# Disliking an actor vs. the character they play **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2021, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212 "2021-08-20T13:11:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/21 "2021-08-20T20:17:20Z")
They (him and Stephen Merchant) weren’t trying to make him look bad. They knew Karl is the most unintentionally funny people they know. They also knew he has the smallest comfort zone on the planet. They didn’t want him to look bad they wanted him to be hilarious. And they were right. “To be honest with you, it’s not the “great” wall, it’s an “all right” wall. It’s the All Right Wall of China.” ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/22 "2021-08-20T20:22:55Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > Should I be giving her credit for eliciting such strong feelings? What if they aren’t the feelings the writers intended? I’ll fume and cuss and yell at the TV, but I always try to applaud the actor who elicited those feelings. Job well done. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/23 "2021-08-20T20:38:10Z")
But they set him up in the worst most uncomfortable hotels and arranged a very tight schedule that gave him little time to adjust to a new place or have a sick day. Imo he would have been hilarious anyway because he’s kinda clueless and he doesnt have much of a filter. I would have loved to see Merchant and Gervaise in the shit accomodations and on the tight schedule they put Karl on. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/24 "2021-08-21T04:21:27Z")
I think you took it way too serious. They have all been friends for years going back to Gervais podcast. The situations they put him in made for great comedy. Karl sitting in a nice hotel having a relaxing vacation would be a very boring show. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/25 "2021-08-21T04:25:18Z")
You are likely right. I was annoyed with the way that they treated him. Time to go back and rewatch the episodes. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/26 "2021-08-21T14:17:01Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I thought the Pythons were all pretty liberal Liberals can also be Euroskeptics. The ones I know of didn’t support Brexit, but that was doubtless because they could see Brexit was a shit-show. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/27 "2021-08-21T14:53:11Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’ve never quite been able to get the whole inability to separate an artist’s work from their personal life. I mean, we all know that playing a villain doesn’t make the actor themselves a villain. So why should weird personal views affect their performance? Me neither. But some people seem to see the actor, not the character, when they watch a movie. It bothers me a little when people say things like “In Cast Away, Tom Hanks is stranded on an island.” No, he isn’t; a character called Chuck Noland is. I know, I know: it’s shorthand for something like “the character played by Tom Hanks is stranded on an island.” And it’s often not all that important or memorable what the character’s name is—I had to look it up in this example. But still, to me it suggests a blurring of the line between real-life actor and fictional character that might be unhealthy. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/28 "2021-08-21T14:58:01Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But still, to me it suggests a blurring of the line between real-life actor and fictional character that might be unhealthy. All it suggests to me is that the character, _as a character_, has not really permeated pop culture and become memorable in itself. I would not have remembered at all what the character’s name was but I know Tom Hanks starred in Cast Away. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/29 "2021-08-21T15:09:57Z")
Kevin Kline. Really disliked him in “A Fish Called Wanda.” Thought he was a douche in “Big Chill.” But I didn’t like either of those movies. Then I really detested him in “Sophie’s Choice,” one of the best movies of all time. Maybe it’s a testament to his skill as an actor that I think he _really_ is that guy. And it could be that if I saw him in another movie where he played someone funny or likeable, I would mellow about him. But I avoid him…in my mind, he’s just a dick. I can’t think of another actor I feel that way about. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/30 "2021-08-21T15:15:39Z")
I agree that he is an notorious over-actor. I liked him in A Fish Called Wanda because it was an over the top film but he ruined Sophies Choice for me. I was also a little jealous of him that he was married to Phoebe Cates. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/31 "2021-08-21T15:58:13Z")
As far as actors, I really don’t like Will Smith. I enjoyed him in the fresh prince, but now that hes older he tried too hard to play an aggressive alpha male in most of his films and its not good acting. I’m glad he wasn’t cast as neo in the matrix, he would’ve ruined that movie. I did like him in Hancock though. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/32 "2021-08-21T16:37:45Z")
