parroting lines in front of the oh-so-important tee-vee camera is not a career. There is no “talent” there, actors of the world. It is something about 90% of society can do, but most of them have better things to do with their time.
I am sick and tired of “actors” and “actresses” parading their tired bones in front of yet another camera, whining to the world about their oh-so-difficult life.
This probably belongs in the pit.
“posting” is not a career, and requires no spelling skills 
(Sorry, couldn’t resist. Plus given that a lot of dopers seem to have the acting bug, this is probably as nice as this is going to get)
O…K…
But, being a GOOD actor or actress requires TALENT.
I will not argue the talent of any actor/actress currently in fashion, but it IS an art, and some can do it and some cannot…
I was pretty good once… but NOT great! To my sorrow.
90% of the world can do it?? I don’t think so. Maybe 1% can do it well, and of those few, only a fraction of a percent will make it big… (my opinion only! I have NO cites, etc.)
If that is the case than what is the differnce between Anthony Hopkins and Dolph Lundgren? So if there is a difference in the quality of actors, that implies that not “everyone” can do it.
Also, as an ex theater techie, I can tell you that succussful actors have to put up with a lot of BS to get where they are, a lot more than most of us could stand.
That said, there are some terrible actors on TV, and having a successful sitcom does not make them gods gift.
I have worked in all types of local theater, community, regional, high school and interactive. Of the hundreds of actors I have watched and worked opposite, maybe twelve of them were convincing enough for an audience to suspend their disbelief, and see the actor as the character.
This does belong in the pit.
Yes, this does belong in the Pit, and I expect that when some our more dedicated TheaterDopers arrive, it will move there in short order.
Anyone can parrot lines. I’ve done it myself. Acting, however, is difficult and those who can do it very well are worthy of admiration.
Yeah, this either belongs in the Pit, or at the very least, IMHO. Since it’s still in MPSIMS, though, I will strongly disagree with you (if this gets moved to the Pit, Mods, feel free to add any swearing you desire). I do some acting. I know jarbabyj and her husband both act. It’s easy to do, but it’s extremely diffcult to do well. Acting is essentially becoming another person. You have to understand their reasons, motivations, and nuances of character. You have to be able to project what the character is thinking, sometimes without saying a word. If you are doing live performances (ie, plays, musicals, etc), you have to be able to project your voice and yet still retain the emotion behind the spoken word. Yeah, everyone can read lines and memorize them. But I’d venture to say that you’ve never seen really good acting. Let me ask you a question: Who would you rather see in a movie? Kevin Spacey or Pam Anderson? Most people would answer Kevin Spacey. And there’s a good reason why. He’s a much better actor. Pam Anderson couldn’t convincingly portray falling down if you pushed her off of a cliff. Whereas Kevin Spacey has won Oscars for bringing to life roles like Verbal Kint and Lester Burnham.
Look harder.
There are somevery good Actors and Actresses about.
You say that but some people seem to get along fine doing this
I infd it hard to belive 90% of the poulation would get up on stage, let alone be able to learn a part. And to do it well - only a very small percentage ever do.
[sub]You’re not trolling are you Zuma? :eek:[/sub]
So, I’ll be waiting to see Nymysys come here and rip the OP’er to shreds. If she’s feeling nice, that is.
Hopefully this wil go to the pit <rubbing hands> 
I’d write a long post to address the points (HA!) made in the OP, but for some reason, the only word that came to my mind was “ugh.”
I don’t know if that post was an act in random trollism, but if it wasn’t, there sure as hell wasn’t too much thought put into it.
Oh, you have GOT to be fucking kidding me.
Unfortunately, here in Australia it’s bedtime. Fortunately, however, when I wake up this will be in the Pit. And I’ve got alllllllllll day tomorrow.
I’m going to add in a “fucking idiot” in hopes of moving things along.
I can understand his problem, though. Some of us have trouble even acting humanoid, apparently.
Fucking idiot.
I’m just gonna wait until Nymy comes back to rip you a new one…it should be good.
I’ll tell you what requires no talent: garbage collecting. 'Course, you’d be hard pressed to tell one of those guys, that make a shit-load o’cash, BTW, that it’s not a “career.”
Dickweasle.
Cool. Put up or shut up. Get an acting job. I guess we’ll be seeing you in the season premiere of ER?
