Actors You Just Can't Stand

[Danny Franks]

5 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

 

Sorry to any fans of his, but anybody who's walking around dressed up as Abraham Lincoln for weeks on end and asking his castmates to call him 'Mr. President' needs to take a breath and calm down. Yeah, he can act, but it seems a little off-kilter that he literally had to become Lincoln in order to pull off the role.

Don't forget about going out to live rough in the woods for weeks, in preparation for Last of the Mohicans. It's silly, self-important nonsense. And it's all so thoroughly deflated by the dismissive wit of actors mentioned here. The likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Laurence Olivier, who never needed any method shenanigans to be able to play a role. I see it as an attempt to intellectualise and 'legitimise' acting as a vocation, rather than just recognise that it's brought about by a mixture of natural ability and classically taught techniques. It's very self-deprecating of Sir Ian McKellen to say 'acting is just pretending to be something', but it's a far more accurate assessment than having to immerse oneself totally into a character the way some method actors feel they need to.

In Leto's case, it seems like his 'method' was to be a malevolent dickhead to all his co-stars, which would be enough for a lesser name to be booted from a movie (and I say 'lesser name' like Leto has a whole host of impressive performances under his belt, which he doesn't. He's living off Dallas Buyers Club and precious little else).

Edited August 8, 2016 by Danny Franks

[GHScorpiosRule]

I guess I'm just not easily bugged-that is, it doesn't bother me what or how an actor goes about researching or preparing for a role. We (meaning the general "WE") are such a judgy lot-for me, since Daniel Day-Lewis is my favorite actor and I've never ever heard a negative thing about him, and the people he's worked with have had nothing but good things to say about him, it doesn't bother me that he stays in character when he plays a part/role. {shrugs}.

But, this is a subjective matter so I guess I shouldn't have said anything that could derail the thread. 

[Princess Sparkle]

Well, Winona Ryder and Isabelle Adjani probably have some choice words to say about him, and I have to admit, how coldly he ended those relationships colored my judgement of him quite a bit.  But then again, I've never been all that impressed with him as an actor (UO, I know).

As for Jared Leto, his "method" acting has always seemed more "juvenile attention grabbing" to me than anything else - I also consistently think of this Paijba article when I hear of his stories about method acting for Suicide Squad.  I mean, Heath Ledger considered himself a method actor too, and his prep for The Joker was to create a character backstory, create a signature laugh, and help design the clothes, not say "Oh, let me send anal beads to Christian Bale and Michael Caine."

I've already shared my absolute distaste for Julia Roberts in this thread, but as long as I'm in here, I also have to add how much I hate Sean Penn, Renee Zelleweger, and Natalie Portman.  Sean Penn's personal life colors what I think of his acting so badly, that I just can't stand to watch his movies - I find it absolutely no surprise that Robin Wright started smiling on the red carpet after they were divorced.  I'm just glad Charlize Theron wisened up and dumped that leather troll.  I never minded Renee Zelleweger much until right after she won her Oscar, and when she was doing an interview with Allure magazine, they asked her to talk about some of her old film roles by showing her photos (something they used to do a lot with all their cover story subjects).  When they asked her about Empire Records, all she could say was how dumb the movie was and refused to talk about it, which left a bad taste in my mouth - it struck me that now that she'd won an Oscar, she considered herself a "serious actress" and wouldn't talk about movies she thought were beneath her.  And it was an Allure article that did me in with Natalie Portman as well, where she said "I’m not black, but I know what it feels like", and compared being a celebrity to what WEB Dubois was talking about in The Souls of Black Folks. And for me, no matter how you slice that, it’s annoying no matter what – either she’s completely tone deaf and didn’t realize what she was saying, or she’s so incredibly pretentious that she honestly believed that comparison was apt.  And after this recent article, I tend to think it's the latter.

[Spartan Girl]

27 minutes ago, Princess Sparkle said:

I mean, Heath Ledger considered himself a method actor too, and his prep for The Joker was to create a character backstory, create a signature laugh, and help design the clothes, not say "Oh, let me send anal beads to Christian Bale and Michael Caine."

My sentiments exactly.  And the worst part is Jared Leto, for all that shit, didn't even really bring anything new to the Joker.  I doubt it would have really made a difference if they had kept his other scenes in. 

God I miss Heath.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[Popples]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I guess I'm just not easily bugged-that is, it doesn't bother me what or how an actor goes about researching or preparing for a role. We (meaning the general "WE") are such a judgy lot-for me, since Daniel Day-Lewis is my favorite actor and I've never ever heard a negative thing about him, and the people he's worked with have had nothing but good things to say about him, it doesn't bother me that he stays in character when he plays a part/role. {shrugs}.

