#on acting

[moonlitdark]

🎥 batprincess_becca Panel Clip:

JCB reflects on his almost 20 years as an actor: a field where it's vital to learn how to deal with rejection while maintaining that love and fire within for the work.

[hislittleraincloud]

That Hot Onez episode with the cast revealed the others don’t really f*k with Jenna. She was awfully bossy. No me gusta

Poor Emma ate that spice for concealing spoilers for the Gremlin to just say something dumb/easy (that Wednesday is obviously not going to die).

Also prodigy is stretching it, Luis. I've been listening to her talk since she was a child, and her acting on Know It All Nina/SitM was standard exaggerated garbage. This is all hot garbage television for kids:

If anyone was honest with themselves, she's mid — she's just cute, as she's been told her entire life (there's a video of her when she was 2 or 3...where they're singing happy birthday to her and clearly calling her cute).

Did she have a golden hit with The Fallout? Sure, she did a good job. Lorraine was boring in X, and Tara Carpenter was pretty good (again, her talent lies in screaming and crying/delivering lines while in the midst of it, e.g. she was terrible in Winter/part of Spring of WSSF, but when it came to Fall crying for Barnes back, she went all in and was perfect). She was aight in Yes Day, but her exaggerated comedy/slapstick work she's done her whole life prepped her for that. As for Wednesday, I feel like casting could've found another Wednesday Addams out there just fine (lots of young talent out there, as proven by Evie Templeton). It's not a hard role — why is everyone acting like she's the end all be all?

I want to see her in more drama where she isn't playing a sad ass teen or a romance where she is consistently good throughout; she was great in You, but still a teen/playing a troubled teen. Range, though I might have to wait until she's older (I'm not trusting J.J. Abrams here...but we'll see, in a year or so when it's done in post).

I also want to see this writing of hers. Let's see what it looks/sounds like. So far I haven't heard/seen anything prodigious. I've seen/heard her mangle French. I've seen her fashion 🗑️/watched her wear sunglasses when it "wasn't necessary" (could have been necessary, ❄️ users eyes get sensitive to the light — JUST a possiblity/explanation, I'm not saying she definitely uses it, for all we know she's light sensitive for other reasons, or is just being a Hollyweird douchecanoe), watched her lie in interviews. Watched her bleach her eyebrows and promote that god awful movie with The Weeknd. Literally defended that narcissistic low IQ shit/spewed some garbage about it. None of it is very cute anymore, bro. And while I do feel bad for her for certain things (like the thinspo look), she's growing into someone who continues the célébrité cycle in Hollyweird.

I'm tired. I'm waiting for growth where she's honest and stops fabricating shit just to fabricate shit. Playing games, as Donovan would say. LOL I tire even more quickly when I see shit like the ridiculous fashion she wears/cosplays (because it was all cosplay, like the stuff she did for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice).

I do like how she mentioned people going through their goth phase. Babe, goth is forever...it's part of someone's ancient soul. 🌩️🕸️🐦‍⬛ 🦇 🩸🪦🕷️ 🕸️🌩️

Anyway — you know that poor British Georgie was on the toilet after that. Probably in the stall next to Emma. Their buttholes probably burned. 💔

Speaking of Emma, she looked good here. They all did, save for the browless one. I really, really miss the dark eyebrows. DARK as in matches her hair. Brows — good ones — are normally an essential part of your maturity. Not having them or having light ones are literally making one look like a child (I thought she didn't want that), since babies and young children don't have the darker ones.

She looked so good during most of the DOAU promo (we're not counting the arful suit). Cute as Hell, it's why Paul was smitten.

What's all this shit about her and Elias again? Cuz we know she seems to like stringy white boys who look like they haven't showered in days. 👹 NVM, I'm not gonna address it. I think it's sitting in my 📥.

[afklimt]

“Words are important, and they’re specific. We speak to produce effects, to catalyze, to engender consequences. We choose words strategically, precisely, whether or not we do so consciously. If the character you’re playing says something that strikes you, the actor, as odd, large, artificial, you should assume it strikes your character that way as well. If a character opposite yours says something that sounds ornate, awkward, a non-sequitur to you, the actor, it probably sounds that way to your character too. I advise taking very seriously and working hard to answer the question that you, the actor, and probably also the character you’re playing, are longing to ask: Why am I/Why is this other person talking this way? That question is important. When the language in the play is strange, in other words, its strangeness is always an action. A sentence is no less an action than a blow with a broadsword or a passionate kiss. And the degree and kind of strangeness matter enormously. The characters in the play are fighting for survival; the stakes are very high. They talk to make things happen, to advance an agenda, to defend, to enlist, to seduce, to punish. Sometimes they speak in an effort to understand how or what they’re feeling. But never speak solely to announce your character’s distress, hoping for pity. The characters in the play are tougher than that; the world of the play, like the world outside the theater, is a tough place.

