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"She Can't Act!" (What do you mean?)

I have a question to all of those who critique Comic Book Movies (so basically everybody who has the ability to post on this site)....
For some time now I've heard on fan casts, and on actual casting the typical fan-boy saying some actress "can't act"

Magan Fox, Kristen Dunst, Jessica Alba and Halle Berry are usually the victims of this... (There's also Anna Paquin, Laura Vandervoot and Lynda Carter)

So when you say "She Can't Act"... what do you mean?
What is your criteria to say an actress can or can't act?
and added to that why do I only see this comment on actresses and I never see "He can't act"?
3 Yes
1 No
SoratheKey
12/17/2009

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37 Comments

What, you want a cookie? I and anyone else who read’s this just got a little dumber for it. Thanks! It’s all personal opinion, you don’t need criteria. What criteria do you have to question others opinions? LOL. I’m joshing, don’t really care.
hybrid45 - 12/17/2009, 2:06 PM
acting in my opinion is the ability to portray different characteristics unique to each character.
take Megan Fox for example:
she imo, cannot act.
her bodily habits and speech do not change from her interviews to her screen presence from Transformers.

a GREAT example of someone who CAN act is Gary Oldman:
he has portrayed vicious sociopaths to a family man who is trying to do his job the best he can.
his rendering of these characters are remarkedly different from each other and himself. all the way down to the mannerisms.

if i cannot tell the difference between an actor's characters and him/herself, then i claim that that "actor" cannot act.

i dont mean any actor ill will but i do play favorites with my actors.
Wadey09 - 12/17/2009, 2:06 PM
Funny you should ask, I did an article on this a few months back:

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/geekboymovienews/news/?a=11893
ecksmanfan - 12/17/2009, 2:11 PM
"and added to that why do I only see this comment on actresses and I never see "He can't act"?"

Keanu Reeves
Paul Walker
Hayden Christensen
Channing Tatum

On the matter of the actresses, I don't know if they can't act, per se, but they didn't possess the range for the roles they were given.Halle Berry is great when you put her in Queen and Monster's Ball.She is adept at playing vulnerable characters.On the other hand, she is not the person to get for a strong, authoritative character like Storm.

Jessica Alba, who I liked on Dark Angel, just seems to hit a sour note on everything after that.I have no clue what the problem is.

Anna Paquin, like Halle Berry, is good in playing the vulnerable characters.The problem is, her portrayal of Rogue is completely different than the Rogue we know from the comics.Not sure if it was her choice to play it that way, or the director's.She wasn't a bad actress, she was a bad Rogue.But, the average person doesn't differentiate.

Kirsten Dunst is just like Paquin.She is a bad Mary Jane, and that leaves a bad taste in people's mouths.While she's probably not a bad actress(I haven't seen her in anything but Spider-Man), her overall acting abilities are associated with her weak performance.

Now, I truly believe Megan Fox is a bad actress.She appears to have no emotion or character when she's acting.It may be due to her age and lack of experience, but there are plenty actors younger than her with loads of talent.
kenny38606 - 12/17/2009, 2:20 PM
I am not going to answer this because anything I say will just seem really really mean.

Real acting is BECOMING the chracter you are playing. It's also knowing how to make the performance look "real" and that means manipulating your face, your voice, your gestures to fit the medium, and it's not a simple thing by any means.

I have seen Halle Berry do that, and Anna Paquin too even though she was just a little girl at the time.

The others not so much.

But none of that matters. What I think what Sora is suggesting is that we are misogynistic in our regard for female actors, which of course TOTAL NONSENSE.

Notice all the examples he gave were females.
DarthMulder - 12/17/2009, 2:21 PM
I think quite a few people here have said that either Ackles nor Worthington can't act either
DogsOfWar - 12/17/2009, 2:22 PM
I'm pretty sure I've called a few lads on their inability to act. Personally, the big thing for is the eyes. When I watch someone play a role and they can't, for the life of them, emote sincerely with just the eyes it breaks everything else down and they end up looking forced or wooden. If they can't make me believe that they believe, then they can't act.

