# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/81 "2021-08-23T19:01:26Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > 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 Exactly. You don’t remember Chuck’s name, but you _do_ remember Forrest Gump. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/83 "2021-08-23T22:16:26Z")
All adult viewers understand that the actor is not the character. Kids don’t get this at first, of course. Remember as a child how disorienting it was the first time you saw, say, Judy Garland in some other movie and didn’t understand how the character was _not_ Dorothy of Oz? Then you learn, and while it may always be a little hard not to _think_ of Dorothy whenever you see Judy Garland, you still understand an actress can play various roles. But times have changed, in terms of how well we know the personalities of actors. This complicates matters. Once upon a time, we hardly knew the actors at all. In the Silver Screen era, the star system produced actors whose “real-life” personas were as much made-up characters as the ones on the big screens. The personas were carefully crafted and curated by the studios, not the actors. Further, the actors and actresses were discouraged from deviating from their given personas – “elegant” people couldn’t ever appear in public without being dressed elegantly, everyone gave interviews to the movie magazines but stayed “in character” as directed by the studios, and so forth. And now… the studios have lost power, and the stars all have Twitter accounts. The media aren’t deferential to the studios, and half the time the actors themselves spend a lot of time aggressively promoting their true personalities and politics and beliefs. It’s a different world, and one where we sometimes can’t fully disengage with the actor’s true personality, because so often they won’t ever shut up about it. They’re out there pitching Trumpism and anti-vax theories or whatever, or else (hopefully) working for the good and performing great acts of justice and personal humility. But either way their real selves are _way_ more visible to us, the viewing public, than ever before. This inevitably makes it harder to see only the character on the screen, and really forget about the human being playing the role. I wish a Hollywood expert, like the beloved former poster **@Eve** , would weigh in on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/84 "2021-08-24T08:11:22Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > All adult viewers understand that the actor is not the character. Sadly, a disturbing large number of adults really don’t. The most egregious example that comes to mind is the group of _Castle_ fans who insisted that Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic should get married in real life. The two actors _really_ did not get on well off set. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/85 "2021-08-24T11:56:16Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@Tamerlane](#): > > > > Kevin Kline is hilarious voicing the weird and morally compromised [Mr. Fishoeder](https://bobs-burgers.fandom.com/wiki/Calvin_Fischoeder) in Bob’s Burgers. He was also mildly amusing playing a stuffy Greek butler in s small role opposite his wife in the so-so film [Princess Caraboo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Caraboo_(film)). > > > > He is a pretty broad actor, but he started on stage and has three Tonys so I guess that has worked for him. If probably enhances his cartoon character at least 😄. > > And Kline is absolutely perfect hamming it up to the hilt in _The Pirates of Penzance_. I do so love that movie and the cast are all enjoying themselves way too much. > > (Trivia: in one of those “separate studios producing the same story at the same time” things, _The Pirate Movie_ starring Kristy McNichol came out around the same time and was loosely based on TPoP. It’s really, really bad - nine Razzie nominations and three wins, including Worst Original Song for “Pumpin’ and Blowin’”.) > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > Another big thumbs up for _Bowfinger_ and _The Ref_ . I don’t know why either aren’t better known/rated. > > _Bowfinger_ is indeed deeply underrated. I **like** _The Pirate Movie_. Sure it’s cheesy and impossible to take seriously, but it’s a hoot. I also adore _The Ref_. “Your husband ain’t dead, lady; he’s hidin’!” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/86 "2021-08-24T13:41:32Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > Like a (surprisingly) few other posters, I don’t understand the inability to separate the art from the artist. > > > > If I exposed myself only to the works of those I agree with politically, morally, and religiously\* I would be depriving myself of a gigantic portion of what is out there. > > Because “don’t agree with” is not the same thing as “find contemptible”? I’m not going to care if an artist is a Buddhist, or even a Catholic. Or, for me, a Scientologist. But if they’re an Aztec heart-ripper, I’ll care lots. If Hitler had made great art I am able to appreciate the art. After all, it’s great. Adolph being a piece of doo-doo has nothing at all to do with whether his creative work is worth my admiration. Anyway, we clearly disagree. Life goes on. mmm ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/87 "2021-08-24T14:02:15Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Like a (surprisingly) few other posters, I don’t understand the inability to separate the art from the artist. > > If I exposed myself only to the works of those I agree with politically, morally, and religiously\* I would be depriving myself of a gigantic portion of what is out there. I’m inclined to agree. If we insist on judging art by the moral character of the artist, we’ll have very little art left to appreciate. I realize artists like Louis CK, Kevin Spacey, among some others already mentioned, are lacking morally as human beings. But I can appreciate the work they’ve done and will likely continue to enjoy it. ---