He got on Liam Neeson's nerves when they were filming together because he kept calling Liam by his character's name.

Back to the topic at hand, I'm rather fatiguing of Meryl Streep. Are there no other American actresses over 60? I was somewhat familiar with the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, but once I saw Streep was in the title role, I lost interest.

[ribboninthesky1]

1 hour ago, Princess Sparkle said:

And it was an Allure article that did me in with Natalie Portman as well, where she said "I’m not black, but I know what it feels like", and compared being a celebrity to what WEB Dubois was talking about in The Souls of Black Folks. And for me, no matter how you slice that, it’s annoying no matter what – either she’s completely tone deaf and didn’t realize what she was saying, or she’s so incredibly pretentious that she honestly believed that comparison was apt.

What in the world? I can't. 

[slf]

16 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Say about Jared Leto what you will, and obviously you just did, but Will Smith is the one encouraging his Light-Eating kids to be self-important little idiots. Jaden is 18 and Willow is 15, and they're well on their way to being Hollywood brats through and through. I consider it a worse offense that he's elected to pass on such entitlement to the next generation.

Eh, 'grown man sends used condom to costar' trumps 'rich guy has bratty teen children' for me; most of the teens I know are fairly bratty (it's like a rite of passage), I can only imagine how much worse they'd be if they were rich. 

(Not that I much care for the Smiths. They're an odd family, and their involvement with Scientology has always creeped me out.)

8 hours ago, Princess Sparkle said:

I've already shared my absolute distaste for Julia Roberts in this thread, but as long as I'm in here, I also have to add how much I hate Sean Penn, Renee Zelleweger, and Natalie Portman.  Sean Penn's personal life colors what I think of his acting so badly, that I just can't stand to watch his movies - I find it absolutely no surprise that Robin Wright started smiling on the red carpet after they were divorced.  I'm just glad Charlize Theron wisened up and dumped that leather troll.  I never minded Renee Zelleweger much until right after she won her Oscar, and when she was doing an interview with Allure magazine, they asked her to talk about some of her old film roles by showing her photos (something they used to do a lot with all their cover story subjects).  When they asked her about Empire Records, all she could say was how dumb the movie was and refused to talk about it, which left a bad taste in my mouth - it struck me that now that she'd won an Oscar, she considered herself a "serious actress" and wouldn't talk about movies she thought were beneath her.  And it was an Allure article that did me in with Natalie Portman as well, where she said "I’m not black, but I know what it feels like", and compared being a celebrity to what WEB Dubois was talking about in The Souls of Black Folks. And for me, no matter how you slice that, it’s annoying no matter what – either she’s completely tone deaf and didn’t realize what she was saying, or she’s so incredibly pretentious that she honestly believed that comparison was apt.  And after this recent article, I tend to think it's the latter.

I never cared for Sean Penn much as an actor; he's had the occasional good performance but he just goes over the top too much for me. "IS THAT MY DAUGHTER IN THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE?!!!" Egads. And that incident with Madonna was always deeply suspicious to the point where I figured most of the reports were accurate but she understandably did not want to talk about it at all, much less in the press, and was still so wrapped up with him emotionally she denied it. 

I can't believe Zellweger is embarrassed by Empire Records! I like that movie! It's not high art or anything but it's enjoyable enough and IIRC has a nice soundtrack. 

I used to have a soft spot for Natalie Portman because she did so well in The Professional and Beautiful Girls but ended up being targeted by creepers. But then she signed that petition in favor of Roman Polanski (as did Emma Thompson much to my disappointment) and it left such a bad taste in my mouth, like, that man does not need to be defended. The "I'm not black comment doesn't surprise me" because she's always struck me as someone who is ultimately so privileged in the life she leads she has no self-awareness.

7 hours ago, Popples said:

He got on Liam Neeson's nerves when they were filming together because he kept calling Liam by his character's name.

That shouldn't make me laugh, because it sounds just obnoxious as hell, but I can perfectly imagine the look on Liam Neeson's face when he's trying to have a normal interaction with Lewis but Lewis keeps calling him by his character's name. My favorite (that's sarcasm, btw) thing about Lewis is how he got all drama-queeny when taking a break from films and went off to become a fucking cobbler. A cobbler.

I can't stand Anna Paquin. She may or may not be a good actress (who sucks at accents) but I can never focus on her performance because she's always making this face like she's either disgusted or is on the verge of some serious ugly crying. (Partially I think it's how her mouth is shaped but her expression always exaggerates it.)

