nothing to me.

Don't get me wrong though, I like the guy, but while I used to think he was a great actor, but every time I see him in a film, it's just Morgan Freeman plowing through the same old routine. Everything, Seven, Dreamcatcher, Deep Impact, Kiss The Girls, Batman Begins, The Sum Of All Fears, Unleashed, Bruce Almighty... It's all just Morgan Freeman being Morgan Freeman on camera, and though he's a very likable person, an actor? I've only ever seen him actually 'Act' once, and that was The Shawshank Redemption. Yes, that was the only time I've ever felt that I'm not just watching Freeman, but rather got caught up with the character he was portraying.

Beruthiel

simu wrote:

"There's no mystery to it. Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume."

-Morgan Freeman on acting

morgan has raw, natural talent, it comes as easy to him as breathing in and out, so for him the above comment is true.
the rest of us would look as wooden as the horse of troy if we were on stage.

LegacyUser

yermandan wrote:

Well I am an actor

Dan;)

Unrelated post, but Dan, your an actor? How? Where? I am hoping to get back into drama in 2006, can you reccommend some classes? a good school? I am over 21. Any advice would be great, thanks!

WhiteWashMan

i once saw a wonderful film about 3 people stuck in a bar on dark and windy night, that talk about thier lives.
one is a business man, one an actor, and one a whore.

this is set back in 1940s alabama type stuff.
no idea what the film is, but it was about the misconceptions that people have about different roles that people play, and the underlying truth of how difficult is to do what you do.

the one that hit me most was the actor (stage actor, as opposed to films) who apparently had the world at his feet. and all he had to do was get on stage, say the lines in the right order and take the glory.

the bit that got me was a monologue on how acting was like whoring. every time you act, you give a piece of yourself away to the audience. every performance kills you a little bit more as the audience takes these pieces of you.
but, without putting your soul into the performance, you can never be a great actor. it was the price you paid to please people.

but im sure everyone is different. brad pitt is a most marvelous actor. he is supurb. as an individual in interviews, i have found him to be dull, boring, and below your average intellect tbh.
who knows what makes a good actor. im sure morgan freemans words ring true for him, but like everything, not everything is as simple as round pegs in round holes

Ozzy

Sure, acting is just like any other job.
To be good at it you've got to have the ability and the skills/disciplines necessary to do the job well. In the case of acting some important disciplines that spring to mind I guess would be emotional intelligence, good looks, confidence and character to name a few. Different people have different qualities for different ways of life.
Is there mystery to any field of endeavour? Yeah, from the outset. Until you get to know how it works, and that just comes with time, practice, learning - and sometimes a head start called genetics.

Take care of yourselves, aaand each other.




What's with all the Morgan Freeman quotes atm anyway? Might as well join in!

"You whine like a mule"
The Man, The Free, The Morgan Freeman
What a guy!

Earthhorse

simu wrote:

"There's no mystery to it. Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume."

-Morgan Freeman on acting

So, what do ye think about this? Agree or disagree? Is that all that is needed to become a Hollywood star along with a hefty dose of good luck? Is all the talk of charisma or "star quality" nonsense then?

I really need to know what people think about this.

Thanks!

I have to admit, even though I've no experience of acting professionally, I've always been of the same opinion. But I think it's down to the individual. I spent a lot of my childhood pretending to be someone else so doing so now on occasion is not a problem to me.

Having said that there's a lot of hard work goes into the really challenging stuff, like some of Rob de Niro's more celebrated roles. So, for instance, I would imagine a lot of people on this site find programming or designing websites "easy" but that doesn't mean they don't put hard work in.

I would also say that hard work has more to do with success in Hollywood than acting talent. In fact talent and success are quite often totally unrelated.

Ultimately though, the question isn't "Is acting difficult?" but "Is acting difficult for you?".

All the best in your new career simu!

seamus

There are so many different types of acting, that it's very tough to tar the entire industry with one simple formula.

