I've been involved in theatre since I was a teenager and dreamed of being a famous actor. That didn't happen but my passion and admiration for the craft has not diminished. I love watching actors at the craft.
It's unfortunate that actors are often blamed for the failure of a film even though it's generally the directors fault. Don't blame the actor; they show up, hit they marks, say their lines and pick up a paycheck. Sometimes that's the only reason an actor is in a film. Look at Judy Dench in the abysmal "Cats", all I can think of is she must have had a mortgage payment due.
Actors never know how a film is going to turn out and never know when the next role is, so they tend to hustle for them. This makes for some strange choices. That's how Ben Kingsley played the demanding "Gandhi" and the villain in "The Thunderbirds" an utterly forgettable remake of a puppet show from the 70's. Another mortgage payment role.
Saturday night Live is known for producing a great crop of comic actors and those that matured in their careers go beyond doing films that are simply extended skits from SNL.
Bill Murray went from lightweight comedies like "Stripes" and "Groundhog Day" to more complex roles in "Lost in Translation " and "St. Vincent". I was never a fan of Adam Sadler until he did "Save Me" with Don Cheadle.(who never gives a bad performance). Everyone was sure Sadler would get an Oscar nod for "Uncut Gems" and yet he, like Will Ferrall, continue to do parts that are beneath their talent. Part of it is expectation, type casting and perhaps, easy work.
Speaking of Cheadle, they are actors who are consistently good he's one of them. "Eat, Love, Pray" starred Julia Roberts but wait for Richard Jenkins tour de force monologue.
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" as Leo Tolstoy's insufferable wife, or everyone in "The Most Beautiful Marigold Hotel", a master class in acting. That -boys and girls- is how it's done.
Last but not least are the chameleons, actors unrecognizable in each role. Nicole Kidman and Johnny Depp are the masters. It took me a while to recognize Depp in "Chocolat" even though he didn't change his appearance much. Holy shit. Meryl Streep disappears so completely in her roles because she understands that her job is to serve the character not her stardom. Few people can do this. Jamie Foxx did it in "Ray" because he's a good mimic. I'm still waiting to see the under ratted Eddie Murphy to do a dramatic biopic of Richard Pryor.
Film is a highly collaborative effort but it's the actor at the front, that's a lot of responsibility and requires talent to pull it off. Robert Redford in "All is Lost" is the only person an screen and barely speaks. George Clooney and Ben Affleck went from supporting roles to mega stars simply by being extremely telegenic- they got great face.
If you want to get away from the sorry state of things, sit down to a good movie and watch actors take you away to another world with their craft.
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