[ribboninthesky1]

1 hour ago, slf said:

Eh, 'grown man sends used condom to costar' trumps 'rich guy has bratty teen children' for me; most of the teens I know are fairly bratty (it's like a rite of passage), I can only imagine how much worse they'd be if they were rich. 

Not to mention, the Smith kids aren't the only bratty celebrity spawn out there.  But then, somehow, I've largely managed to avoid their press, so they don't bother me as much as some.  

1 hour ago, slf said:

I never cared for Sean Penn much as an actor; he's had the occasional good performance but he just goes over the top too much for me. "IS THAT MY DAUGHTER IN THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE?!!!"

Thank you for this - it's the only thing I recall from that drab film, and it was awful.  That he was awarded for that performance reinforces my total apathy towards award shows. 

I don't hate him, but Daniel Day-Lewis is another one I've never gotten the hype about. 

Back to Natalie Portman - perfect example of "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." Ivy League be damned. 

[UYI]

On 8/5/2016 at 1:50 PM, ribboninthesky1 said:

Exotic Nordic beauty? When did the North European standard become exotic? 

 

 

I think he meant in terms of her body type--she's short and busty instead of tall and leggy.

[UYI]

On 8/7/2016 at 8:44 AM, Bruinsfan said:

I think the British old guard RSC types have it right. "Why don't you try acting? It's so much easier."

That's what Sir Laurence Olivier said to Dustin Hoffman (who I admittedly love to death). 

[millennium]

Jared Leto isn't happy about all of his scenes that were cut from "Suicide Squad."  He says he brought so much to the table.  He says there were enough scenes to make a whole Joker movie.   He's worried they may never be seen.

But, he suspects that if he "were to die tomorrow maybe the studio would roll something out."

Quote

“I think that I brought so much to the table in every scene that it was probably more about filtering all of the insanity, because I wanted to give a lot of options, and I think there’s probably enough footage in this film for a Joker movie,” Leto explained. “If I were to die tomorrow maybe the studio would roll something out.”

Jared Leto: I shot enough ‘Suicide Squad’ footage for an entire Joker movie, wanted R rating

Is it merely my disdain for Leto coloring my opinion, or does that "if I were to die tomorrow" remark sound like some thinly veiled sour grapes about the post-mortem accolades Heath Ledger received for his Joker characterization?

[slf]

7 hours ago, millennium said:

Is it merely my disdain for Leto coloring my opinion, or does that "if I were to die tomorrow" remark sound like some thinly veiled sour grapes about the post-mortem accolades Heath Ledger received for his Joker characterization?

Maybe it's just unfortunate wording on his part but damn. It does seem like a reference to Ledger. If so, what a little jackass.

Edited August 9, 2016 by slf

[PepSinger]

21 hours ago, Princess Sparkle said:

I also consistently think of this Paijba article when I hear of his stories about method acting for Suicide Squad.  I mean, Heath Ledger considered himself a method actor too, and his prep for The Joker was to create a character backstory, create a signature laugh, and help design the clothes, not say "Oh, let me send anal beads to Christian Bale and Michael Caine."

I laughed way too hard at this. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with him?

[Princess Sparkle]

9 hours ago, millennium said:

Jared Leto isn't happy about all of his scenes that were cut from "Suicide Squad."  He says he brought so much to the table.  He says there were enough scenes to make a whole Joker movie.   He's worried they may never be seen.

But, he suspects that if he "were to die tomorrow maybe the studio would roll something out."

Is it merely my disdain for Leto coloring my opinion, or does that "if I were to die tomorrow" remark sound like some thinly veiled sour grapes about the post-mortem accolades Heath Ledger received for his Joker characterization?

That's exactly what it sounds like to me.  What an asshole.  What a shame that no one is critically lauding his revolutionary acting techniques of "sending dead animals and used sex toys to co-stars" [/sarcasm]

Edited August 9, 2016 by Princess Sparkle

[Wiendish Fitch]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

Jared Leto isn't happy about all of his scenes that were cut from "Suicide Squad."  He says he brought so much to the table.  He says there were enough scenes to make a whole Joker movie.   He's worried they may never be seen.

But, he suspects that if he "were to die tomorrow maybe the studio would roll something out."

Is it merely my disdain for Leto coloring my opinion, or does that "if I were to die tomorrow" remark sound like some thinly veiled sour grapes about the post-mortem accolades Heath Ledger received for his Joker characterization?

Hey, Leto? I'm willing to bet that, in an alternate universe, if Heath Ledger were given the choice between dying young and achieving screen immortality as the Joker, or having his scenes cut and living at least a few more years, he'd pick the latter. 

I guess what I'm saying is: shut your ignorant, filler-surrounded noisemaker and be grateful you're alive, you miserable, overrated hack! Oh, and Drew Barrymore* called, she wants her hair back!

