Random discussion about favourite actors

[Jen]

I don't think we have a thread for favourite actors yet. I thought it would be fun to hear everyone's favourite actors - who knows, maybe maybe of us even like the same actors and we can share our thoughts about them here. This could be a thread for listing those actors you like and maybe then just having random discussions about their work and why we like them, what films of theirs we like the best...whatever people feel like doing.

So let's start from the very beginning, a very good place to start (I apologise, but I just couldn't resist. ): which actors do you like the most?

My list would be veeery long, because I adore all kinds of people, but I'll just mention a few at first.

I really enjoy watching films with:

Meryl Streep
Bette Davis
Helen Mirren
Emma Thompson
Julie Andrews
Susan Sarandon
Katharine Hepburn (I've only discovered her a while ago)
Gregory Peck (he's a recent discovery for me as well)
Jack Nicholson
Anthony Hopkins
Vanessa Redgrave
Shirley MacLaine
Colin Firth
Robert De Niro
Diane Keaton
Kevin Kline
Kate Winslet
Audrey Hepburn
Toni Collette
Jeremy Irons (although he often scares me a lot! )
Johnny Depp
Julie Walters
Ewan McGregor
Helen Hunt
Sean Penn

Okay I'll stop now even though there are many more I like. I'd be interested to discuss some actors with you all!

[Ella]

Ha! Just recently I thought we should have a thread like this, and voila!

There are already a loooot of actors/actresses on your list I like very much too:

- Meryl Streep
- Emma Thompson
- Helen Mirren
- Susan Sarandon
- Kate Winslet
- Audrey Hepburn

- Colin Firth
- Johnny Depp
- Ewan McGregor
- Anthony Hopkins
- Kevin Kline
- Gregory Peck

I would add:

actors:
- Viggo Mortensen (I think I can say he is on the very first place)
- Robert Redford (is there anybody like him?)
- James Stewart
- Michael Caine
- Rupert Everett (extremely charismatic, imo)
- Denzel Washington (dito)
- Kiefer Sutherland (mainly because of 24)
- James Spader (mainly because of Boston Legal)
- Russell Crowe (I think I don't like him that much as a person, but he is just an awesome actor)
- Sir Ian McKellen (well .... Gandalf)
- I also like Paul Bettany, Christian Bale and Joaquin Phoenix

actresses:
- Cate Blanchett
- Marilyn Monroe
- Glenn Close
- Jody Foster

some more, not favourits but I like to see them:
- Candice Bergen
- Maggy Smith
- Julia Ormond (we hardly see her anymore)
- Reese Witherspoon
- from the younger Generation: Natalie Portman and Anne Hathaway

I'm absolutely sure that I have forgotten a few, I hope noone important. (I almost forgot Viggo , probably because it's so natural that he is my favourite actor )

[Gemma]

My problem is that I don't tend to like present actors. I am very classic. I don't think nowdays actors are so good as actors from the 30s or the 40s. And I am very disdainful with contemporary cinema. For this reason I am a big fan of Dr. Quinn, because there was something in the atmosphere of this series that make them act as in classic movies, like in a good western.

Ok my favourite actors
CARY GRANT (my number one)
GREGORY PECK
MELVYN DOUGLAS
DAVID NIVEN
GARY COOPER
CLARK GABLE

And my favourite actresses

LORETTA YOUNG (my number one)
KATHARINE HEPBURN
GRETA GARBO
IRENE DUNNE
JULIE ANDREWS

Maybe if I had to save somebody nowadays I would say JOHNNY DEPP, KENNETH BRANNAGH and EMMA THOMPSON but always on a different level (lower) than the aforementioned. (Yes, I know, I am strange.)

But as I've said Dr. Quinn is the exception, JANE SEYMOUR and JOE LANDO are like classic couples for me. They need to be in a theatrical film though, just because I have to prove my theory about them being the new KATHARINE HEPBURN/SPENCER TRACY combo.