Tony Kushner, A Few Notes from the Playwright About Staging, Angels in America

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

Posting this here because I saw an obnoxious take on Threads just now, and I don’t have the character allowance needed to vent my annoyance over there. Plus, I hate that app.

Anyway, the offensive (to me) take I saw was one I see all too often, yet this person ventured forth their opinion like they were bravely standing up for the little guy. Please. The internet is crawling with AAs who spout the same crap 25/8.

The opinion:

“I have nothing against Jared…he’s a great Sam…but Jensen is just PERFECTION as Dean. Like. Besides being a fucking DREAMBOAT, he’s hysterical with his words and expressions.“

My Rebuttal:

I like Jensen as an actor, and I like Dean. I do. I also agree that Jensen is a good actor and Dean is a great character … when he isn’t pissing me off (or becoming a caricature in later seasons). I mean, he’s made me cry a good few times when watching the show, particularly when he’s just lost Sam. But, there are some parts of the ststement that just really bug me, especially because I’ve seen so many people make statements like this one.

First, Jared is good as Sam, But Jensen is PERFECTION as Dean. My issue with this is, how do you even quantify who is better at playing a chracter when the two characters are so different from each other that they are near opposites? Jensen is very good at playing Dean. He makes him feel real, and you can feel the connection he has with his brother and other family, which also adds to how empathetic and relatable he feels (at times). However, Jensen cannot forge the Sam and Dean connection alone. Jared makes up the other half of their duo. And sure, people can not like Sam or claim they don’t care for the brothers' dynamic, but 75% (or more) of who Dean is … is his love for and relationship with Sam. People can love to see Dean with Castiel or Charlie or whoever, and even say they like Dean better with them than Sam 🙄 but the only person he was playing off of when we first get to know Dean (and in my opinion the superior version of Dean) is Sam (Jared). If Jared wasn’t playing Sam very well, Jensen could emote all he wanted, but there would still be a disconnect there. I’m not saying Jensen wouldn’t still be charismatic or interesting on his own, but I will say that the Dean people love for how much he cares for his family and how real it feels did require Jared in particular. When Kripke talks about “lightening in a bottle” he wasn’t only talking about Jensen.

Anyway, let’s move on to the reasons for Jensen’s “perfection”:

1. Dreamboat - Okay, shallow, but let’s address this one first. Is this person claiming Jensen is perfect as Dean … because he’s hot? She knows Jensen isn’t actively choosing to be hot, right? Right? This isn’t a skill or talent, it’s being blessed with good genetics. While I do agree that Jensen is very attractive, i think Jared is too. I’d even say for a good few years there Jared put more effort into being physically fit, so does that make him more perfect at playing Sam … because he achieved pleasing physique? At least that wasn’t only genetics but work, too. This particular reason to love Jensen’s portrayal of Dean is shallow as hell, so I’m moving on.

2. Hysterical with his words and expressions - I am not going to argue against Jensen being “hysterical” because 1) what we all find funny is subjective, and 2) I also think he’s funny. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Jensen is good at humour and comic timing, and I’m certainly not going to try take that away from him. He’s a scene steeler. But, and I can’t believe I have to say this, he also plays a funny character. Dean is funny, or cheeky anyway. Sam is not (usually). So, why is Jensen being good at being funny when he’s playing a funny character more “perfect” than Jared who shows off his own comedic skills much less often because he’s playing a serious character? They are both doing what they are supposed to do for their respective characters. I also have to add that a good portion of the time, Dean’s humour is enhanced by Sam’s deadpan reaction. This is also good comic timing, but given who Sam is, it would be weird if Jared was constantly leaning into humor. As For Jensen’s “words” bring hysterical … does this person not realize that 90% of the time Jensen is saying the words written for him? Of course the inflection is his, and he’s been known to add lib, but the writers are more responsible for Dean’s words than Jensen. Conversely, Jared can’t use words to enhance his chrdcter that his character isn’t given. In fact, the fact that so many writers suck at writing Sam dialogue, forced Jared to crest a whole lexicon on physicality for Sam that makes him feel real and nuanced into the (abysmal) later seasons. Finally, with the “expressions," again I agree, Jensen uses his facial expressions very effectively at times (but I also think he over does it at other times). However, I also think Jared uses his expressions very effectively, broken puppydog eyes, anyone? Still, I also think Jared goes a little over the top at times in his expressions. Neither, despite what this person claimed, are perfect.

Anyway, my whole point with this (perhaps nit-picky) rant is NOT that I fault people for preferring Dean or liking Jensen’s acting style better, my annoyance comes in when they claim he’s perfect because he’s just no. No one is. And saying that Jensen plays Dean better than Jared plays Sam when they aren’t even comparable because of how different they are is just ignorant. It’s not a competition, yet some Dean fans so often need to make it one.