Morgan Freeman is a great actor, and I'm sure it comes that naturally to him, but as Karl Hungus points out, it's always "Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact", "Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption". Morgan Freeman plays Morgan Freeman in every movie he's in. And that's fine for certain roles, it's enjoyable acting, and many actors have made successful careers out of playing themselves. Robert de Niro always plays Robert de Niro.

Then you have method actors. Johnny Depp, for example, doesn't play "Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands". Johnny Depp *was* Edward Scissorhands. Johnny Depp becomes the character, the character isn't changed to suit Johnny Depp. Christian Bale is another method actor.

But then acting is the same as any other art. You have those who continually work their ass off, and get better and better and better at what they're doing. And then you have others who continually churn out the same stuff over and over, with little or no development of style or theory - but that's not to say the stuff isn't "good". In music, for example, Oasis would be an example of the latter, and arguably Incubus could be an example of the former.

It's far too broad a scope for one line to sum up. Stage acting and screen acting are almost completely different - the only trait they have in common is lines and funny costumes. There are very few (and we're speaking one in a million) people who can easily hop between them with little or no training or experience. Exactly the same, you can have bags and bags of talent, but it can all go to waste without some guidance and direction. Others have bags and bags of talent and somehow make it all come together with little or no training.

What I do love is artists though who claim how easy it all is. How often have you heard a musician say, "Ah I never really learned guitar, I just figured it out, then started writing songs"? But if you actually look into their history you'll find hours and hours of lessons and practice, and failures and crap songs. Claiming that their art is easy is a form of bravado that so many artists practice, particularly when they're near the top.

I've a girlfriend who's in her sixth year of studying acting. I can no longer go to the cinema without every single bit of cinematic theory being pointed out to me

Closing Doors

I think the real challenge in acting is trying not to laugh. Honest to God, if I was in a play etc I would be cracking up every 5 minutes..

Lump

Yes, it's all luck :rolleyes:

John

Idioteque

Freelancer wrote:

The presence of Morgan Freeman makes a film 27.8% more classy, thats a fact.

Did you know 82.3% of statistics are made up on the spot......:D

joe_chicken

Karl Hungus wrote:

You know, coming from Morgan "Same character in every damn film" Freeman, that means absolutely nothing to me.

Don't get me wrong though, I like the guy, but while I used to think he was a great actor, but every time I see him in a film, it's just Morgan Freeman plowing through the same old routine. Everything, Seven, Dreamcatcher, Deep Impact, Kiss The Girls, Batman Begins, The Sum Of All Fears, Unleashed, Bruce Almighty... It's all just Morgan Freeman being Morgan Freeman on camera, and though he's a very likable person, an actor? I've only ever seen him actually 'Act' once, and that was The Shawshank Redemption. Yes, that was the only time I've ever felt that I'm not just watching Freeman, but rather got caught up with the character he was portraying.

Bang on the head...

particularly in Kiss the Girls and Along came a Spider, they are different movies right!?


If you've got a voice and face like freeman its easy to play an old wise black man

Pigman II

When you've got talent of course there's no mystery. I bet Morgan Freeman wouldn't be saying that if he was good an actor as .... oh I don't let's say .... Ben Affleck.

Mighty_Mouse

Robert de Niro always plays Robert de Niro.

Slightly harsh on De Niro there I feel. (raging bull/taxi driver/mean streets/godfather - different themes different characters)
I agree your point about freeman though.

Agree Depp is a smashing actor though. Fear and loathing .....another example.

For me though its Brando. Example above all others that acting is not just a matter of saying lines.

Peteee

Idioteque wrote:

Did you know 82.3% of statistics are made up on the spot......:D

Did you know that joke is unfunny 100% of the time? :v:

lazydaisy

simu wrote:

"There's no mystery to it. Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume."

-Morgan Freeman on acting

So, what do ye think about this? Agree or disagree? Is that all that is needed to become a Hollywood star along with a hefty dose of good luck? Is all the talk of charisma or "star quality" nonsense then?

I really need to know what people think about this.