[Jen]

Originally Posted by Ella

- Cate Blanchett
- Glenn Close
- Jody Foster

Oups! How could I have forgotten these three. Yes, I think they are very talented too. Have you seen the tv series Damages, Ella? Glenn Close is soooo scary in it. She really makes me feel that she is the character she's playing. I actually have Fatal Attraction on DVD but I haven't watched it yet. Of course I've heard lots about it, so I'm very intriguied.

Gemma, I think many older Hollywood actors really had something that some of today's actors are lacking. I don't really know what it is, but somehow they just seem very different from the actors we see today. I like watching old films, but so far I haven't seen all that many. But lately I've learnt to appreciate the way they played the roles. It's sort of like a totally different experience to watch an old film and then watch something that has been made recently. I've only seen Cary Grant in a few films, but he was pretty funny and charming in them (and handsooome lol), so I'm looking forward to seeing more of him. I don't think I've seen anything with Loretta Young yet. Maybe you would have some recommendations, like favourite films/performances of hers?

[Gemma]

Oh, Jen, I couldn't agree more with you. I cannot find in nowadays actors what I find in classic ones. But I've been watching classic movies since I was 3 so I think I was affected from some childhood trauma that makes me unable to accept present day films. Only animated movies and Dr. Quinn.

I have always been in love with Cary Grant.
I strongly recommend you The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven.
Also with Loretta Young:

Historical:
The Crusades (with a handsome long-haired counterpart, Henry Wilcoxon, and with a bold critique to the crusades)

Comedies:
The Doctor Takes a Wife (it is nearly impossible to find, a comedy about a convinced feminist and a chauvinist doctor)
A Night to Remember (a satire about detective stories)
Eternally Yours (with David Niven, about a magician obsessed with his job)

Westerns:
Rachel and The Stranger (with William Holden and Robert Mitchum) about a loony girl who marries a guy with a son to take care of him and the child but with no marital rights.
Along Came Jones (with Gary Cooper)
The Call of The Wild (with Clark Gable with whom she had a baby that she pretended to adopt to keep her, a very moving story, she even operated her ears because they made it too obvious that she was Clark Gable's child).

Thrillers:
The Stranger (with Orson Wells)
Cause of Alarm! (a great performance)

[Jen]

Oh great, thanks for the recommendations, Gemma. I'll make sure to return here to get some tips the next time I have time to go search our local library for films I'd like to see. Oh she's made a film with William Holden. I like him as well!

I think Bette Davis had once said something about how, in her opinion, acting should look like it takes some effort rather than being all natural and unnoticeable. I thought that was very interesting. Maybe there is some difference in the way old actors portrayed their characters and how people act today? Some old films might seem rather theatrical when watched now, but I guess in those days it was the way it was done. Now it's all about being as natural and realistic as you can. Although I'm not saying there would be anything bad about that either. I tend to enjoy watching actors who make it all seem very effortless too. But I think there were those in the classic Hollywood era as well: some just had natural talent and others maybe not so much. But I do think there is some difference in the way roles are portrayed.

[Ella]

Damages? No, never heard of it.
You just have to watch Fatal Attraction, Jenni. Glenn Close is so .... so.... I don't know.

I think, I know what you mean when you say todays actors can't compete with the actors from all these classic movies. These actors were real 'stars' imo, they had a special air. There was an aura around them that you can't find today.
But I don't think, that make them the better actors/actresses. I think it was part of the entire style to make movies. Like you, Jen, said, the acting was in a way that you always could see and admire the acting. You didn't only see the character in a movie, but also the actor or the actress. You knew: This is Bette Davies as XY in the movie XY.
Todays philosophy of acting is making the person who acts forgotten and only see the character.

The same different philosophy do we have concerning couples. Actors in former years had contracts with a certain studio and that's why we saw the same couples on the screen over and over again. And because it was wished. Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn should be recognized as these actors who played the couple AB and CD.