My honest opinion about JA and JP’s acting is that I think Jensen excels at drawing out empathy from the audience, making (many of) them feel sad when he’s sad, but I find Jared stronger when it comes to making different characters (or versions of his character) feel different. See Meg!Sam and Soulless!Sam in particular. So yeah, my issue is not with people liking a character or actor more, it’s with them thinking thst they are leagues apart when they are both, in fact C tier actors who have different strengths. And this additional and related notion that SPN would have been fine with just Jensen, or that just anyone could have played Sam and it wouldn’t have mattered is just … wrong.

Anyway, if you’re of the opinion that BOTH brothers and BOTH actors were crucial to the show, I’d love to chat about it with you, so feel free to hit up my asks or messsges. I love talking about the show and don’t get to do it enough.

If you think one actor was carrying the show on his shoulders (either one honestly, but we know who this is said of more often and by whom) … we just aren’t going to find common ground. So to those SPN fans …

Have a day.

[suzilight]

Remember that no one knows what's going on inside your head and they never will.

[mattnben-bennmatt]

High School Yearbooks

Fortunately for us, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) Yearbooks have been scanned and made available on the Internet Archive. We can use them as a resource for information on Matt and Ben's high school years (collectively Fall '84-Summer '90).

I have tried my best to scan them for pictures or mentions of Matt, Ben, & Co. I will also include information about all the school productions, as both Matt and Ben were involved in the theater department. Generally, a Fall-Winter (December) production (usually a drama), a Spring (March) production for the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival, and Summer (July) production (usually a musical). The Spring and Summer productions appear to be featured in the following year's book, likely because of the deadlines for printing the yearbooks. Confirmation of Matt or Ben's presence in the cast/crew will be provided when available.

1984-1985

Matt is a freshman. His brother, Kyle, is a senior.

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Kyle's yearbook portrait, which also lists the Damon's address (p. 62)

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1985-1986

Matt is a sophomore.

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Summer '85 production of "Guys and Dolls". Matt, a freshman, plays one of the gamblers (p. 126-127).

Fall-Winter '85 production of "Lysistrata".

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1986-1987

Matt is a junior and Ben is a freshman.

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Spring '86 production of "Bravo Cappucino!", which won 4th place in the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival (p. 120). Matt, a sophomore, plays Humpty Dumpty (AKA Toast).

Summer '86 production of "Brigadoon" (p. 122). If Matt participated, he wasn't in the main cast.

Fall-Winter '86 production of "The Visit" (p. 121). Ben, a freshman, plays Matt's son. This is also when the famous "It's not about your looks, it's about the work" conversation took place.

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1987-1988

Matt is a senior and Ben is a sophomore.

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Matt in the colored candids section (p. 8)

Matt's yearbook portrait (p. 63)

Spring '87 production of "Blood Wedding", which wins 1st place at the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival (p. 111). The Spring '88 production of "Homestead" wins 1st place too.

Summer '87 production of "Pippin" (p. 112). Matt starred as Pippin. Ben couldn't sing so he worked on the crew.

Fall '88 production of "Stage Door" (p. 110).

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Matt (4th from the left on the back row) was part of the National Honor Society (p. 130).

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1988-1989

Ben is a junior. Casey is a freshman.

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Possible Ben sighting in the colored candids section (p. 6).

Fall '89 production of "Alice in Wonderland" (p. 128). Ben plays the Caterpillar. The pictures on the left page are likely from the Summer '88 production, whose name is not mentioned.

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1989-1990

Ben is a senior. Casey is a sophomore.

Ben's yearbook portrait (p. 98); Note: "SR" is likely Soren Garcia-Rey, with whom Matt and Ben lived while writing Good Will Hunting. "AS" is likely Aaron Stockard, with whom Ben later wrote Gone Baby Gone and The Town. "CA" is likely his brother, Casey Affleck.

p. 106

p. 117

Casey Affleck on the Boys Indoor Track and Cross-Country teams (p. 147-148).

Spring '89 production of "Comedia Mania", which won 1st place at the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival (p. 28).

Summer '89 production of "Godspell" (p. 29).

[i-want-my-iwtv]

I will be delusional as I want BUT I'll pretend that tom cruise going back to Warner Bros means we'll finally get the deleted scenes from the iwtv please please manifesting

🙏🙏🙏 Anon, embrace being delusional! I wish! If anyone's connected with Warner Bros please please tell them we want the deleted scenes!

