Call my agent: 9-1-1 actors & acting

[kwnyc]

This is a topic to discuss the WORK, the CRAFT (or lack thereof) of 9-1-1 actors, including the spinoff. Compare and contrast! Diss their pronunciation! Admire their technique. 

...speak the speech trippingly on the tongue...

Since I started the topic, I'll throw out the first pitch: Until I was recently reminded, I was convinced that Angela Bassett had won the Oscar for "What's Love Got to Do With It."

I also think acting level on TOS is okay, ranging from pretty darn good to well... 

On the spinoff, I think Jim Parrack (Judd) is by far the best actor on the show.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, kwnyc said:

On the spinoff, I think Jim Parrack (Judd) is by far the best actor on the show.

If I’m only familiar with an actor’s work in one role (like I am with Jim Parrack) I can’t tell if the person just has great camera presence and is portraying someone whose character is similar to their own, or if it’s great acting as well.

Edited December 21, 2021 by shapeshifter

[gonzosgirrl]

44 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

If I’m only familiar with an actor’s work in one role (like I am with Jim Parrack) I can’t tell if the person just has great camera presence and is portraying someone whose character is similar to their own, or if it’s great acting as well.

Did either of you watch Supernatural? (note my avatar ;)) I was at least 10 episodes deep in 9-1-1 Lonestar when I suddenly realized, OMG it's the siren! If you know, you know.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Did either of you watch Supernatural? (note my avatar ;)) I was at least 10 episodes deep in 9-1-1 Lonestar when I suddenly realized, OMG it's the siren! If you know, you know.

I never watched more than 10 minutes of Supernatural, so you'll have to educated me. 
Are the 2 characters Jim Parrack played in the 2 shows anything alike?

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I never watched more than 10 minutes of Supernatural, so you'll have to educated me. 
Are the 2 characters Jim Parrack played in the 2 shows anything alike?

It was a guest role where he played a siren who seduced people into doing his bidding by personifying who/what they desired most.  Ironically, he could... shapeshift.  :) 

[KatWay]

To me, there's different tiers:

Angela, Kenneth, Oliver are pretty much perfect in their roles. Sometimes chew the scenery but that seems to be a direction thing too.

Aisha is right there, except I sometimes find her dramatic scenes a bit too over the top? Otherwise she's great.

Then there's Peter who I know to be good in other roles but is phoning it in as Bobby or maybe just hasn't had anything interesting to do in a while.

Then there's JLH who's bad in some scenes and does other things very well (anguish, empathy etc, she's perfectly cast for the center IMO)

then there's the actors who are just very wooden and only occasionally really do well, and occasionally struggle to convey anything at all - Ryan and Corinne, both pretty, both not very expressive. I guess Ryan works as eye candy and Corinne is still very young, but while the show mostly writes them with their limitations in mind, they still deliver some real clunkers at times. Ryan moreso cause they ask more of him and he sometimes really falls flat.

Edited December 28, 2021 by KatWay

[kwnyc]

I had a conversation with friends about both shows last weekend, who commented they have never seen Rob Lowe being anything but Rob Lowe. And in certain circumstances, that works, but in the spinoff, it's ridiculous.

They didn't have to cast a GREAT actor as the center of the Texas show, but one who could share the spotlight and react to the other actors (and where they could do a lot of plotlines without him) would have been better. 

...on a completely different topic, over the holidays, we watched the documentary Tab Hunter Confidential, and damned if Peter Krause doesn't remind me of the late movie star! They have very similar eyes, and are both big and solid men.

Edited January 17, 2022 by kwnyc
Additional thought

[chlban]

On 1/17/2022 at 9:54 AM, kwnyc said:

I had a conversation with friends about both shows last weekend, who commented they have never seen Rob Lowe being anything but Rob Lowe. And in certain circumstances, that works, but in the spinoff, it's ridiculous.

They didn't have to cast a GREAT actor as the center of the Texas show, but one who could share the spotlight and react to the other actors (and where they could do a lot of plotlines without him) would have been better. 

...on a completely different topic, over the holidays, we watched the documentary Tab Hunter Confidential, and damned if Peter Krause doesn't remind me of the late movie star! They have very similar eyes, and are both big and solid men.