 

*Full disclosure: I actually like Drew Barrymore a lot, I just felt like being petty.

[Blergh]

Until the reporting of Mr. Leto's gifts, I'd never heard of those kinds of beads and had no idea that they existed- and would have been perfectly content to have lived the rest of my life ignorant of that fact. Just ugh.

[Bruinsfan]

11 hours ago, millennium said:

Jared Leto isn't happy about all of his scenes that were cut from "Suicide Squad."  He says he brought so much to the table.  He says there were enough scenes to make a whole Joker movie.   He's worried they may never be seen.

But, he suspects that if he "were to die tomorrow maybe the studio would roll something out."

Is it merely my disdain for Leto coloring my opinion, or does that "if I were to die tomorrow" remark sound like some thinly veiled sour grapes about the post-mortem accolades Heath Ledger received for his Joker characterization?

Not just your disdain, that's what it sounds like to me as well. I'd encourage Mr. Leto to put this hypothesis to the test as soon as possible.

[Wiendish Fitch]

40 minutes ago, Bruinsfan said:

Not just your disdain, that's what it sounds like to me as well. I'd encourage Mr. Leto to put this hypothesis to the test as soon as possible.

NO!!!!!!!!

The last thing I want is for this man to achieve legendary status he doesn't deserve just because he unexpectedly keeled over! I want him to die from natural causes old, fat, and only somewhat fondly remembered!

[GaT]

Jared Leto, he might as well have the word "pretentious" tattooed on his forehead.

[Bookish Jen]

20 hours ago, GaT said:

Jared Leto, he might as well have the word "pretentious" tattooed on his forehead.

Ditto. And a recent Rolling Stone cover story on him just sealed my dislike for him.

And once upon a time I liked Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. Today? No, just no.

[bmasters9]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

And once upon a time I liked Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. Today? No, just no.

I didn't like DiCaprio to begin with-- in fact, it was Titanic (1997 3-hour dramatization of that 1912 incident) that put me on the road to strongly disliking him. I don't know about you, but while I acknowledge that the event happened and is part of American history, the dramatization in 1997 left a lot to be desired. 

[SmithW6079]

57 minutes ago, bmasters9 said:

I didn't like DiCaprio to begin with-- in fact, it was Titanic (1997 3-hour dramatization of that 1912 incident) that put me on the road to strongly disliking him. I don't know about you, but while I acknowledge that the event happened and is part of American history, the dramatization in 1997 left a lot to be desired. 

The best part of that movie was Jack freezing to death because Rose wouldn't make room for him; too bad she didn't freeze too. I cried when the ship sank, however. 

Edited August 10, 2016 by SmithW6079

[AstaCharles]

Leto's always been a bit of a douche , there were some Blind Items gossip stuff about him when he was trying to start his 30 Seconds to Mars rock career. 

[Sara2009]

I take blind items with a large grain of salt, but Leto's douchbaggery is well-known even without them. 

[gator12]

On 8/7/2016 at 9:44 AM, Bruinsfan said:

I think the British old guard RSC types have it right. "Why don't you try acting? It's so much easier."

RSC? 

[GreekGeek]

53 minutes ago, gator12 said:

RSC? 

Royal Shakespeare Company.

[katha]

On 9.8.2016 at 5:57 AM, UYI said:

That's what Sir Laurence Olivier said to Dustin Hoffman (who I admittedly love to death). 

The thing with Olivier for me is this: IMO his screen career is rather spotty, so though other actors may have annoying/pretentious methods of preparing for roles, he wasn't a poster child for brilliant movie acting. And to be fair to him, he always acknowledged that.  Particularly in his younger years, but also later on to some degree, you always saw that he was a stage actor first. There were moments of brilliance, and then there were instances where he played "too big", or otoh he became too self-conscious about having to play small-scale now and played "too small". At least for me, it was all rather uneven. It's a shame that there isn't anything preserved (?) of his stage acting, since obviously that was his priority.

[Wiendish Fitch]

To add to the discussion of insufferable method actors, this article.

Warning: reading this might cause you to yell out "fuck yeah!" or "damn skippy!" regardless of where you are. 

[Princess Sparkle]

That's a good article.  I will say, it sort of brings to light why Jared Leto's "method acting" (I put that in quotes for a reason) bothers me so much more than say, Christian Bale or Robert DeNiro.  Jared Leto just seems so insincere about method acting as a craft, and appears to use it to indulge the more douchebag aspects of his personality.  Perhaps I'm giving the other actors more credit than they're due, but in no way can I see Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, or Ryan Gosling (three of the actors mentioned in the article) doing the things Jared Leto did on the set of Suicide Squad.  