Marky Mark could be the greatest actor of our generation, but he could never play a character so sympathetic that I wouldn’t still think of what an asshole he is. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/33 "2021-08-21T18:38:50Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Kevin Kline. > > Really disliked him in “A Fish Called Wanda.” Thought he was a douche in “Big Chill.” But I didn’t like either of those movies. > > Then I really detested him in “Sophie’s Choice,” one of the best movies of all time. > > Maybe it’s a testament to his skill as an actor that I think he _really_ is that guy. > And it could be that if I saw him in another movie where he played someone funny or likeable, I would mellow about him. But I avoid him…in my mind, he’s just a dick. > > I can’t think of another actor I feel that way about. Watch _Silverado_ someday. Kline’s character is self-effacing and modest, but comes through in the end. He has scenes with John Cleese, again, and I’ve seen the movie several times before I realized that they were the same actors who were so memorable together in _A Fish Called Wanda_. And it’s a good movie, overall. It does suffer a bit in that the first half (the “getting the gang together” parts) is better than the second. Keven Costner is in full braggart mode, Scott Glenn and Danny Glover are the strong, silent types, Jeff Goldblum is the sneak, and Brian Dennehy is the heavy. Six shootouts, four dead bodies, two fires. Joe Bob says check it out. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/34 "2021-08-21T19:06:00Z")
I cringe when I see Christine Baranski. I know it’s because of her part in _The Big Bang Theory_ as Leonard’s mom. She sure did a good job at playing a hate worthy character and I haven’t really seen her in enough other parts to separate her from that part. Laurie Metcalf also did a good job on TBBT, but I liked her character there. Can’t stand her in _Roseanne_ or _The Connors_, though. I suppose it’s because I dislike those shows. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/35 "2021-08-21T19:39:34Z")
Laurie Metcalf is a fantastic actor. She was see by the most people in her sitcom roles but she is one of the founders of the Steppenwolf Theater. She is a 6 time Tony nominated with 2 wins. She can drama or comedy, stage, screen and tv. I don’t think she gets enough credit for how good she is just because of her sitcom fame. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/36 "2021-08-21T19:42:17Z")
She was creepy AND funny in Uncle Buck. She has far surpassed her brother Mark ‘Neidermeyer’ Metcalfe. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/37 "2021-08-21T20:26:20Z")
(In Marge Gunderson voice) “I’m not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou.” [Mark Metcalf: American actor (1946-) | Biography, Facts, Information, Career, Wiki, Life](https://peoplepill.com/people/mark-metcalf-1#:~:text=Metcalf%20lived%20in%20Bayside%2C%20Wisconsin,brother%20of%20actress%20Laurie%20Metcalf). > Contrary to popular belief, Mark is not the brother of actress Laurie Metcalf. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/38 "2021-08-21T21:25:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > **I’ve never quite been able to get the whole inability to separate an artist’s work from their personal life.** I mean, we all know that playing a villain doesn’t make the actor themselves a villain. So why should weird personal views affect their performance? > > I mean, I can still watch James Franco and enjoy the movie, even if he is apparently a giant douchebag in real life. Same for Tom Cruise. Me either. When I blast Iron Maiden’s “Number Of The Beast” on a nice Sunday drive in my Subaru in my quasi-rural SE Indiana town around churchtime on a Sunday while singing lustily along, it doesn’t mean I worship the devil. Or that I believe the members of the band do since it was all hard-rock costume of that era. There’s a band called Ghost that writes some cool songs that I like, and the founder/leader of that band IS a Satanist and somehow I STILL manager not to fall prey to the Dark Arts. [quote=“Gyrate, post:15, topic:949212, full:true”] > [@bump](#): > > I mean, I can still watch James Franco and enjoy the movie, even if he is apparently a giant douchebag in real life. Same for Tom Cruise. Yeah, Franco can be enjoyable to watch and Tom Cruise - for all his personal weirdness - can be a deeply compelling actor as long as he’s not in one of his “look how awesome I am” roles (I still maintain _Tropic Thunder_ was his best work). > [@](#): > > You can’t get mad at Mr Krabs, surely? No way. He likes money! > [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Kevin Kline. > > Really disliked him in “A Fish Called Wanda.” Thought he was a douche in “Big Chill.” But I didn’t like either of those movies. > > Then I really detested him in “Sophie’s Choice,” one of the best movies of all time. > > Maybe it’s a testament to his skill as an actor that I think he _really_ is that guy. > And it could be that if I saw him in another movie where he played someone funny or likeable, I would mellow about him. But I avoid him…in my mind, he’s just a dick. > > I can’t think of another actor I feel that way about. You should actually watch 1990’s _I Love You To Death_. Kline, Uma Thurman, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves etc in a pretty funny comedy. Kline plays (IIRC) a cheating Italian plumber with a close-knit Italian in-law family that end up trying to kill him for cheating on his wife. I do not know if it has aged well but I recall really liking it. Trailer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIOWPJZ-BGg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIOWPJZ-BGg) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/39 "2021-08-22T01:22:06Z")
nm, as provided by discourse 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/40 "2021-08-22T02:08:06Z")
I can’t stand Sylvester Stallone at all! I find the concept of Rambo and Rocky interesting, but can’t stand to watch as soon as he slips into his trademark slurred speech. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212.md?page=3)