# Who are the least expressive successful actors/actresses in film and TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2012, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833 "2012-02-05T05:35:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/21 "2012-02-05T18:39:39Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > John “I slept through another role?” Hurt. Guess you never saw him play Caligula in _I, Claudius_… ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/22 "2012-02-05T18:41:37Z")
Billy Zane, at least in \*Titanic \*and _The Phantom_. We call him “The Tree Who Acts.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/23 "2012-02-05T18:44:45Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > John “I slept through another role?” Hurt. And the equally somnambulent William Hurt. His default expressing is a faraway look in his eyes, like a dog taking a dump. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/24 "2012-02-05T18:49:11Z")
Lee Majors David Caruso Gregory Peck That guy who plays Cho in The Mentalist ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/25 "2012-02-05T18:50:47Z")
I came here merely to express my contempt for the man they call _Keanu Reeves_. Imagine if **The Matrix** had had a real actor playing Neo. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/26 "2012-02-05T19:21:25Z")
Oh, I’ve got another one! Charlyne Yi on _House_. I’m not sure whether she’s doing it on purpose. I certainly hope so. Otherwise there are a lot of perfectly good out of work actors who should be feeling grumpy that she’s got a steady gig. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/27 "2012-02-05T19:29:23Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Scarlett Johansson’s range stretches from bored to disinterested. Exactly who first came to mind for me. Always projecting the face of a Big Dumb Fish, no matter what. . ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/28 "2012-02-05T19:35:39Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > I came here merely to express my contempt for the man they call _Keanu Reeves_. > Imagine if **The Matrix** had had a real actor playing Neo. I recall reading a review of one of the Matrix movies (can’t recall which one) that contained the observation that it was easy to tell the difference between the live and CGI Neos: the CGI Neo could express emotion. My contribution: Zooey Deschanel. Granted that I haven’t seen everything she’s been in, from what I have seen her idea of emoting is a shrug and a “yeah, so?” expression. Sort of a live(?)-action [Daria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daria). ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/29 "2012-02-05T19:42:21Z")
> [@astro](#): > > David Carradine was kind of monotone but that may have been his roles His style did work wonderfully in at least one movie- The Long Riders. Two Keaches, two Guests, two Quaids, three Carradines… and David steals the movie. > [@Kenm](#): > > Kostner couldn’t play a dead man. Ha. I saw what you did, and I respectfully disagree. Kev’s part in The Big Chill was an example of perfect casting. . ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/30 "2012-02-05T19:53:24Z")
The interesting thing is that some - some - of these non-expressive folks are still interesting to watch. That guy who plays Cho on the Mentlist for example, and for me, Keanu. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/31 "2012-02-05T19:54:26Z")
Tom Cruise. The best I can tell he considers displaying emotion to be the same as sticking his chin out. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/32 "2012-02-05T20:27:07Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Going back a ways, Ephraim Zimbalist Jr.'s portrayal of Inspector Erskine on “The FBI” struck me as one of the most bland, wooden performances ever. Nobody expects you to play an FBI agent as a laff riot, but there’s a difference between “strong and silent” (think Eastwood) and, well, dull. Back when \*Remmington Steele \*was still on the air, I was completely unable to think of the star as anything other than “Stephanie Zimbalist, Jr.” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/33 "2012-02-06T00:32:30Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > I came here merely to express my contempt for the man they call _Keanu Reeves_. > Imagine if **The Matrix** had had a real actor playing Neo. Or the final scenes from _Devil’s Advocate_ (the ones [starting here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPB4sbH5HH0&feature=related)). In one afternoon your wife has killed herself, your mom just revealed that your boss is your dad is Satan, who raped your newly dead wife, and the woman you’ve had a hard-on for since you moved to NYC is your half-sister and devil dad wants you to mount her and make the anti-Christ in exchange for which he’ll make you the happiest and most powerful man on the planet. I know all of this takes some processing, but it’s alright to change expression and show some emotions while doing it. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/34 "2012-02-06T02:06:52Z")
I would probably say to blame the director more than the actor. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/35 "2012-02-06T04:55:29Z")
I got the impression from the OP that he was asking what actors/actresses do this kind of acting to good effect. When I read the title, I immediately thought of Giancarlo Esposito in _Breaking Bad,_ and that was in no way whatsoever a bad performance. He milked more mileage out of a raised eyebrow and a minute tilt of his head than Keanu Reeves’ entire acting resume. Actually, Bryan Cranston is much the same way throughout most of the series. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/36 "2012-02-06T11:38:21Z")
I can’t think of any Brando movies where he was particularly “over the top,” but I haven’t seen his entire body of work. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/37 "2012-02-06T11:49:16Z")
Keanu Reeves may be the poster boy for the thread, but he is a good fit for the first _Matrix_ movie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/38 "2012-02-06T15:58:35Z")
Andrew McCarthy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a movie with any expression other than [vague worry](http://tvdramawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/AndrewMcCarthy.jpg). ---
**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:** [February 6, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/39 "2012-02-06T16:03:27Z")
John Travolta. He looks bored, insanely happy, or bummed out. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833/40 "2012-02-06T16:47:43Z")
Gary Cooper? ETA: OK, the OP says “are,” and he’s been out of the game for some time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-least-expressive-successful-actors-actresses-in-film-and-tv/611833.md?page=3)