Todays actors are neither connected to a certain studio nor it is wished to have the same couple over and over again, just because the characters who should be portrayed would move to the background then.

And this is one of the reason why we will never see Jane and Joe together again, imo: they will be forever Michaela and Sully, and other characters hardly have a chance against this image.

I must say that I prefer the philosophy today, even if it means less glamourous, almost godlike stars.

[Jen]

I was already going to go to bed but then I saw your post here, Ella. So it's really your fault that I'm up so late... This discussion is too interesting and so I just couldn't resist.

I would say Damages isn't an amazing tv series other than considering Glenn Close's performance in it. In fact, if she weren't in it, I don't think I'd watch it at all. But anyway, she's playing this boss from hell sort of like Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada minus even the slightest hint of empathy/humour. Somehow it seems she's really good at playing these psychological parts (and yes I'm sure I'll enjoy her in Fatal Attraction - I just have to make sure I won't start watching it late at night! )

I think you made a very good point about old Hollywood stars. I guess most of them were marketed as this star product and this helped to create the concept of a true star as something opposite to the general public and "just a regular person". So maybe the film stars were seen more as products: when they were cast in a certain film, people could already expect certain things from that film before they had even seen it. As you say, we can recognise when actors like Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn, and many other big names, make their appearance in a film in a few seconds just by the way they make that entrance. Being a contract actor can be great if you have a successful concept, but I guess it must have been really hard for some actors as well. When you think of what happened to Bette Davis, it's really quite sad. She had a contract with Warner Bros and was always cast in the same kind of role although she fought hard for being allowed to choose something different for a change. Luckily for her, she managed to do a few great films after she had left Warner, but I also read that losing the lawsuit against the company really damaged her career in the long run. If she could have chosen more roles that really interested herself, who knows what the outcome could have been? *sigh* But if people like her hadn't fought the system, I guess the film industry would be very different today. So good for Bette.

I think today's actors are really lucky in the respect that they can mostly choose their films themselves (except if they really need the money and have to accept some strange roles...but that's a different thing). Because of this we've seen so versatile roles from the same actors. My favourite example is of course Meryl Streep (sorry for all those people who are tired of me mentioning her name... ). It's just really astonishing how many different characters one person can portray believably. Or people like Cate Blanchett too, who seems to transform herself into a different psyche for each new film she makes. On the other hand, then there are people like Jack Nicholson who somehow seem to end up portraying similar roles again and again (with some exceptions of course). But I would say he does it pretty damn well, though, so I'll forgive him.

[Gemma]

What an amazing discussion!
I agree with you Jen, in the old times actors were more like theatre stars, also we must think they were the first ones beginning a new kind of art, it was brand new, like in silent films. Have I said that I love silent films? I've just discovered Rudolph Valentine and he was a legend indeed. But what I think regarding the Seventh Art for me it is the same like in painting, literature, architecture, music. IMHO nowdays it is as if everything was simpler, less crafted, in other words, poorer. Ir seems as if we had the means but not the inspiration.
Also many classic actors combined the big screen with Broadway stages, they were actors in the wide sense of the word. And stars like Orson Wells or Laurence Oliver combined Hollywood with Shakespeare. To me an actor in order to be a complete one needs to perform this classic texts, like a musician has to play Bach or Mozart. Some other actors came from other disciplines but their background was definetly a plus. My beloved Cary Grant came from the circus. Maybe that is the reason why I prefer British actors, because I think they tend to have this curriculum of classic drama. And here we could mention our dear Jane Seymour.
Regarding actors, perhaps they are more natural, but I personally think they tend to act as they are and we can see the same actor portraying different characters but exactly in the same way with some rare exceptions during their careers. But I am very biased as I've said before and I simply cannot find films that move me so much as films from the 30s or 40s. I enjoy some actors like Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Kenneth Brannagh but most of the time I am thinking they are not doing their best. Take just an example, Casablanca versus The Bridges of Madison County (this one is dedicated to Jen ). They are both good films but I cannot avoid preferring the first one although I understand many people will disagree. I am extremely old fashioned.

