# TV Actors Who Act Hard **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401 "2015-10-21T20:58:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401/61 "2015-10-23T21:03:43Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > He apparently did this a lot. He was a perfectionist himself and expected the same from everyone else. No wonder he reacted so badly that time he was heckled. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401/62 "2015-10-24T00:34:32Z")
James Masters as Spike on _Buffy_ and _Angel_ was my first thought. Not only did he do a very convincing Cockney accent (with coaching from Anthony Stewart Head), but he had some really nasty early scenes, along with some very intensely emotional scenes later in the series. He’s a California Dude off-screen. I was impressed with how effortless he made it all seem. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401/63 "2015-10-24T03:55:25Z")
I just finished watching a retrospective on [The Red Green Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeTSnoeZZMQ). Was completely taken aback by how different [Steve Smith](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhwmAmoBHXs)’s real voice is. But at least he looks the same in or out of character. When [Patrick McKenna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adUrB203l8M) came out on stage as himself, I flipped. I think it’s not just the hair and the glasses; he actually twists his face to play Harold. (Actually, I shouldn’t have been that surprised; I’d seen an episode or two of **Traders** , back in the day, and I saw the TV version of **The Music Man** where he was the anvil salesman. Still, dang.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401/64 "2015-10-24T04:37:42Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’m surprised, as those are not super far from her normal voice. But I guess it doesn’t take much to get problematic when you’re starting from that place. Kavner’s [natural voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrE9tSwptO8) (jump to 1:11) is a lot smoother than Marge Simpson’s. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401/65 "2015-10-24T04:45:29Z")
One surprising counter-example is Dan Mintz. Mintz is one of the writers for Bob’s Burgers and he also does the voice for [Tina](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK4GgcXIHh8). I had always assumed that he was doing a highly exaggerated voice for Tina. So I was astounded when I saw him in an interview and found that it’s pretty much his [normal voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvHZBlHbN3c). ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401/66 "2015-10-24T19:35:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Bobcat Goldthwait is another person who became famous using a stage voice. Here he is in an interview talking in his [normal voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp_B8OaAnSk). Wow, what a surprising interview… I don’t think I ever gave Goldthwait credit for that much depth. ---
**Author:** ![Elphaba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Elphaba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elphaba)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2015, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401/67 "2015-10-25T06:19:37Z")
Robert Carlyle in Once Upon a Time… he plays one character (Rumplestiltskin) in numerous unique forms. The flamboyant, gold-skinned Dark One (cursed-Rumplestiltskin) standing out, the most. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-act-hard/735401.md?page=3)