It does also mention a piece that largely goes unmentioned with method acting - they talk about how if an actress tried to do half the things most male method actors do, they'd be seen as a liability as opposed to an asset, and I think that's correct.  Weight gain and loss is one thing, but can you imagine what people would say if the situation was reversed and Margot Robbie had been the one sending sex toys and dead animals to her co-stars?  She'd be pilloried.  

Edited August 12, 2016 by Princess Sparkle

[Enigma X]

44 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

To add to the discussion of insufferable method actors, this article.

Warning: reading this might cause you to yell out "fuck yeah!" or "damn skippy!" regardless of where you are. 

As much as I hate method acting, I must say that I adore many actors who use it. Leto is not one.

[Wiendish Fitch]

16 minutes ago, Princess Sparkle said:

It does also mention a piece that largely goes unmentioned with method acting - they talk about how if an actress tried to do half the things most male method actors do, they'd be seen as a liability as opposed to a asset, and I think that's correct.  Weight gain and loss is one thing, but can you imagine what people would say if the situation was reversed and Margot Robbie had been the one sending sex toys and dead animals to her co-stars?  She'd be pilloried.  

She'd wear that scarlet "CB" (for "crazy bitch") for the rest of her natural life, that's for damn sure.

Moving along, I despise Frank Langella. I know he's a bit of a critic's darling, but not only do I find him not all that great an actor (he got his start in theatre, why in the hell does he mumble so much?!), he's a repulsive human being. How do I know? Because I made the mistake of reading Dropped Names, his pompous, troll-ish book of essays about famous people he's encountered, and they read like the overlong tweets of an especially mean teenager. He bitches about how "boring" Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Richard Burton, and Paul Newman were (yet they're all considered the upper echelon of beloved and respected film legends, while Langella demonstrably isn't). He salaciously recalls being a boy toy to poor, Alzheimer's suffering Rita Hayworth (her daughters are alive, asshole, that's their mother you're talking about). He cruelly rambles on about how old and decrepit Susannah York became, then criticizes another actress for all the plastic surgery she's had literally just paragraphs later (DOUCHEBAG!).

Frank Langella reveals himself, in that one book, to be, to quote 9 to 5, a "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot". 

Edited August 12, 2016 by Wiendish Fitch

[PatternRec]

On 8/5/2016 at 4:09 AM, slf said:

Mark Wahlberg (actually all of the Wahlbergs). Terrible actor and he has this really, I'm not sure how to say it, obnoxiously macho vibe about him like he really believes he's the sort of tough 'badass' he likes to play. Jeremy Renner - who I used to adore - has developed this same vibe. 

Have you ever seen Daniel Van Kirk doping his Mark Wahlberg bit? He's hilarious, especially when he shows up on a podcast in character and imrovs the whole thing.

[millennium]

11 hours ago, Princess Sparkle said:

That's a good article.  I will say, it sort of brings to light why Jared Leto's "method acting" (I put that in quotes for a reason) bothers me so much more than say, Christian Bale or Robert DeNiro.  Jared Leto just seems so insincere about method acting as a craft, and appears to use it to indulge the more douchebag aspects of his personality.  Perhaps I'm giving the other actors more credit than they're due, but in no way can I see Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, or Ryan Gosling (three of the actors mentioned in the article) doing the things Jared Leto did on the set of Suicide Squad.  

It does also mention a piece that largely goes unmentioned with method acting - they talk about how if an actress tried to do half the things most male method actors do, they'd be seen as a liability as opposed to an asset, and I think that's correct.  Weight gain and loss is one thing, but can you imagine what people would say if the situation was reversed and Margot Robbie had been the one sending sex toys and dead animals to her co-stars?  She'd be pilloried.  

Know what I always think of when somebody mentions method acting?

This:

The Bradys are tapped to be in a Safe Laundry detergent commercial because the directors see them as a natural, squeaky clean American family.

But the Bradys don't want to mess it up, so they hire a quirky commercial actress to help them with their lines.   She teaches them -- you guessed it, method acting.   With the above result.

In the end the film crew leaves the Brady hacienda in a fit of disgust, with the director mumbling, "You know who they remind me of?   That crazy method actress, what's her name ..."

Of course, it's the same actress the Bradys hired.

[katha]

20 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

To add to the discussion of insufferable method actors, this article.

Warning: reading this might cause you to yell out "fuck yeah!" or "damn skippy!" regardless of where you are. 

There are quite a few method actors, but many also don't want to admit to it because they fear backlash. And others use it for obnoxious PR or to excuse acting like jerks. At its core, it's just a technique among other techniques. Some great actors use it, some bad actors use it. IMO it's not inherently better/worse than anything else.