You are so right about actors and contracts with the companies. But I think these companies gave them great roles, maybe too similar as Bette Davis, I must admit I am not a big fan of her though. Once I saw a comedy with her, it was excellent, June Bride, it is really different from her most well-known movies.
With classic Hollywood it was also a mix of everything: good stories, great scripts, music, directors. Talking about directors for example, for me nothing compares to Lubitsch, Capra, Cukor, Ford, Hitchcock, I almost love all their films, what I cannot say of directors that I like nowdays, like Tim Burton (especially since I have to endure Elena Bonham Carter in all of his movies), Woody Allen or Steven Spielberg. Something very strange happens to me with present movies, with the ones I like, I only enjoy some parts which I find great but the rest leaves me indifferent. Like in Pirates of The Caribbean where I find wonderful the scenes reminding of old piracy movies, with swordsmen and vessels but there are the dull parts too.

About Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy versus Jane Seymour and Joe Lando, I can say apart from their chemistry on screen they had a special relationship too, like them. And that was along the years until Guess who's coming to dinner. I can imagine Joe and Jane in a film in ten years and still getting it. But in their case they are kind of struggling to get themselves casted together again. That is wonderful. I would dare to say their videoblog is made on that purpose (apart from their infinite generosity to their fans). I see them strong willed and I am pretty sure they'll get it (don't make me sad Ella saying they won't ). We have seen people like Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin... perhaps for ludicrous purposes. If some producer understands Joe and Jane together again means making money, I am sure they'll hire this combo.

[Jen]

Cool! I haven't actually seen that many silent films. Of course some of Charlie Chaplin and such, but not really that many others. I should really.

I agree with you that some older films really seem like pieces of art in all their beauty and detail. But I wouldn't say that all today's films are absolute rubbish either. Clearly, there are box office hits that focus more on the exciting story and showing off all the latest special effects and such, but many smaller productions (and some bigger films as well) do surprise now and then. It's maybe not the best example, but it was the first film that came to my mind today: Amélie. I would say it was visually and artistically very thoroughly thought - all the shades of bright red and green. I really thought WOW when I first saw it. I also enjoy the way music seems to play more and more important role in the films today. One of my favourite combinations of strong music and aesthetic aspects in contemporary films is The Hours. The way the music is so prominent in it really adds an extra touch to the film, in my opinion. But of course all these depend on what everyone's personal preferences are.

Interesting. I would never have thought of comparing Casablanca and The Bridges of Madison County. I mean, alright, they are both romances when you think of it, but I also think there's something very different in the meaning of the films. Casablanca to me is quite a political film with an exciting storyline whereas The Bridges plays more on the emotional level of a personal experience and not so significant story. I wouldn't say The Bridges is a classic film at all. It's appeal to me is more on the amazing performances and the feeling it evokes in me. Casablanca, on the other hand, is more like a classic, eternal story with great cinematography. You will probably throw some at me for saying this, but it was the very first film with Ingrid Bergman I saw and somehow she didn't really touch me that much. Obviously, she was drop-dead gorgeous, but I just didn't see anything unusual in her performance. But I'm going to watch some more of her films later to get a wider view, so no worries.

I do agree with you that with some classic films of old Hollywood, it was the whole package that mattered. And with most of the films that are still remembered today, this really created a very strong and wholesome artistic experience. I can't say the same about some of these romantic comedies of today's that I will forget a few days after I've seen them. But I would also say that sometimes studios even in the "good olden days" seemed to use the same concept too much which resulted in forgettable films made in a hurry and with a very small budget. So in a way, that hasn't changed so much I guess.