Acting, and doing it well, is one of the most spiritually rewarding things I have ever done. Not only do you get to totally try to become someone else, to understand them, to make others understand them, but you meet alot of hotties!! Well, hormones aside, you usually make long-lasting friendships with people who are in a cast with you. I do anyway.
And I tell you, there is nothing like the thrill of performance. You think the straight-dope is addictive, jeez. When you get up on stage, you have to win the audience over. People are finicky. They bore easily. They start thinking about who they wanna fuck, and what they’re gonna have for dinner. So you, as an actor, have to grab them. Make them have an interest in what your doing. You have to be creative, energetic, and fearless. When it works, well that’s just butter.
Once you’ve got them going along with you the energy becomes almost something tangible. Electric. Laugh on the beats the actors worked so hard to plan out. Gasp at how shocking what the actors just did was. Cry because they can relate to what’s happening on stage. These are emotions. And emotions is what makes something art. When an actor is successful he/she makes a connection with the audience. Often referred to as Magic.
Technically speaking: There are many different levels of difficulty one can come across as an actor. Smiling cheesily in front of a bag of Doritio’s is easy. Shakespear is tricky. You have to understand language from way back, and then make others understand it and relate to it. This takes alot of time and study to properly understand the text. Improv is trickier still. Now, you no longer have the writer or directors advice to rely on. You must use your wits and the audiences suggestions to make them laugh. Believe me this is no easy task, and there are a small percentage of people called actors who can really make Improv as performance (it can be a rehearsal tool as well) work.
Have you never seen a great play? Have you never been moved to tears by a movie? Have you never had the tunes from a musical stick in your head for days? If not I pity you. It is truly one of the coolest things I have experienced. Both being an actor and an audience member. Performance art is one of the most powerful ways we as humans can tell story’s, and those who do it successfully should be commended for their hard work.
See ya in the pit! Or maybe GD (Is acting an art?)
DaLovin’Dj
I can understand how, to the uninitiated, there might seem to be some truth to this. That the only “skill” required is the ability to memorize lines.
However, this isn’t true. I think the absolute best way to disabuse onself of this notion is to watch two versions of the same movie or story. Notice how a character seems different when a different person is saying the lines. Then you get a feel for what an actor brings to a part. It’s not hard to find “versions” of shakespeare (ideal because the lines are precisely the same, although I suspect shakespeare is beyond your interest). There are a number of adaptations of Jane Austen’s work–watch a couple of “version of Emma” and see how different Emma seems, even when she’s saying the same thing.
I was a thespian through high school and college and was even thought to be good at it (only because I was good at memorizing, and projecting my voice) but in reality I probably sucked. I never realized how much until I did what I just described in the paragraph above.
I am thinking that zuma has been living in a cave and since emerging has only seen the works of Pauly Shore, William Shatner, and Pamela Anderson.
That would explain the OP.
you’re an idiot. I will not swear at you because you’re obviously a Faulknerian simpleton with a chip on his/her shoulder.
Everyone has covered what I wanted to say…but I’d like to echo whoever said “get an acting job, just one”, and I’d like to add to that: FOR PAY, IN A MAJOR THEATRE MARKET, and then get back to me.
No, acting is not hard, manual labor, but it definitely takes skill, dedication, creativity, thought and most importantly talent. Parroting lines in front of a camera is much different than playing the lead role in Shakespearean play for three hours a night where you have to remember THOUSANDS of lines. Not only your own, but everyone else’s, and make those lines come alive for the people watching.
try again.
jarbaby
Acting is a skill and a craft, anybody can spout lines correctly, but it takes talent and dedication to bring a character to life. If there wasn’t any skill or talent involved you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Oliviers Hamlet or Kenneth Branagh…every person who performs a role adds subtly and nuance to the part. Unfortunately as has already been alluded to that does not mean that everybody can do the part equally well, and every actor cannot do every role. I know I have seen some talented actors do wonderful work in some parts and the same actors flail about in other roles. It depends on whether or not they feel a connection to the role, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t and you can tell very easily when it isn’t working.
Secondly, anyone who has done any acting realizes if you are doing it well it is very draining physically, mentally and emotionally. You have to tear down all of your emotional barriers and the human body isn’t used to that and it causes tremendous stress and strain. Ask any actor who is doing a role well how they feel at the end of the day and they will say drained.
So in short you are a :wally who doesn’t have a clue what you are talking about
“There are no small parts, just small actors.”
I forgot who said that, but it’s cool.