Have you ever seen ten Kevin Costner movies in a row? (I have. Please don't ask.) He plays a specific type of character well, so he plays that character in every movie he's in. There's nothing wrong with that; the commodity he's selling isn't his acting, it's his persona.
His job isn't "actor" it's "movie star," regardless of how much (or how little) money he makes. (Wayne Brady's commodity is his persona, too. That's why his skits on the Chappelle Show were so funny.)
Actors, on the other hand, would lose their audience if they played the same role again and again. The joy of watching an "actor" comes from watching a bizarre, desperate, scary, or otherwise strange character become someone you understand and care about. It's like the actor has done a magic trick, by making the unknown knowable.
My "Star or Actor?" Test is: would the audience be happy to see the performer in a role disparate from the ones he's already played?
Actors: Neil Patrick Harris, Mark Wahlberg, James McAvoy
Stars: Tom Cruise, Edward Norton*, Ben Stiller
*Edward Norton is marketed as an "artiste" but actually plays the same role repeatedly, in pretty much the same way.
This has nothing to do with a performer's "star power" or "acting ability," but rather the tools they rely on to please the audience. To me, a star uses his charisma, the sense that he's someone the audience knows and likes, or at least likes to watch. An actor uses his insight, to give us a glimpse into someone we couldn't otherwise understand.
Sometimes it isn't even up to the performer as to whether they're an "actor" or a "star": I think Anne Hathoway and Angelina Jolie have attempted or would like to be actresses, but audiences like their personas so much that they would betray those audiences by taking non-persona roles. And everyone makes fun of Mark Wahlberg's acting, but whether he has the chops or not, it's great to see his "take" on strange characters. People (including me!) go to see his movies because we know we'll meet a great character there.
Then there are the performers that everyone knows are either great stars or great actors: for instance, Leonardo DiCaprio's commodity is his acting. So it's not a shock to see him as a young, suburban windbag. Instead, it's a joy to see him take on the character of Frank, in Revolutionary Road, and turn the dull SOB into someone special and worth caring about.
My personal favorite scene: the morning after a horrific fight, Frank and his wife April have breakfast together. April is unusually kind to and accepting of Frank. Frank doesn't quite know how to take it, but he's overjoyed to be "friends" with his wife again. Watching Frank test the waters of April's friendship is heartbreaking and sweet, mostly because DiCaprio's performance is heartbreaking and sweet.
The great thing about knowing a performer is an "actor" rather than a star, is that when you go to see one of his movies, you're prepared to go through the wringer and to enjoy the process. As you all probably know: don't go to Revolutionary Road for a fun night with Leo, go to fall into a new and perhaps terrible world filled with strange people. Seriously, though- go.
No comments:
Post a Comment