I think it's interesting that you see Jane Seymour and Joe Lando as an ultimate romantic pairing like Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. I've never really thought of them that way, because I only know them from Dr. Quinn (plus a few of Jane Seymour's films I've happened to see). I'm not so sure that I would like to see them outside Dr. Quinn, to be honest. For me, their chemistry worked perfectly in this series, and it was really surprising how much tension there was between them during the first few seasons. But if they are taken outside the characters of Michaela and Sully...would it still feel the same, or would we just be watching Michaela and Sully being something else than Michaela and Sully? Hmmm, I'll have to think about this a bit more. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion, Gemma. But maybe this is also because I don't really like it that much when the same actors play opposite each other a lot, unless the story is very different and unusual for them. Somehow I tend to get distracted and start to compare their new film to another one I've seen earlier, and then it's suddenly not about their current film anymore but about that old one. If that makes any sense.

[Gemma]

Well, we've got the videoblog they recorded last July, it is not a film but they are quite artistic and I can see they still have that magic when they are together and truth is that they don't seem like Michaela and Sully but a modern pair and very comical too. Have you seen it?
I would like them in a period movie or series, if I had to choose, but anything would be ok for me.
I was quite shocked when I watched the episode Woman of The Year, there is a film by Katharine and Spencer called exactly this way and it is about a husband and her wife and how her nomination affects the couple. Quite coincidental. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence and the writers thought exactly like I do.

About classic movies, well I am not a big fan of Casablanca, I prefer Gone with the Wind and Dr. Quinn reminds a lot of GwTW. I strongly agree with some good movies nowdays, but I have a strange taste and they are very few movies for me. I loved Amélie too and there was that wonderful music, I even went to a concert of Yann Tiersen, I also love Russian movies by Nikita Mikhalkov like Burnt by The Sun or The Barber of Siberia. And some dogma movies. I prefer European cinema rather than commercial movies and I am a big fan of Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auiteil. I can see anything with them because I find them so handsome (I have a peculiar taste regarding men) and in their case I don't mind if the movie is bad. And I hate Almodovar very much (I find Spanish cinema the worst one in the world). Oh, and for me the best movies nowdays are animated ones, I am looking forward to seeing Magadascar 2, and I adored Walli.e and Cars.

[Jen]

Oh I think I've seen only one of those videoblogs (or were there even more than one?). From what I remember it was very funny indeed. Maybe it's just me who has hard time seeing them together as anything else but Michaela and Sully. But I'm sure if the script was great, they could very well surprise me. That chemistry they had in Dr. Quinn didn't just come out of nowhere, it still has to be somewhere there.

Originally Posted by Gemma

I was quite shocked when I watched the episode Woman of The Year, there is a film by Katharine and Spencer called exactly this way and it is about a husband and her wife and how her nomination affects the couple. Quite coincidental. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence and the writers thought exactly like I do.

Oh yeah?! That's really too funny! If it was a similar story in the film as well, maybe they were aware of it. Cool.

[Jen]

Gemma, since you adore Katharine Hepburn, you've probably already seen this interview on YouTube, but I wanted to post the link here anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zimT5...e=channel_page

It's an interview from 1973. Apparently the first interview she ever gave on tv (not sure if she did others after that?). I was just watching it but didn't see all of it yet. Such a wonderful interview, though: the interviewer lets her speak and doesn't interrupt. She's got so many interesting thoughts about acting and fame. Definitely worth watching for anyone who's interested in films!

[Preston-Lover]

This thread is great!

Here’s my list of favorites:

Jason Leland Adams
John Hannah
Jim Carrey
Owen Wilson
Antonio Banderas
Rowan Atkinson
Will Smith
Jack Black
Nicole Kidman
Colin Firth
Nicolas Cage
Eddie Murphy

I also like Tom Felton and Evanna Lynch, but only because they play Draco & Luna, my favorite ship in Harry Potter

[Jen]

I didn't know where to put this, but I'm just so sad that Bea Arthur (Dorothy from Golden Girls) passed away yesterday. I was just watching Golden Girls last night and it felt so surreal to find out the news today. She was one great lady with real talent for comedy, and I'm sure her work will be remembered for a very long time. RIP.