Anyway since we're on the topic... over the years I've talked about wanting the cut scenes, and I wanted to reflect for a moment on why we want them. I think we want them because, like a delicious cake, once it's all consumed, we still look at the serving plate, hoping we can still lick the icing off the knife, or maybe the baker has some leftover cake back in the kitchen?? Or maybe they can tell us that the secret ingredient to intensifying the chocolate is ESPRESSO... We just want another taste so badly! We want to know the secret ingredients that set it apart from other cakes. And some filmmakers know that, and sometimes they're happy to share the cut scenes on a DVD release, maybe with commentary as to why the scenes were cut, like:

"Here's a scene were Louis kills a priest and ultimately we had an overall run time limit of 2 hours, but it was otherwise a perfectly good scene."

"Here's part of a set of scenes we shot early on where Lestat shows mortal Louis what killing entails, and although we loved it, we ended up improving the Lestat makeup & hair a few weeks later, and for the sake of continuity we had to cut it bc we couldn't go back to that location to reshoot, or it would have taken too much time to fix in post, etc."

Giving over the cut scenes is a little like an artist showing the scrapped versions of a painting composition, and that's fine when the creator wants to invite the viewers into their artistic process, but I think the IWTV filmmakers at the time (and for years after) really wanted the '94 movie to be serious* to the point that releasing cut scenes could have undermined their overall vision... maybe they simply didn't want to invite the audience into their creative process.

(*Serious, BUT there was certainly plenty of beauty, charm, dark humor, intimacy, desire, so much more! Maybe the filmmakers cut scenes that THEY felt didn't mesh well with the overall story they wanted to tell, like putting together an outfit and choosing accessories that go better rather than others... you know?)

WITH THAT SAID... What cut scenes would you have liked to see? That's what fanfic and fanart are for, so tell us and maybe someone will be inspired to create it for all of us 💝

IF Tom was still part of VC at all... one of my personal fantasy casting ideas was to have Tom play the Marquis in TVL, and now he's really old enough to do it! 😅 Can you imagine?? Tom playing his own horrible father! Cast younger actors to play kid!Lestat, teen!Lestat, etc.?? Tom!Marquis showing obvious preference for his two older brothers and being horrible to Gabrielle... it could be amazing.

Obviously it wouldn't be adorable like this but... I've always loved Tom Cruise characters when he interacts with kids and teens, he's always seemed very in touch with his inner child, even when that inner child is more of a 12 yo brat. Whole novels could be written on his layered performances with child and teen actors, but for now, just a few thoughts...

^From Jerry Maguire. I can't quite articulate why this was so compelling... iirc, maybe because his character is really frustrated/demoralized in this scene, and there's something comforting about a kid naively telling you that "the human head weighs 8 pounds," as if to say, "Your problems are not really as big a deal as you think they are; live in the present moment." And Tom in this character seems to absorb that deeper meaning and it gives him some relief, it's a step towards his character's growth.

When Tom played Ray in War of the Worlds, he had a teenage son, and there was a heartbreaking scene where Ray had to choose between protecting his son or his daughter. From That Moment In:

Desperate to keep his family together, Ray is forced to leave the terrified Rachel alone for a moment as he puts his weight on Robbie and forces him to the ground as the air around them lights up with smoke and tracer fire. Meanwhile, another couple, fleeing the madness, sees Rachel standing by herself and attempt to rescue her, not knowing that her father is nearby. Looking back, Ray sees this and becomes torn between his children, not wanting to lose either but forced to choose. Robbie assures his father that this is what he wants, “I want to see this,” and to please let him go, which Ray finally, achingly, submits to, seeing that Rachel is being whisked away. Father and son say goodbye as Robbie runs over the crest and Ray rushes down to get his daughter as a hellfire of explosion overtake the hills, giving us the impression Robbie has met his end.

I just love the idea of Tom playing the very character that had caused so much pain for Lestat, that Lestat was always on defense from that man, looooong after he died. Despite all the torment the Marquis inflicted on Lestat, Lestat still gave him a comfortable place to live out his last few years, the roles pretty much reversed as happens with aging parents, Lestat actually nurturing this man (not always in the kindest way but still!) in his feeble old age... and couldn't bring himself to even kill him out of mercy.

Nature & Nurture, Lestat was damaged by his father genetically and emotionally in his formative years, and so much of Lestat's bravado and verbal attacks seem to be a shield for the awful feelings of growing up unloved, unwanted, and beaten for expressing his own desires. So much so that even in canon he often expresses the intensity of his desires far more eloquently and frequently in the narration than he's able to do verbally, even with the characters he cherishes the most. Because to express his love exposed himself to losing it.

Tom could for sure pull off a performance that would capture the Marquis, because he essentially played Lestat with the qualities of a victim perpetuating some of the abuse he suffered from the man who was supposed to be (and was!) his role model for becoming the man he became. 😭