Thanks!

Becoming a hollywood star and becoming a good actor are not always the same thing. What do you want, fame or to hone a craft and become an artist?

simu

Note to all: I do not want to become an actor myself - I just wanted to discuss the topic.

@Lazydaisy - I guess I'm interested in what makes a respected actor who is held up as an example to others. Of course, you get actors like this who are not famous all over the globe but the people who do get to see them would still describe them as having "presence" or "charisma" and so on.

Setun

I think it's more about being able to let yourself go and not be shy in going all out to play the character. I'd say that's where most people would find acting difficult.

Freelancer

joe_chicken wrote:

Bang on the head...

particularly in Kiss the Girls and Along came a Spider, they are different movies right!?

They're adaptions of the same series of crime novels he's playing the same same character in both*, it's like saying;

"Harrison Ford plays the exact same guy in both Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games, and don't even get me started on those Indian Jones movies...... "

*doesn't mean they're not **** though.

It's like Mr Hungus says, I can't thing of a performance where Morgan Freeman doesn't appear to be either a jaded loner, a world weary bitter man, or a dignified presence of introspection, or all three in a movie.

Now take Meryl Streep, she plays Ethel Rosenberg (jewish communist), an eldery male rabbi, and a nervous Mormon struggling to accept her daughter in law's insanity and son's homosexuality, all in Angels in America.

I'd like to see Morgan Freeman play a transvesitte cowboy with aids, pull it off and say it was "easy."

The best response to his statement, is "Well Morgan if it's so bloody easy how come I have to watch so many terrible actors?"

Madge

simu wrote:

"There's no mystery to it. Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume."

-Morgan Freeman on acting

So, what do ye think about this? Agree or disagree? Is that all that is needed to become a Hollywood star along with a hefty dose of good luck? Is all the talk of charisma or "star quality" nonsense then?

I really need to know what people think about this.

Thanks!

I think its more about learning about the character rather than their lines. Trying to put yourself in the character shoes- understanding their motivations and perspectives.. Some famous scenes have been improvised by actors e.g. In taxi-driver the scene where Travis Bickle is talking to himself in the mirror was completely ad-libbed by Robert De Niro. The screenplay details just said, "Travis looks in the mirror."
Also, actors try to find a piece of themselves in the character they're portraying and try to work around that.
Obviuosly, charisma and looks have a lot to do with it, I'd say 90% of actors in Hollywood have had some sort of plastic surgery

stevenmu

Never having done it, I can safely say acting is incredibly easy. It's something that we've all spent hours doing as kids, playing cops and robbers or doctors and nurses or whatever the game happened to be. We always managed to immerse ourselves in games without any problems at all. But, as we grow up we're given a role to play, that of a 'grown-up', and we play this role so much that it becomes second nature to us and we forget how to play any others. So, it's simple really, people just need to learn how to dream and believe in make-believe again, like a child does, to act.

(possibly why you sometimes get incredibly talented child stars who grow up to be ...erm... less talented and less of a star)

Atrocity

Anyone can learn lines and read them, but not everyone can be a great actor; just turn on Fair City or Coronation Street. The Johnny Depp comments above are accurate, but I don't think any of you have discussed the mountain of a man that is Rob Schneider. In "The Animal" he adopts the mentality of a horse.

what about the drink-driving scene in withnail and i, the park scene in 25th hour, any scene in buffalo '66.. all great acting.

Karl Hungus

joe_chicken wrote:

Bang on the head...

particularly in Kiss the Girls and Along came a Spider, they are different movies right!?

I've avoided seeing Along Came A Spider... Morgan Freeman + Serial Killer Film = tedium.

I'm actually suprised though, I was expecting to have a few angry callers being quite irate with my estimation of Freeman though.

joe_chicken

Freelancer wrote:

They're adaptions of the same series of crime novels he's playing the same same character in both

oops... sorry.... didnt pay attention long enough to get that

and it was a genuine question, i really wasnt sure whether they had just renamed it or something