For example, I know they use different ways to get there, but I think both Streep and DDL have a staggering, almost intimidating amount of technique and detail worked into their performances. Both have been accused of scenery chewing and being too cold etc., but for me it mostly works. Not everything, but a lot of it. And it's tied to the research and the bold decision-making that obviously goes into every performance. Bill the Butcher is one of my favourite characters ever, and it's because DDL chose to play him as larger than life pulp fiction comedy villain. Had he done him more "seriously", he'd had a much better chance to get an Oscar, but the performance he delivered instead suited the (flawed) movie he was in much better and was much more entertaining. I'm sure he could give you a whole lotta pretentious nonsense about why he did it like that, but at its core he did research, made decisions and used technique and talent to construct that performance. And he was singled out as the best thing in the movie by many, while Jared Leto recently wasn't treated as kindly and his performance was deemed a misfire, even though he's also a method actor.

[harrie]

On 8/12/2016 at 0:59 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

She'd wear that scarlet "CB" (for "crazy bitch") for the rest of her natural life, that's for damn sure.

Moving along, I despise Frank Langella. I know he's a bit of a critic's darling, but not only do I find him not all that great an actor (he got his start in theatre, why in the hell does he mumble so much?!), he's a repulsive human being. How do I know? Because I made the mistake of reading Dropped Names, his pompous, troll-ish book of essays about famous people he's encountered, and they read like the overlong tweets of an especially mean teenager. He bitches about how "boring" Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Richard Burton, and Paul Newman were (yet they're all considered the upper echelon of beloved and respected film legends, while Langella demonstrably isn't). He salaciously recalls being a boy toy to poor, Alzheimer's suffering Rita Hayworth (her daughters are alive, asshole, that's their mother you're talking about). He cruelly rambles on about how old and decrepit Susannah York became, then criticizes another actress for all the plastic surgery she's had literally just paragraphs later (DOUCHEBAG!).

Frank Langella reveals himself, in that one book, to be, to quote 9 to 5, a "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot". 

So you're the other person who's read Dropped Names!  Langella  was gossipy and catty in that tome; and I absolutely loved it, in a totally wrong way of course.  Didn't he imply he and Jackie Onassis may or may not have had a fling as well?   I found most of the anecdotes in the book highly improbable - sometimes hilariously so - but entertaining. But yeah, I can see all that being rather grating.

Interesting (?) aside:  In the early '80s, I was witness to the spectacle of Langella holding court in a Friendly's[TM]* -  spinning tales while about four or five women sat with him, hanging on every precious, pompous word.  (I wasn't one of the hangers-on, but enjoyed the show for a while nonetheless.)  I still giggle at the memory of the absurdity of the scene every once in a while. 

*It was a dry town. He could have walked/driven about a 1/4 mile (to the town line) and done this in a proper bar complete with brass and ferns, but .....

[Wiendish Fitch]

40 minutes ago, harrie said:

 

Interesting (?) aside:  In the early '80s, I was witness to the spectacle of Langella holding court in a Friendly's[TM]* -  spinning tales while about four or five women sat with him, hanging on every precious, pompous word.  (I wasn't one of the hangers-on, but enjoyed the show for a while nonetheless.)  I still giggle at the memory of the absurdity of the scene every once in a while. 

*It was a dry town. He could have walked/driven about a 1/4 mile (to the town line) and done this in a proper bar complete with brass and ferns, but .....

The worst thing is, I can't decide if I'm glad or sorry that I didn't see that. All I can say is... damn, I miss Friendly's, but they don't have 'em in my neck of the woods. 

Will one of my fellow Classic Hollywood fans please explain to me the appeal of that hulking, monosyllabic block of wood Joel McCrea?

[Blergh]

Robert Wagner:  Even subtracting my POV re what happened to his late wife Natalie, his whole tude has been so incredibly arrogant (and he made no secret of it in his bio) that I can't stand to watch him. I wonder how her daughters feel about him essentially painting every single member of their late mother's family as having zero redeeming qualities whatsoever.

[UYI]

21 hours ago, Blergh said:

Robert Wagner:  Even subtracting my POV re what happened to his late wife Natalie, his whole tude has been so incredibly arrogant (and he made no secret of it in his bio) that I can't stand to watch him. I wonder how her daughters feel about him essentially painting every single member of their late mother's family as having zero redeeming qualities whatsoever.

