Samuel L Jackson - A good actor ?

WrenBoy · 15-01-2021 12:41pm #1

Sammy has had a very successful career in Hollywood with what I can only describe as quite limited range, maybe down to being type cast. Maybe I just missed some of his work.
I enjoy seeing him in movies and think he's a real character when I see him interviewed but is that what he is now, Sam Jackson being Sam Jackson in different movies ?
Basically has he just played Jules in different movies for the last 27 years ?

brevity · 15-01-2021 12:55pm

He might have a limited range but people like Sam Jackson because he is good for the box office and he is a professional. No messing. He knows his lines, takes direction well and gets on with everyone.

mikhail · 15-01-2021 1:35pm

Range isn't the only quality an actor can be valued for. Jackson has a distinctive look and sound, he's charismatic and well-liked by audiences. And as the other poster said, he has a reputation as professional, which doesn't hurt.

blue note · 15-01-2021 1:44pm

I think there's an element of being a movie star which is certainly linked to acting, but also kind of separate. Some guys just ooze a certain type of Hollywood charisma. It's not so much acting, it's more something that's just a part of them. I'm thinking of Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, arnie, will Smith. I'm not saying those people are average actors at all, but there's something about them that even great actors just can't quite mimic. And I'd certainly put samuel l Jackson in that bracket.

On the other hand there are guys who are always brilliant, but would just never have that type of Hollywood about them. I'm thinking of the likes of Robert Duvall or Kevin spacey.

Agent Coulson · 15-01-2021 1:48pm

Al Pacino has been pretty much a version of shouty Al Pacino in every movie for the last 30 years.

The Rock is pretty much The Rock in every movie.

Tom Cruise is pretty much Tom Cruise in every movie.

The reason actors play the same role in every movie is that is what audiences want to see and pay to see so that's why movie studios hire them and pay very well to play Sam Jackson, Al Pacino, The Rock, Tom Cruise etc etc in every movie

silliussoddius · 15-01-2021 5:40pm

A bit off topic; take Keanu Reeves, not a magnificent thespian by any stretch but you have to admit he really suits a lot of roles.

15-01-2021 5:43pm

Django unchained disagrees

And to answer your question, yes, he’s a great actor.

weldoninhio · 15-01-2021 5:44pm

WrenBoy wrote: »

Sammy has had a very successful career in Hollywood with what I can only describe as quite limited range, maybe down to being type cast. Maybe I just missed some of his work.
I enjoy seeing him in movies and think he's a real character when I see him interviewed but is that what he is now, Sam Jackson being Sam Jackson in different movies ?
Basically has he just played Jules in different movies for the last 27 years ?

He seems to take every role he's offered. Acting is a job for him. Fair play to him. Star Wars, Marvel, Die Hard, he's been in some big franchises.

B.A._Baracus · 15-01-2021 5:58pm

I like samuel l jackson. he is a good actor. But yeah he pretty much is the same in every movie. That's the thing about Hollywood tho you don't have to be this great ranged actor.

As mentioned above Tom Cruise is always the same in movies and he commands 20 million a movie (plus profit of ticket sales) but tom's acting ability is not worth 20 million. No one's is. However Tom's star power is. He places an ass in every cinema seat. Hollywood wants to give you the same thing that sells over and over. If it isn't broke don't fix it.

Using Cruise as an example, it's not just acting ability too. Movies are the same. Sure every Mission Impossible has been the same when you step back. Ethan Hunt goes on the run to clear his name and rinse and repeat

Not limited to the MI series too.

Did you smash it · 15-01-2021 6:02pm

There’s differences between great actors and great stars. Sean Penn is a great actor. Tom cruise is a great star. Cruise has never won an Oscar. Penn has won two.

The lines got blurred last year when Brad Pitt won an Oscar for playing sexy smoking unstressed alpha male. The same part he’s played at least 20 times.

Agent Coulson · 15-01-2021 6:13pm

I wouldn't use winning an Oscar as sign of being a good actor myself.

Plenty of very average actors have won Oscars over the years.

Did you smash it · 15-01-2021 6:25pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

I wouldn't use winning an Oscar as sign of being a good actor myself.

Plenty of very average actors have won Oscars over the years.

Like who?

Agent Coulson · 15-01-2021 6:30pm

Did you smash it wrote: »

Like who?

Nic Cage, Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Casey Affleck, Cuba Gooding Jr. that's just off the top of my head.

Zak Flaps · 15-01-2021 6:32pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Django unchained disagrees

And to answer your question, yes, he’s a great actor.

I agree that he was brilliant in Django Unchained. His finest performance.

And he can swear better than anyone. Poetry!