I have officially given up on Lonestar because it is totally the Rob Lowe show and, while I have never liked him, I can stand watching him when he's actually acting. I'm this he is just playing Rob Lowe. Don't get me started on JLH and her perpetual angst face. I skip the shows that focus on her.

[methodwriter85]

On 12/28/2021 at 9:56 AM, KatWay said:

Then there's JLH who's bad in some scenes and does other things very well (anguish, empathy etc, she's perfectly cast for the center IMO)

then there's the actors who are just very wooden and only occasionally really do well, and occasionally struggle to convey anything at all - Ryan and Corinne, both pretty, both not very expressive. I guess Ryan works as eye candy and Corinne is still very young, but while the show mostly writes them with their limitations in mind, they still deliver some real clunkers at times. Ryan moreso cause they ask more of him and he sometimes really falls flat.

I did think JLH was a really good fit for her Scream Queen work, Ghost Whisperer and then later on, her work with Lifetime. On this show, she absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Flight or Fight episode with her husband, but Love doesn't really fit into the show's lighter, comedic movements. I mean, there's a reason why her career was forged in Party of Five and why she was the second best crier on 90s T.V., behind Sarah Michelle Gellar. I'd love to see her do something like a remake of When A Stranger Calls or more angsty, melodramatic Lifetime movies. Hell, JLH probably could do really well with an earnest procedural similar to Cold Case.

Ryan Guzman is gorgeous and charismatic. That body? My god. I do agree with your assessment that he's not very expressive. Honestly, this is the first role I remember seeing him in where the character isn't really built around Ryan being hot and/or having an athletic build. If Ryan Murphy likes him enough I can see Ryan playing a Himbo on some show in the future. Maybe he'll get lucky and eventually luck into a David Boreanaz type career. Think about David Boreanaz- he's been a main character on a t.v. show since 1997. Every. Single. Year. Even Seal Team which got cancelled was revived on Paramount Plus.

[kwnyc]

18 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Think about David Boreanaz- he's been a main character on a t.v. show since 1997. Every. Single. Year. Even Seal Team which got cancelled was revived on Paramount Plus.

Actors who are easy to work with, treat everyone well, are on time and know their lines and are courteous and professional tend to keep working, even if they aren't the most talented actor in town. There are many stories of actors brought in for guest star roles, who end up becoming regulars, or actors who were cast as villains being retconned into just irritable colleagues. The smart ones know this.

[Jillybean]

On 2/18/2022 at 12:40 PM, kwnyc said:

Actors who are easy to work with, treat everyone well, are on time and know their lines and are courteous and professional tend to keep working, even if they aren't the most talented actor in town. There are many stories of actors brought in for guest star roles, who end up becoming regulars, or actors who were cast as villains being retconned into just irritable colleagues. The smart ones know this.

I don't know that Ryan Guzman fits this description, though. He really upset some castmates not that long ago and he's kinda lucky to still have a job.

[yourdreamer]

JLH did well in her season on Criminal Minds. She could fit in well with the new CSI or another procedural type show. But if she leaves 9-1-1, Chim would be so sad. 

[Gramto6]

37 minutes ago, yourdreamer said:

JLH did well in her season on Criminal Minds. She could fit in well with the new CSI or another procedural type show. But if she leaves 9-1-1, Chim would be so sad. 

Yeah, they would probably have to kill her off for it to make sense, she would never totally abandon Chim and her daughter. 

[CoyoteBlue]

On 12/28/2021 at 8:56 AM, KatWay said:

then there's the actors who are just very wooden and only occasionally really do well, and occasionally struggle to convey anything at all - Ryan and Corinne, both pretty, both not very expressive. I guess Ryan works as eye candy and Corinne is still very young, but while the show mostly writes them with their limitations in mind, they still deliver some real clunkers at times. Ryan moreso cause they ask more of him and he sometimes really falls flat.

 And they keep pairing Ryan with Oliver in storylines, which makes him look even more flat. Just watched the tsunami multi-ep and Oliver just goddamn killed it while Ryan could barely manage his eyes watering when he was told his child was missing. When Eddie got shot, it was Buck's response that made all the emotional impact.

[nancy911]

I love Chimney!  Love Kenneth Choi.  He is my crush right now!!