I'm not exactly defending RJ here, but from what I've read about Natalie's mother at least, it sounds like she was VERY controlling, and she treated Natalie like her prized child, to the detriment of her other two daughters--Olga (the oldest) was the "warm up" child, while Lana (the youngest) was the extraneous one.  And Natalie knew this was how Maria (supposedly) felt about her and her sisters and felt guilty about it, too (of course, I've heard that Lana isn't exactly all that great a person, either, so I don't know). 

Edited August 22, 2016 by UYI

[Blergh]

21 hours ago, UYI said:

I'm not exactly defending RJ here, but from what I've read about Natalie's mother at least, it sounds like she was VERY controlling, and she treated Natalie like her prized child, to the detriment of her other two daughters--Olga (the oldest) was the "warm up" child, while Lana (the youngest) was the extraneous one.  And Natalie knew this was how Maria (supposedly) felt about her and her sisters and felt guilty about it, too (of course, I've heard that Lana isn't exactly all that great a person, either, so I don't know). 

Let me put it this way:  Christina Crawford managed to muster up SOME redeeming qualities re 'Mommie Dearest' while recounting Miss Crawford's nightmarish shadowside so I don't see why Mr. Wagner couldn't have attempted to do the same- at least for the sake of the daughters who had to grow up motherless and might have wanted to contemplate some aspects of their maternal side. By no means do I consider the Gurkins/Woods to have been saints . However; perhaps, acknowledging Mrs.  Gurkin/Wood having had to restart life in a totally new country and having the determination to ensure her family survived might have been balanced things a little.

Edited August 23, 2016 by Blergh
italics correction

[millennium]

Elliott Gould.

[topanga]

On 8/12/2016 at 0:51 PM, Enigma X said:

As much as I hate method acting, I must say that I adore many actors who use it. Leto is not one.

I used to hear people describe Robert DeNiro as a method actor--that he'd fully immerse himself in his roles for months. 

But lately, his co-stars joke that even in a drama, he laughs and jokes between takes then gets into character as soon as the cameras start rolling. Maybe he's mellowing in his old age. Of course, he hasn't been in many heavy dramas lately. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

On 8/12/2016 at 10:43 AM, Princess Sparkle said:

That's a good article.  I will say, it sort of brings to light why Jared Leto's "method acting" (I put that in quotes for a reason) bothers me so much more than say, Christian Bale or Robert DeNiro.  Jared Leto just seems so insincere about method acting as a craft, and appears to use it to indulge the more douchebag aspects of his personality.  Perhaps I'm giving the other actors more credit than they're due, but in no way can I see Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, or Ryan Gosling (three of the actors mentioned in the article) doing the things Jared Leto did on the set of Suicide Squad.  

It does also mention a piece that largely goes unmentioned with method acting - they talk about how if an actress tried to do half the things most male method actors do, they'd be seen as a liability as opposed to an asset, and I think that's correct.  Weight gain and loss is one thing, but can you imagine what people would say if the situation was reversed and Margot Robbie had been the one sending sex toys and dead animals to her co-stars?  She'd be pilloried.

And Leto isn't being pilloried? I ask the question without an ounce of snark (for once), but it seems like the majority of the posts here are saying, "God, what a pretentious douche!" and while that's fine, as I have no dog in the fight, I don't think anyone is saying anything good about him. Even the posters who mention other annoying method actors, like DDL, aren't giving Leto any slack as far as I can tell. Unless you want to call saying that Will Smith is turning his children into egotistical monsters is taking the heat off of Jared, that is.

IMO, Jared Leto hasn't benefited from following in Heath Ledger's footsteps by playing The Joker, and if anything I think his reputation has suffered because he landed the role. Had The Dark Knight not been Ledger's second to last movie, had his turn as The Joker not left such an impression, Leto might not feel a need to try and "top" the craziness. I checked IMDB, and Ledger won over thirty awards after his death because of that role. That's a lot of burden to shoulder for an actor who is mostly known for Requiem For A Dream and maybe Dallas Buyers Club, which he wasn't the lead in anyway. Just food for thought.

[UYI]

13 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

That's a lot of burden to shoulder for an actor who is mostly known for Requiem For A Dream and maybe Dallas Buyers Club, which he wasn't the lead in anyway. 

Not to mention for "leaning great" as Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life. Not that I ever found him that attractive, as Jordan or otherwise. 

[atomationage]

On 8/9/2016 at 10:51 AM, Blergh said:

Until the reporting of Mr. Leto's gifts, I'd never heard of those kinds of beads and had no idea that they existed- and would have been perfectly content to have lived the rest of my life ignorant of that fact. Just ugh.

I still don't know what they are, or how or what anyone would use such a thing. 

On 8/13/2016 at 5:56 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I miss Friendly's, but they don't have 'em in my neck of the woods. 