A good example that comes to mind is Jennifer Lopez in The Cell. She looked removed from every scene she was in that you couldn't buy into the idea she was that character who was actually going through a nightmare. She can't act.
WeaponX - 12/17/2009, 2:23 PM
@ Kenny: good examples
DarthMulder - 12/17/2009, 2:23 PM
i agree with wadey. i like to see a actress or actor change to fit a character. all those you named are always the same in everything they do.i like versatile actors.
1chris2 - 12/17/2009, 2:25 PM
Oi Sorathekeay: What pray tell do YOU mean when you say "typical fanboy"?
DarthMulder - 12/17/2009, 2:26 PM
@DarthMulder: The guy who only looks at the actress breast while critiquing her acting skills and can still say she's hot...
SoratheKey - 12/17/2009, 2:37 PM
@Kenny you forgot ben affleck he cant act either.
Dmon - 12/17/2009, 2:50 PM
@TripleD I agree with you about Keanu have you ever seen River's Edge
Dmon - 12/17/2009, 2:54 PM
Halle can act you ever seen Losing Alesia or something along those lines,she was cool in Bond,Swordfish,and of course Queen. I think she's really not the hero type Catwoman and Storm just wasnt in her to pull out.

Paquin I dont think she's bad either she does a good job as Sukie on HBO in that Vampire series. Rogue was just boring Im not sure if it was her or the writing,but I could say that for the X-Man franchise so....

Meagan Fox didnt like Transformers maybe she had a little something to do with that. I havent seen her in anything else so I cant say whether she can act or not.

As far as the guys go I like Keanu I met him back in the late 1990's 99 I think and he's cool. I thought he was fine in Constantine and the Devil Adovcates not Oscar worthy or MTV Choice award,but good enough.

Van Damme,Steven Seagal,Dolph Lundgen,I know their has beens but they did make a few movies they should've been able to make. Paul Walker,Vin Diesel,and Channing Tatum all fall into I cant act mode ,but manages to land pretty decent roles and keeps on getting work.

What do all of these guys and gals all have in common they either look or looked good at one point or have or had amazing bodies.

BLADE4040 - 12/17/2009, 3:16 PM
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SHHH - 12/17/2009, 3:19 PM
@SoratheKey...where have you been?? there's always the welling vs routh "cardboard" acting argument....
BulliedNerd - 12/17/2009, 3:29 PM
For me it's when I can watch them in a film and believe them as the character and forget it's someone playing a role. For example, Heath Ledger as Joker. For the first 2 seconds he was on screen I thought "Man I can't believe he's dead", as soon as he spoke I thought "It's the Joker". Not once after did it cross my mind that it was Heath Ledger playing the Joker, I simply thought it's the Joker. Another actor who is great at this is Johnny Depp. Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, etc.
Bohemiben - 12/17/2009, 3:36 PM
Hey this ain't a COMIC BOOK???? ; D
LEEE777 - 12/17/2009, 3:43 PM
Come on Sora. You're just trying to pick a fight.
jusme6 - 12/17/2009, 3:46 PM
@jusme6 & LEEE777: It's just something I've wanted to know... seriously not trying to pick a fight... I just wanted to know what was behind the "she can't act" comment I see a lot...

Comic book... no? but it is Marvel related as the fan site is focused for...
SoratheKey - 12/17/2009, 3:54 PM
If an actor/actress is convincing in the role they are playing, and I believe Im watching a fully rounded 3 dimensional character then its a good performance, if not, it isn't. Simple.
Rorschach01 - 12/17/2009, 4:29 PM
All of those Actresses named can Act except for Megan Fox.
Those Actresses have been in great Tv series/Movies All showing their great acting ability.But Megan Fox Cant Act! All of her movies she's only in there for her looks.
InSpace - 12/17/2009, 5:12 PM
I agree with Bohemiben on this one. If you're watching a movie and you forget that you're watching an actor play a role, then they're probably a good actor (or at least cast well).

