# Exceptions to "actors who always play themselves" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [January 3, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524 "2025-01-03T15:54:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/134 "2025-01-06T17:12:47Z")
That one I saw. I also saw Mazes and Monsters ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/135 "2025-01-07T16:57:17Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I love hearing him talk about Hoosiers. He made it for the money, just a job. He had no idea it would be so memorable and loved for years to come. > > He’s great in it, but it’s hard to tell what things are like when you are making them. I often hear that about movies from one of the actors (occasionally followed by “I never bothered to see the finished film”). And I wonder if part of that is the way movies are shot… In the theater, you perform a play front to back, and your character’s story arc makes sense. In a film, you might shoot scenes 8, 9 and 11 one day, 1, 3, 5, 7 then 4 the next. You’d never hear “What’s my motivation in this scene?” in a play (or “This makes no sense. Maybe I should’ve read the entire script.”). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/136 "2025-01-08T01:38:50Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I often hear that about movies from one of the actors (occasionally followed by “I never bothered to see the finished film”). And I wonder if part of that is the way movies are shot… I’m sure you’re right. I think the first scene filmed for the LOTR was sailing to Valinor - the very nearly the last scene in the movies. The same thing happens in TV sometimes - episodes filmed out of order, or scenes in particular episodes filmed out of order. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/137 "2025-01-08T01:48:12Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I think the first scene filmed for the LOTR was sailing to Valinor - the very nearly the last scene in the movies I believe it was filmed early, but not first. The first shot/scene was the Hobbits in the forest before they hide under the tree from the Wraiths. I do, however, believe it is either the first or near first scene Ian Mckellan filmed as Gandalf. It’s great to think that they have not had their entire journey for him to reflect on while he portrayed that scene. I believe he just decided to play it very calm and straight and even. Final stuff shot, by the way, was the skull piles collapsing in Return of the King(where the Army of the Dead was). It was filmed after they won the Oscar. Peter Jackson joked while filming it, “Pretty good. Win the Oscar, then finish filming your movie.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/138 "2025-01-08T13:42:59Z")
> [@digs](#): > > In a film, you might shoot scenes 8, 9 and 11 one day, 1, 3, 5, 7 then 4 the next. IIRC, Michael Caine mentioned in his autobiography that he asked why they were filming the ride-around-on-horseback scenes first, and got told, look, if you get so banged up on Day Four that we’ll need to replace you, then that’s, what, three whole extra days of filming some other guy doing what we already had you do? But if you get crippled or killed on Day One, the production will go more smoothly. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/139 "2025-01-08T13:44:38Z")
Thanks ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/140 "2025-01-08T14:03:10Z")
> [@digs](#): > > In the theater, you perform a play front to back, and your character’s story arc makes sense. In a film, you might shoot scenes 8, 9 and 11 one day, 1, 3, 5, 7 then 4 the next. Actors have to put some effort into seeing the final film. Their work is often completed long before post-production work is done. They may be brought back for additional scenes or voice over. There may be a showing they can attend before the release, otherwise they have to obtain a copy or go to a theater to see it. Sometimes years go by before they see the final film. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/141 "2025-01-08T14:29:55Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > IIRC, Michael Caine mentioned in his autobiography that he asked why they were filming the ride-around-on-horseback scenes first, and got told, look, if you get so banged up on Day Four that we’ll need to replace you, then that’s, what, three whole extra days of filming some other guy doing what we already had you do? But if you get crippled or killed on Day One, the production will go more smoothly. In his absolutely essential filmmaking how-to books, Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman says that he always films sex scenes or nude shots on the first day, so that the actress can’t get cold feet about it late in the shoot when the rest of her footage is in the can and she can’t be replaced. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/142 "2025-01-08T14:54:18Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > In his absolutely essential filmmaking how-to books, Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman says that he always films sex scenes or nude shots on the first day, so that the actress can’t get cold feet about it late in the shoot when the rest of her footage is in the can and she can’t be replaced. Common knowledge by now, but here goes: The portrait scene in **Titanic** was the first scene Kate and Leo shot, on Cameron’s theory that since they’d be working together so much, they should do that bit first, and get the awkwardness over with. “Over on the bed – er, couch,” was not scripted. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/143 "2025-01-08T16:45:20Z")
Second recommendation for Adam Sandler in _Uncut Gems_, and a recommendation for him in _Hustle_ where he stars as a down-on-his-luck basketball agent. Sandler is frustratingly a very good dramatic actor who’d rather invest time and money into terrible comedies. I don’t get it. Special mention to Will Ferrell in _Everything Must Go_. People always mention _Stranger Than Fiction_, but I loved him even more in this. They’re both dramedies, so he’s still a little… Ferrell-y, but very, very dialed back and emotionally deep. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/144 "2025-01-08T17:08:10Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > Second recommendation for Adam Sandler in _Uncut Gems_, and a recommendation for him in _Hustle_ where he stars as a down-on-his-luck basketball agent. He also turns in a decent dram-edic performance in _The Meyerowitz Stories_. > [@planetcory](#): > > Sandler is frustratingly a very good dramatic actor who’d rather invest time and money into terrible comedies. Which is the exact description of the character he plays in _Funny People_. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/145 "2025-01-08T17:12:06Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Stallone’s actual performance as John Rambo in _First Blood_ is remarkably more nuanced and subdued than one would think. “First Blood” is so different a movie from the Rambo action spectaculars that it’s almost misleading to consider those sequels to the first film. “First Blood” has action scenes but it’s a sad drama. ---
**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:** [January 8, 2025, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/146 "2025-01-08T23:15:18Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > Sandler is frustratingly a very good dramatic actor who’d rather invest time and money into terrible comedies. I don’t get it. He gets paid a metric assload of money to goof around with his friends. What’s not to get? ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524/147 "2025-01-18T21:34:18Z")
Very good, and out of his “usual character”. I’d never have guessed it was him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exceptions-to-actors-who-always-play-themselves/1012524.md?page=6)