If you are new to acting or have just started taking acting classes, you may be worried about your first performance. Stage fright is a perfectly normal issue to experience and there are luckily many ways to combat it. Read More
There are some exceptional actors and actresses out there these days who put their heart and soul into playing a character. In fact, some admit they have been changed by the roles they played.
There have been lots of media reports about ‘nepo-babies’ over the last few months, with the press criticising the unfair advantage children of celebrities have when it comes to launching their own careers.
When we typically think of the greatest acting performances, many of us focus quite naturally on the best films ever made or films with breakout performances by actors that would go on to have great careers, with films that are commonly part of acting classes.
However, there are far more great actors out there than scripts that do them justice, and a hallmark of a truly great actor is to take a script that may not have the same renown, make do and mend, often with particularly personal reasons as to why.
Here are some great examples of fantastic acting performances found in somewhat unexpected films and the reasons why they appeared.
Mixing Up Directors
Fresh off of an Oscar nomination for the brilliant and subversive Lost In Translation and in the middle of working on the unique The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Bill Murray was sent a script that he read for, his curiosity sparked by its apparent author: Joel Coen of the Coen brothers.
Ultimately it turned out he had gotten the name mixed up. It was Joel Cohen and the script was for the somewhat infamous Garfield live-action adaptation. Bill Murray’s enthusiasm quickly waned, which was perfectly suited for the laconic cartoon cat.
Not Realising It Was A Video Game Adaptation
In 1992, Bob Hoskins was cast as Mario Mario for the film Super Mario Bros, one of the strangest and most troubled film productions of all time, and a film that throughout the rest of his life he said he regretted doing more than any other.
He was bombarded with script revisions until he finally agreed to be the star but did not realise the origins of the source material, leading to a somewhat infamous interview where Mr Hoskins turns to the camera, takes a pause and laments that he used to star in Shakespearean adaptations.
Award season is upon us, which means Hollywood stars will be gracing the red carpet, paparazzi will be snapping furiously, and budding actors and actresses will be listening to winners’ speeches for encouragement and inspiration.
The third and final series of the TV serial Happy Valley has captured the imagination of millions of viewers, but it might also provide some inspiration for those keen to follow in the footsteps of the cast, who are mostly from the north.
When studying unique performances as part of acting classes or listening to actors discuss particular roles, one point that becomes clear is that the inspiration for particular acting decisions can come from a wide variety of different places.
Many actors, whether they have recently completed their acting classes or have been in the profession for decades, often play specific roles or have a type that is associated with them.
Confidence is an issue that many people struggle with. Finding activities you enjoy and feel good doing can be difficult, however, acting is one activity that is sure to help boost your self-esteem and confidence!
Acting is a great skill that can bring you a lot of enjoyment and fulfilment, but it has benefits outside of just being something fun to do in your spare time.
Learning to be more outgoing may seem scary but acting classes can help you build all the necessary skills which you can transfer from the stage into everyday life.
Acting can help you build social skills. It forces you to socialise, work on speaking to new people and function well within groups. This helps you to learn how to interact socially with others.
It’s also a great way to open up and express yourself. Putting yourself into the mindset of playing a character is a fun way to let go of your inhibitions. If you can pretend to be confident, you can do it every day!
Working on these skills and mastering them will give you a sense of achievement and allow you to be proud of yourself. Knowing you have accomplished something gives you a reason to celebrate, which can be amazing for boosting your self-esteem and improving your mood.
Being proud of yourself brings a lot of positive emotions to the table and can push you to go further and step outside of your comfort zone which can be amazing for building self-confidence.
Practising and performing give you a chance to hone your skills. The thrill you get from performing on stage can be great for battling shyness and insecurities and you get to have fun while doing it.
All the skills you learn in acting classes for adults are transferable to everyday life and can give you something to focus on when dealing with situations you feel uncomfortable or shy in.
Film as an art form is an inherently collaborative medium, and whilst the individual achievements of directors, writers and actors are often singled out for acclaim, ultimately a film requires the work of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people to complete.
An actor starting out having completed their online acting classes is as essential to a film’s completion as its leading actors, and the best examples of winning together and losing together are in films by acclaimed actors which ultimately are somewhat less well-received.
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies) are a parody of the Oscars that often takes place on the very same weekend, which satirises films that are somewhat less regarded.
Whilst it has been criticised for some of its choices, often because it tends to choose “easy targets” for derision, it has become as much of an annual tradition for showcasing cinematic underachievement as the Oscars for showing the best of what film has to offer.
One of the most interesting facts about the Razzies is that only three people have ever won both a Razzie and an Oscar in the same weekend:
- Composer Alan Menken won the Oscar for A Whole New World from Aladdin and the Razzie for High Times, Hard Times from Newsies in 1993.
- Screenwriter Brian Helgeland won the Oscar for LA Confidential and the Razzie for The Postman in 1997.
Only one actor has ever won both the Oscar and the Razzie in the same weekend, however, and it is a credit not only to her exceptional range as a performer but also to how important scripting and direction are to a performance.
Sandra Bullock starred as Michael Oher’s adoptive mother Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film The Blind Side, often considered to be the highlight of a film that often divides opinion.
On the other hand, All About Steve, about eccentric crossword puzzle constructor Mary Horowitz, was considered to be somewhat the opposite of this.
Sandra Bullock received her award in person with a giant cart of copies of the All About Steve DVD to give to every member of the audience, in a performance every bit as iconic as the two she received awards for.