**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 24, 2021, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/88 "2021-08-24T14:35:49Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Anyway, we clearly disagree. Clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/89 "2021-08-24T14:43:30Z")
I was watching **The 40-Year Old Virgin** and read that one of the minor supporting players is in prison for an attempted murder of his ex that rivaled OJ for ferocity. You’ll admit that sort of thing takes you out of the movie. Even if it’s just a smirk at Lita Grey as a nymph in Chaplin’s **The Kid** ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/90 "2021-08-24T14:52:37Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > If you don’t like him, you should watch Band of Brothers. He’s supposed to be detestable. - I couldn’t watch him and not think of Ross. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/91 "2021-08-24T15:01:16Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I was watching **The 40-Year Old Virgin** and read that one of the minor supporting players is in prison for an attempted murder of his ex that rivaled OJ for ferocity. Was in prison. He was released on parole in 2018. And it is a flat-out miracle his victim survived (she purportedly lost half her blood supply) and he isn’t still in prison. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/92 "2021-08-24T15:02:40Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Was in prison. He was released on parole in 2018. And it is a flat-out miracle his victim survived (she purportedly lost half her blood supply) and he isn’t still in prison. Which actor? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/93 "2021-08-24T15:13:27Z")
Shelley Malil. The survival of his ex really was a miracle, given that she not only lost about half of her blood supply, but also both her lungs collapsed. That’s something that a 200 lb. whitetail deer dies within 30 seconds of. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/94 "2021-08-24T15:54:55Z")
I wish I’d never seen **[The Woodsman](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361127/)**. Seeing Kevin Bacon as a pedophile made it impossible for me to watch him in other roles. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/95 "2021-08-24T16:02:10Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I wish I’d never seen **[The Woodsman](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361127/)**. Seeing Kevin Bacon as a pedophile made it impossible for me to watch him in other roles. It’s been years since I’ve seen it, but wasn’t his character a sympathetic one? You’re still entitled to your opinion, of course, but I thought it was a story of redemption(?) ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/96 "2021-08-24T16:04:13Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > I also adore _The Ref_ . “Your husband ain’t dead, lady; he’s hidin’!” A really excellent, quotable movie. It also has a fantastic score, by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics (credited as David A. Stewart). ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/97 "2021-08-24T16:04:26Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > It’s been years since I’ve seen it, but wasn’t his character a sympathetic one? You’re still entitled to your opinion, of course, but I thought it was a story of redemption(?) I haven’t been able to watch Kevin Bacon since Footloose. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/98 "2021-08-24T16:05:38Z")
I was talking to someone about actors over the weekend. He mentioned that Ryan Reynolds seems to always play the same character. I think there’s a difference between actors who have one type that always comes through and the chameleons, like Gary Oldham perhaps, who melt into a role. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/99 "2021-08-24T16:07:29Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > It’s been years since I’ve seen it, but wasn’t his character a sympathetic one? You’re still entitled to your opinion, of course, but I thought it was a story of redemption Yeah, he served 12 years for molestation of a young girl. I don’t like pedophiles, and don’t care if they are “redeemed”. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/100 "2021-08-24T16:07:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Gary Oldham I think you mean [Gary Oldman](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000198/). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212/101 "2021-08-24T16:09:13Z")
Sorry, yes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disliking-an-actor-vs-the-character-they-play/949212.md?page=6)