BUT I think darker roles are easier to play than brighter/more emotional ones. For example, Jessica Alba did well as Dark Angel but not much afterwards. I also think being a no-name makes it easier for people to like an actor because we don't know anything about them. That's also another reason why people liked Alba's skills in the beginning of her career.
GreenLantern416 - 12/17/2009, 5:37 PM
I think all those actresses are good except Fox. But I mean come on not everyone in Hollywood can be Daniel Day Lewis or Gary Oldman who IMO are the 2 greatest actors alive today.
Dmon - 12/17/2009, 5:41 PM
When I think of an Actor, two People come to mind Daniel Day Lewis and Meryl Streep. Every role the play is a completely different from the previous one. They both also are amazing when it comes to getting the accents down.
JesuCrisco - 12/17/2009, 6:22 PM
When I say someone can't act, it doesn't necessarily mean they can't act. It's just that they are such terrible actors or actresses that it shouldn't even be considered acting. They can't spout out lines in terrible fashion, but in order to act, they need to make us feel like they are that person they're conveying. In her movies, Megan Fox comes off as an uppity female douche, and if that's what her character was supposed to be, she'd be great, but her character isn't supposed to be. Kristen Stewart, everytime she tries to get a line out, in all of her movies, Twilight, New Moon, Adventureland, Zathura, she seems like she's laboring to get a shit out and words come out instead. The way she portrays a character is the same in every movie, and I doubt they are all written that way. The list goes on.
Tobuttica - 12/17/2009, 7:48 PM
She must have more than two facial expressions... I'm looking at you Alba.

She must attempt to fulfill the accent(s)a character is established as having and make you believe in the character... Berry.

She should strive to make the character likeable... and not come off as a total whiny bitch... Dunst.

She must be able to deliver a line in a believable way in even the most unbelievable situation, because guess what you're supposed to be a trained actor... Fox.

If the actress' or actor's performance is so bad you actually forget you're watching them play a character and say to yourself, "God they suck." This totally taking you out of the film... They can't act; which is something most of the names you've mentioned above are repeatedly guilty of.

That good enough for ya?
nerosday - 12/17/2009, 10:09 PM
Good article/question SoratheKey. Basically for me as I have also have read through these comments is the ability to make me believe that they believe. To be able to actually take the time to learn how to make an accent or don't do it at all, to show range of emotion beyond happy and pissed, I want to see the frustration, suspense, all the things that make us human and to appear genuine, not forced or stale. Same thing goes for male actors, I call them out just as easily as I would call out a female; Keanu Reeves, Chatum Tatum, Ben Affleck, Hayden Christensen, Marlon Wayne, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, etc.

So there you go!
Stumblin - 12/18/2009, 8:00 AM
@ sora

i'm pretty sure that when people say, "she can't act" they mean that person is not believable in the roles they play. simple as that. thats what i mean, when i say that.
CorndogBurglar - 12/18/2009, 11:13 AM
and i also don't know how you can say people never call male actors bad actors. it actually happens all the time on this site. stumblin just named quite a few that i've heard people bad mouth around here.
CorndogBurglar - 12/18/2009, 11:14 AM
Some people just suck.
ClintEastwood - 12/18/2009, 11:29 AM
Indeed CorndogBurglar! And the thing is I can come up with more males that can't act than I can of females.
Stumblin - 12/18/2009, 11:47 AM
the definition of good acting (boy or girl) is real simple.. If the person can portay an entirely different persona, and convince the audience that, that's who they are for the duration of the film.. Everytime I see ledger as the Joker my mind can not wrap around the fact that its ledger, it was so far from any of his other roles, and from what I gather him as a person. That is real actin, Gary Oldman has played ridiculous parts well (5th element) to insane pschos (The Professional, Air Force one)
TheGrinch - 12/18/2009, 2:08 PM
@ stumblin

lol, i'm sure you can, man! i don't know how many times i've said a certain male actor shouldn't play a character because "they can't act their way out of a nutsack".

gotta love that eric cartman :)
CorndogBurglar - 12/18/2009, 5:04 PM
to me a good actor is someone who can make a role believable not matter what character or what situation a character is in, i guess thats the line that defines bad, good and amazing actors.

stumblin@ chris evans really???
ukboy28 - 12/18/2009, 8:56 PM
Yeah Ukboy28, Evans did fine with "Fantastic Four", he was tolerable, but after watching "Push" I realized he wasn't good, he's as stale as Keanu.
Stumblin - 12/20/2009, 10:27 PM
While most of you make really good points, we are talking about movies here and a bad script or bad directing can ruin a performance from an otherwise good or decent actor, not to mention if the actor is just not right for the part to begin with. Movies are more dependent on the director while stage is more dependent on the actor.
mwmcintyre - 12/29/2009, 12:19 PM

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