# Favorite TV/movie where an actor "Chewing up Scenery" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874 "2003-06-27T22:50:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stephi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stephi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephi)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/1 "2003-06-27T22:50:53Z")
In [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=157712) thread, we talked about actors being wooden. What about actors “chewing up the scenery”? (I love that phrase, isn’t that a neat expression?) Who do you think really dominates the screen? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/2 "2003-06-27T23:08:58Z")
The climax of _The Devil’s Advocate_, where Al Pacino is running at light speed on a BLZ-bub rant is absolutely ridiculous and totally irresistable. Other guilty parties acquitted for the enjoyment factor: Barry Fitzgerald in _The Quiet Man_, Anne Baxter in _The Ten Commandments_, Laurence Olivier in _Sleuth_, Joan Crawford in _Strait-Jacket_, and Peter Ustinov & Una O’Connor in anything. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/3 "2003-06-27T23:34:21Z")
Lionel Barrymore in _anything_. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/4 "2003-06-27T23:36:49Z")
Jeremy Irons in _Dungeons and Dragons: The Movie_. We’re talking literal frothing at the mouth, here. I’m surprised they didn’t have to equip the cameras with automatic wipers. It’s hilarious. William Shatner is always golden. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/5 "2003-06-28T00:46:45Z")
Nick Nolte, in The Hulk. Towards the end, Nolte and Eric “Bruce Banner” Bana are sitting in a completely black room. Nolte begins to rant and rave at Bana. It looks for all the world like they’re onstage at The Actor’s Studio or something, rehearsing or improvising a scene, and someone just cut it out and stuck it in the movie. Anyway, Nolte, whose character is a bit of a wacko anyway, begins to rant and rave and get further and further around the bend, and then he literally begins to chew the scenery. Literally. AND figuratively. Jeremy Irons’ turn in D&D was pretty over the top, but HE didn’t literally pick any scenery up and try to take a BITE out of it… ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/6 "2003-06-28T00:58:05Z")
Pretty much anything anything **Peter O’ Toole** does amounts to scene chewing, but DAMN he’s good at it. His insane director schtick in THE STUNT MAN (1980) still cracks me up. Rent it today! ---
**Author:** ![Stephi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stephi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/7 "2003-06-28T01:19:34Z")
I probably should have included my own pick. I recently rented Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, (hey, it was a $1.99 rental) and Alan Rickman just hams it the hell up. He sounds even more ludicrous next to the very wooden Kevin Costner. “I’ll cut your heart out, with a spoon! Cause it’ll hurt more!” Hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/8 "2003-06-28T01:24:09Z")
Well, if you want to talk _literal_ scenery chewing, you can’t beat [the vacuum monster from _Yellow Submarine_.](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.mit.edu:8001/people/jonb/animate/yellsub.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/jonb/animate/animart.html&h=167&w=266&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dyellow%2Bsubmarine%26start%3D200%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN) ---
**Author:** ![Thunderclap\_Monolith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@Thunderclap\_Monolith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thunderclap_Monolith)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/9 "2003-06-28T01:47:43Z")
One of my favorites is Robert De Niro in “This Boy’s Life.” He plays the abusive father with an over-the-top enjoyment. His accent is particularly effective (whether it’s accurate is another question) in establishing a cartoonish persona, but it never goes too far. My absolute favorite is Daniel Day-Lewis, whom I consider to be the finest actor of the past 20 years, in both “Gangs of New York” and “The Crucible.” Both performances are stunning examples of personality, charisma and presence. He hams it up a bit, but again, it never seems too much. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/10 "2003-06-28T02:00:46Z")
Christopher Plummer in _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/11 "2003-06-28T02:07:12Z")
**Samuel L. Jackson** ’s whole acting style amounts to scene chewing. Especially in his Tarantino movies. **Gene Hackman** as **Lex Luthor** in the **Superman** movies. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/12 "2003-06-28T02:13:24Z")
William Shatner as Buck Murdock in Airplane 2. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/13 "2003-06-28T02:46:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Askia \* > \*\*Pretty much anything anything **Peter O’ Toole** does amounts to scene chewing, but DAMN he’s good at it. His insane director schtick in THE STUNT MAN (1980) still cracks me up. Rent it today! \*\* What he said. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/14 "2003-06-28T03:00:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Askia \* > \*\*Pretty much anything anything **Peter O’ Toole** does amounts to scene chewing, but DAMN he’s good at it. His insane director schtick in THE STUNT MAN (1980) still cracks me up. Rent it today! \*\* And he’s great to watch on Letterman when he tells stories of his early stage days with Richard Harris. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/15 "2003-06-28T03:28:54Z")
**vl\_mungo and Mr. Blue Sky** Thank you. It’s so nice to have one’s casual opinions validated by total strangers. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/16 "2003-06-28T06:10:36Z")
Vincent Price in [Theatre of Blood](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0070791) ---
**Author:** ![kawliga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kawliga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kawliga)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/17 "2003-06-28T06:35:36Z")
Gary Oldman in THE PROFESSIONAL. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/18 "2003-06-28T10:56:38Z")
Blasphemous comment ahead: For my tastes, the Shakesperean school (Old Vic types) of predominantly stage actors doing screen roles – Olivier, Burton, Laughton, Gielgud, and the list goes on – borders on scenery chewing with each line. Granted, some directors manage somehow to tone down their exaggerating on occasion, but _in general_ this whole “method” is based on scenery chewing. One person’s opinion. To be balanced with the _underplaying_ (but still effective) styles that developed out of The Actors Studio by way of Brando, Clift, Dean, and the thousands of imitators since. To be balanced still further by the no-style school referred to in the OP that includes the “wooden” folks. The main thing is that any actor worth his/her salt can effect a decent performance in any of these “schools.” Those who can’t be effective in some school-hopping are doomed to type casting or to being phased out altogether. A reasonable synonym for “scenery chewing” is “overacting.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/19 "2003-06-28T12:58:57Z")
Nathan Lane is the person for whom this phase was invented. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874/20 "2003-06-28T16:45:39Z")
Kurt Russell in **Big Trouble in Little China** has always been the defining example of scenery-chewing for me. And I like the movie too. But you can tell Kurt’s having a ball being outrageous there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-movie-where-an-actor-chewing-up-scenery/184874.md?page=2)