Stihl waters · 15-01-2021 6:36pm

silliussoddius wrote: »

A bit off topic; take Keanu Reeves, not a magnificent thespian by any stretch but you have to admit he really suits a lot of roles.

Same with Ben Affleck, a very limited actor in some regards but has been in some great roles

Did you smash it · 15-01-2021 6:37pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Nic Cage, Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Casey Affleck, Cuba Gooding Jr. that's just off the top of my head.

Don’t know, only actor I seen lately who is quite praised but comes across as wooden to me is Michael B Jordan. Though I loved him in The Wire when he was only a kid.

OwaynOTT · 15-01-2021 7:11pm

Nic Cage is a lot of things but what he certainly isn’t is ‘average’.

pixelburp · 15-01-2021 7:22pm

With Sam Jackson, the equation is pretty simple IMO; his range might be limited but he possesses a tonne of charisma and his presence on screen can be utterly magnetic. No more than the recently departed Sean Connery, who was the same deal really. Limited enough range - the man could barely manage an accent - but he possessed swagger and charisma his peers often lacked. It's still an X Factor with leading stars, in my mind anyway.

The flipside for me would be someone like Jared Leto. Maybe technically a better actor than Jackson (though I find his style too Try Hard), but has absolutely zero charm or charisma to command a lead role.

MfMan · 15-01-2021 11:31pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Nic Cage, Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Casey Affleck, Cuba Gooding Jr. that's just off the top of my head.

Largely agree with that list but Brody's for the quite superb The Pianist was a well-merited award.

RobbingBandit · 15-01-2021 11:46pm

Samuel L Jackson has done it all he's a disney character he's a Star Wars Character he was in Grand Theft Auto, stephen king and Tom Clancy films, countless Tarantino movies, multi time Anime star, Marvel Characters, hell he was even in Die Hard 3.

To answer the OPs question yeah he's a good actor.

Heckler · 15-01-2021 11:49pm

He has a deadly voice in fairness mother****er.

storker · 16-01-2021 12:08am

When you stop to think about it, quite a few well-regarded actors have limited range, Gene Hackman is always basically Gene Hackman, ditto Kevin Spacey, even greats like Jack Lemmon and Paul Newman. They just do it so well that you don't mind. Brad Pitt always seems to be the guy who has his sh1t super together or is a super badass. Even Pacino and de Niro fall into this category quite a bit.

I would have included Tom Cruise if it wasn't for Interview with the Vampire and The Color of Money, or Val Kilmer but for his portrayal of Doc Holliday.

flasher0030 · 16-01-2021 9:30am

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Nic Cage is a lot of things but what he certainly isn’t is ‘average’.

Above average or below average??
Didn't realise he won an oscar - for drinking himself to death.

RobbingBandit · 16-01-2021 11:09am

Leaving Las Vegas is a work of art

is_that_so · 16-01-2021 11:16am

storker wrote: »

When you stop to think about it, quite a few well-regarded actors have limited range, Gene Hackman is always basically Gene Hackman, ditto Kevin Spacey, even greats like Jack Lemmon and Paul Newman. They just do it so well that you don't mind. Brad Pitt always seems to be the guy who has his sh1t super together or is a super badass. Even Pacino and de Niro fall into this category quite a bit.

I would have included Tom Cruise if it wasn't for Interview with the Vampire and The Color of Money, or Val Kilmer but for his portrayal of Doc Holliday.

So who's not "limited" seeing as you've taken out a lot of great actors?

santana75 · 16-01-2021 2:26pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Django unchained disagrees

And to answer your question, yes, he’s a great actor.

I was gonna mention Django myself. He was incredble in that film.

AMKC · 16-01-2021 2:35pm

No not at all he is a not a good actor he us a great actor.

storker · 16-01-2021 2:43pm

is_that_so wrote: »

So who's not "limited" seeing as you've taken out a lot of great actors?

Off the top of my head...

John Hurt
Gary Oldman
Daniel Day-Lewis
Paul Bettany
Johnny Depp
Sean Penn

Stephen Lang, while I don't think he's considered a great actor, has a terrific range.

One of the movies that I think shows that Pacino can have great range, when he wants, is Scarface.

branie2 · 16-01-2021 9:41pm

Very good actor

Charlie19 · 17-01-2021 11:20pm

Very good actor but apparently has a problem saying no to some awful movies. Nearly 200 films according to imdb, the man is a workaholic.

PsychoPete · 17-01-2021 11:25pm

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Leaving Las Vegas is a work of art

I disagree, Con Air is a work of art and should have got an Oscar

Samuel L Jackson - A good actor ?

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