I have a container of Friendly's caramel swirl ice cream in my freezer, which I use as coffee creamer. 

I just found this thread through a link in the " tv actors you cant stand" thread.  I can't stand Christian Bale.  I can't believe he played Batman.  I wouldn't watch a movie with him in it if they payed me and I could sit in a skybox and drink and eat through the whole thing.  

Edited September 4, 2016 by atomationage

[BK1978]

On ‎8‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 0:01 PM, Princess Sparkle said:

Well, Winona Ryder and Isabelle Adjani probably have some choice words to say about him, and I have to admit, how coldly he ended those relationships colored my judgement of him quite a bit.  But then again, I've never been all that impressed with him as an actor (UO, I know).

As for Jared Leto, his "method" acting has always seemed more "juvenile attention grabbing" to me than anything else - I also consistently think of this Paijba article when I hear of his stories about method acting for Suicide Squad.  I mean, Heath Ledger considered himself a method actor too, and his prep for The Joker was to create a character backstory, create a signature laugh, and help design the clothes, not say "Oh, let me send anal beads to Christian Bale and Michael Caine."

I've already shared my absolute distaste for Julia Roberts in this thread, but as long as I'm in here, I also have to add how much I hate Sean Penn, Renee Zelleweger, and Natalie Portman.  Sean Penn's personal life colors what I think of his acting so badly, that I just can't stand to watch his movies - I find it absolutely no surprise that Robin Wright started smiling on the red carpet after they were divorced.  I'm just glad Charlize Theron wisened up and dumped that leather troll.  I never minded Renee Zelleweger much until right after she won her Oscar, and when she was doing an interview with Allure magazine, they asked her to talk about some of her old film roles by showing her photos (something they used to do a lot with all their cover story subjects).  When they asked her about Empire Records, all she could say was how dumb the movie was and refused to talk about it, which left a bad taste in my mouth - it struck me that now that she'd won an Oscar, she considered herself a "serious actress" and wouldn't talk about movies she thought were beneath her.  And it was an Allure article that did me in with Natalie Portman as well, where she said "I’m not black, but I know what it feels like", and compared being a celebrity to what WEB Dubois was talking about in The Souls of Black Folks. And for me, no matter how you slice that, it’s annoying no matter what – either she’s completely tone deaf and didn’t realize what she was saying, or she’s so incredibly pretentious that she honestly believed that comparison was apt.  And after this recent article, I tend to think it's the latter.

I remember reading that both Renee Zelleweger and Matthew McConaughey tried to get the Texas Chainsaw Massacre that they starred in shelved.  Not that I blame either of them but still.  I loved Empire Records and am sorry to hear that she thinks it was such fluff.

[SallyAlbright]

This might be wildly unpopular, because she is cinema's newest darling, but Alicia Vikander is really tough for me to watch. For lack of a better term, she kind of has a "resting bitch face" so unless she's smiling she looks angry and cold. That worked perfectly in Ex Machina, where I thought she was great, but not so well in The Light Between Oceans. Her character is already a little tough to like, so I kept wishing that someone with a warmer presence was playing her. I wouldn't go as far as saying I "can't stand" Vikander, but I also don't quite get all the hype. I will say she seems nice in interviews, though!

[gator12]

2 hours ago, SallyAlbright said:

I will say she seems nice in interviews, though!

I remember her redcarpet interview (SAG I think) during her Oscar campaign. I just remember thinking, she won't be the new IT girl that Hollywood wants her to be b/c she seems to boring.

I've never seen any of her films, but from what I've read people either think she's a great actress or a boring one. 

Edited September 6, 2016 by gator12

[pivot]

Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr and Katie Cassidy (from Arrow). All three radiate smug when on-screen and their real life personas has seeped into their acting so much that they ruin movies for me. I am still pissed we got so much Robert Downey Jr in the last Captain America movie.

[slf]

4 hours ago, pivot said:

Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr and Katie Cassidy (from Arrow). All three radiate smug when on-screen and their real life personas has seeped into their acting so much that they ruin movies for me. I am still pissed we got so much Robert Downey Jr in the last Captain America movie.

Never watched Arrow so I don't know who Cassidy is, but yes to the other two. I've always felt Paltrow's English accent was a little overrated and that the fact that her best performances were as spoiled women kind of speaks to her limited range. Downey Jr. is also very limited, and has largely gotten by on charisma and being 'edgy'. He has such a distinctive way of speaking and it's present in almost all of his movies (I'm not talking about his voice). Most of his characters are smarmy, charming, bad boys with a good heart.

[Bruinsfan]

He works for me in the MCU since I despised Tony Stark in the comics a good long time before he was cast—they couldn't have found a better actor for the role.