# Worst acting you've seen lately **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652 "2016-04-19T15:51:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/21 "2016-04-20T02:49:02Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > You’ve probably never heard of her (I hadn’t) but it would be Cody Horn in Magic Mike. > I wasn’t even watching the movie and just happened to be in the same room when my wife was viewing it but her acting was so horrendous it caught my attention and I had to find out who this person was. > I was convinced she got cast in the movie as a favor some producer owed someone. [You’re not alone](http://gawker.com/5922940/magic-mikes-cody-horn-is-the-new-tori-spelling) in feeling that way. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/22 "2016-04-20T02:54:57Z")
I saw the touring company of \*\*Newsies \*\*on Sunday. The female lead, [Morgan Keene](http://www.morgankeene.com/), was really bad. She sang okay and was a decent dancer, but she seemed to feel that she had to shout to the back row of the theater, even though she had a microphone. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/23 "2016-04-20T15:52:48Z")
Two that immediately came to mind are Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in The Game of Thrones series, and Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan in the Dexter series. ---
**Author:** ![Goofus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@Goofus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goofus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/24 "2016-04-20T16:23:51Z")
Domnhall Gleeson in Ex Machina had me half-expecting his character to turn out to be a robot. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/25 "2016-04-20T16:49:17Z")
Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Luke (Nolan Gould) on _Modern Family_. They’re both extremely wooden, and they _almost_ take me out of the show. Fortunately they’re not getting many lines these days (if anything, they’re focusing on the even-younger kids, Joe and Lily). ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/26 "2016-04-20T17:11:27Z")
I was very surprised at the unusually poor acting from some of the minor parts in _House of Cards_ Season 4. Can’t name any names, but most of the first few episodes, plus a few assorted scenes throughout the season, had acting so bad it took me right out of the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/27 "2016-04-20T17:15:45Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > He’s largely a joke as an actor. Yeah but he’s like Hayden Christiansen where rarely he will give a phenomenal performance (_Butterfly Effect_) so people start thinking he can act. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/28 "2016-04-20T17:15:48Z")
I thought the person playing the father in the recent Poltergeist remake did a particularly poor job. He was definitely worse than Craig T Nelson in the original. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/29 "2016-04-20T17:35:14Z")
Going back a bit, the actress that played Tara on **True Blood** was a major reason why I stopped watching the show. It’s pretty difficult to upstage all the other not-great acting on that show, but she pulled it off. ---
**Author:** ![toast\_pakora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@toast\_pakora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toast_pakora)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/30 "2016-04-20T17:45:52Z")
Modern Family, Manny is Manny and he’ll never change so I’m resigned to it but Luke used to be very funny when he was younger. Now he’s all awkward and teenagery and can’t deliver a line to save his life. Lily was great with the deadpan putdowns but she’s getting self conscious too. Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightley could deliver her lines well enough but her mannerisms and facial expressions were all heaving late 20th c emo. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/31 "2016-04-20T17:49:08Z")
Can’t point to anyone specifically but whenever I see bad acting I think there are so many professional actors out there so why use someone that thinks they’re in a college play or worst yet impersonating Calculon. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/32 "2016-04-20T17:57:09Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Going back a bit, the actress that played Tara on **True Blood** was a major reason why I stopped watching the show. It’s pretty difficult to upstage all the other not-great acting on that show, but she pulled it off. How much of that was on the writers (or directors I guess) though? I mean, after Season 2 she pretty much cried every single episode. That’s a good show to list, though. Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer were terrible, while most of the lesser characters were fantastic. The actors playing Lafayette, Arlene, Terry, Jason, and Andy killed it every episode. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/33 "2016-04-20T18:19:52Z")
I cannot watch Sarah Paulson in virtually any role. I sincerely hope Angelina Jolie is putting her time to better use. Is there no beginning to Sophia Vergara’s acting abilities? ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/34 "2016-04-20T18:36:04Z")
In reverse order of the most wooden performances I have had the displeasure of seeing: 1. Megan Boone (Blacklist). 2. Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman). 3. Bitsie Tulloch (Grimm). ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/35 "2016-04-20T18:37:01Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > 1. Bitsie Tulloch (Grimm). So changing her to ‘Eve’, where wooden acting is required, was the right move? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/36 "2016-04-20T18:43:24Z")
January Jones in everything. Her non-emoting usually worked for Betty Draper, but I think only because they quickly learned not to write her anything remotely challenging. When she ventured off- onto SNL for example- she was so wooden she got dry rot. Not exactly acting, but Johnny Depp (suddenly looking his age and like he’s using again) and Amber Heard’s [viral apology](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORpBAIB9j64) to Australia is… um, interesting. ---
**Author:** ![PlumBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@PlumBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlumBob)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/37 "2016-04-20T18:48:37Z")
> [@toast\_pakora](#): > > Modern Family, Manny is Manny and he’ll never change so I’m resigned to it but Luke used to be very funny when he was younger. Now he’s all awkward and teenagery and can’t deliver a line to save his life. Lily was great with the deadpan putdowns but she’s getting self conscious too. > > Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightley could deliver her lines well enough but her mannerisms and facial expressions were all heaving late 20th c emo. Lily, I’m not sure if she’s a cute kid that grew up & couldn’t act & they’re stuck with or a joke that I don’t get. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/38 "2016-04-20T21:45:17Z")
I guess not many people here have seen **The Gallows** yet; it’s on cable, so I DVRed it. Wow, the acting is bad. Like, school-play bad. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/39 "2016-04-20T23:13:09Z")
Sullen Sullivan Stapleton from _Blindspot._ I’m pretty sure he’d grimace and growl if you tickled him. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652/40 "2016-04-21T00:29:37Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Informant Eddie from Bullitt. He got the role because he was Steve McQueens buddy. That’s the worst acting you’ve seen _lately_!? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-acting-youve-seen-lately/752652.md?page=3)