# Acting tics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935 "2009-06-06T17:00:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/21 "2009-06-07T18:31:04Z")
“I’ll be back.” ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/22 "2009-06-07T19:12:08Z")
Matthew McConaughey, in every movie: “Awright, awright.” You’d know it if you heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/23 "2009-06-07T19:57:54Z")
When she’s supposed to be conveying frustration Julia Roberts flaps her hands around (not her arms) like she’s trying to air dry them. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/24 "2009-06-07T20:13:52Z")
I’ve never noticed any of these except for The Shat’s cadence. And that was because someone did the impression first. Speaking of [David Caruso](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarYH0z948) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/25 "2009-06-07T20:23:17Z")
I’m not sure if it’s a “tic” but a lot of actors apparently think it’s good “business” or characterization to pour insane amounts of cream or sugar into their coffee. And Denzel does a lot of things including some weird glassy-eyed thing usually coupled with whispering. I don’t know why he gets so much respect. ---
**Author:** ![JimmyFlair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@JimmyFlair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyFlair)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/26 "2009-06-07T20:37:53Z")
Winona Ryder has that “exasperated-gasp-plus-eyeroll-of disbelief”. She can even expand her range with multiple gasps for more complex emotions! ---
**Author:** ![A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/27 "2009-06-07T21:38:04Z")
Robert Redford: He often begins a sentence, then stops, pauses, makes a face and then says the entire sentence. The effect is his character genuinely seems to be thinking through a situation. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/28 "2009-06-07T21:50:42Z")
Christopher. Walken. Has this, weird. Syncopated. Cadence; to his. Speech. That. Makes it, sound. Like. It’s been, written. First; and then. Had, the punctuation. Added, randomly much. Later. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/29 "2009-06-07T22:01:05Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I saw a sneak preview of **The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3** the other night … I can’t wait to see how the scene goes where Lt. Garver (white) meets the police chief (black) for the first time and says, “Somehow, I thought you were…taller?” ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/30 "2009-06-07T23:11:14Z")
Nathan Fillion touches his face in most scenes throughout Firefly. I have no idea if he does this in other roles. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/31 "2009-06-08T02:44:52Z")
> [@Scissorjack](#): > > Christopher. Walken. Has this, weird. Syncopated. Cadence; to his. Speech. That. Makes it, sound. Like. It’s been, written. First; and then. Had, the punctuation. Added, randomly much. Later. I read a profile of him in the New York Times that said that the first thing he does when he gets the script is removes all the punctuation and then inserts his own where he sees fit. So you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as the process involved in creating “Walkenese”. ---
**Author:** ![drpepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@drpepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drpepper)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/32 "2009-06-08T02:51:32Z")
I certainly would hesitate to call it a recurring “acting tic”, but there was this one movie, I can’t remember which one, where Samuel L. Jackson played this character and he was one bad motherfucker. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/33 "2009-06-08T03:08:13Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > David Caruso. If I have to explain it to you , first I will take off my sun glasses and tilt my head. Then I am completely sincere. No first you put your sunglasses [on](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceHnUrUAbho&feature=related&pos=6). Bonus Jim Carey does [DC](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJSqkwyL1Zo&feature=related&pos=5) on Letterman ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/34 "2009-06-08T10:00:42Z")
Will Ferrell definitely likes to scream some of his lines for comedic effect. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it really doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/35 "2009-06-08T13:04:03Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > I _think_ that in each turn as Indiana Jones or Han Solo, Harrison Ford says, “Trust me.” Perhaps not in the most recent one, can’t remember. I don’t think of that as a “tic” but as sort of an inside joke. The big Harrison Ford tic is, of course, the Finger of Doom - index finger at a 45 degree angle, pointing at some poor bastard’s face. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/36 "2009-06-08T16:39:23Z")
> [@drpepper](#): > > I certainly would hesitate to call it a recurring “acting tic”, but there was this one movie, I can’t remember which one, where Samuel L. Jackson played this character and he was one bad motherfucker. Did he shout a lot? Cause if so, I think I just may have seen that one. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/37 "2009-06-08T20:39:37Z")
I realize he’s not doing much these days, but Michael Keaton had one that bugged the crap out of me. In every movie he had this throw his arms out to the side and wriggle his body movement when he was saying an emotion line. I figured, at least, when he got cast as Batman that we’d be spared that. Nope, sure enough, he has a “Let’s get nuts,” moment where he did his stupid twitch. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/38 "2009-06-08T20:54:39Z")
Jennifer Aniston loves to play with her hair and tuck it behind her ears. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/39 "2009-06-08T21:33:10Z")
Watch **Charmed**. The girls on that show have an all out brawl of dueling tics every time they interact. Purse lips. Squint. Tilt head. Raise eyebrow. Tilt head. Purse lips. Squint. ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935/40 "2009-06-08T22:13:19Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > “I’ll be back.” “Get Dow-oo-n!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acting-tics/498935.md?page=3)