# What does "chewing the scenery" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028 "2002-10-06T02:52:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [October 6, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/1 "2002-10-06T02:52:38Z")
OK, I guess this is kind of ignorant, but hey, I’m in the right place. Could someone explain to me the meaning of this phrase as it applies to actors/actresses in movies? Any fine examples of scenery being chewed by anyone? ---
**Author:** ![im2evil4u](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5ac83/32.png) [@im2evil4u](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/im2evil4u)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/2 "2002-10-06T03:12:13Z")
CHEWING THE SCENERY An actor who gives a completely hammy and over-the-top performance is said to be Chewing the Scenery. [http://www.theatrecrafts.com/glossary/results.php](http://www.theatrecrafts.com/glossary/results.php) ---
**Author:** ![ThirdMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@ThirdMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThirdMonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/3 "2002-10-06T03:13:58Z")
My take on this would be - upstaging your co-star, going above and beyond what the role calls for, doing anything to be noticed. Basically, over-acting. Do I hear any specific actors here? ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/4 "2002-10-06T04:06:32Z")
Alan Rickman as the sheriff in _Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves_. Vincent Price in almost any Roger Corman quickie horror film. Paul Reuben’s death scene in _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. In a broad comedy or farce, chewing the scenery is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes an over-the-top performance can highlight the absurdity of a situation. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/5 "2002-10-06T05:02:50Z")
See Pacino, Al. Look under the subject heading “Scent of a Woman” for details. See also Heston, Charlton. “Planet of the Apes” (You can see tooth-marks in the cave walls.) ---
**Author:** ![I\_am\_Sparticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@I\_am\_Sparticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_am_Sparticus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/6 "2002-10-06T05:06:45Z")
Al Pacino in almost any role. Really loud, expressive and hammy. But not in the Godfather 1 or 2. Now in three, he was chewing scenery. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2002, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/7 "2002-10-06T05:27:13Z")
Jack Nicholson in _Batman_. who was slightly outchewed by: John Lithgow in _The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai_. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/8 "2002-10-06T06:01:52Z")
I’m getting a picture of acting deliberately outrageous, almost to the point of literally chewing the scenery, a style which can be used to good or bad effect, perhaps usually bad, except in the case of deliberate comedy. Is that about right? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/9 "2002-10-06T07:11:28Z")
The chew-captain: Cary Grant in _Arsenic and Old Lace_ ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/10 "2002-10-06T07:51:55Z")
Interesting. I always thought that it referred to someone who was horribly _underacting_ because they could care less that they are in that role. I guess “mailing/phoning it in” is a better term for that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/11 "2002-10-06T13:07:28Z")
Jim Carrey - any role and all live appearances. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/12 "2002-10-06T17:35:22Z")
Y’all forgot the poster boy: William Shatner ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-chewing-the-scenery-mean/131028/13 "2002-10-06T17:53:16Z")
Animal. Eat drums! Eat Drums! Arr rrr rrr rrr rrra!