Finding Truth in the Craft of Acting. Also, Opinion(s) About Blockbusters and the MCU
Acting is lying. Hear me out.
We all lie everyday - we don't even realize it. Sometimes we lie consciously, other times we lie unconsciously. An acting coach would call the second one naturalistic, I believe.
But the greatest actors tap into the truth of that lie which they are attempting to tell; the truth that’s in the character.
If a character is inauthentic in writing or execution, there’s no chance of passing off what is outright fiction or embellishment, as real.
All movies are fantasy — to some degree or another, even those that claim to be ‘based on real events’ or ‘inspired by a true story’. Therefore, if all involved do not succeed in crafting a final product that fully deceives the audience the piece in question will suffer heavily.
For in the process of action the actor gradually obtains the mastery over the inner incentives of the actions of the character he is representing, evoking in himself the emotions and thoughts which resulted in those actions. In such a case, an actor not only understands his part, but also feels it, and that is the most important thing in creative work on the stage.[1] -From Stanislavski’s System (The Method)
The process of ‘getting into character’ - when looked at in a certain way — can be considered one of the grandest lies ever told and it is more than necessary that an artist is sincere while performing such a feat. Akin to a magician who promises the audience: the magic is real. All the while knowing that the people who observe him are scrutinizing his every move; very aware that he will perform a trick. (Note: I realized after the fact that my thinking here is perhaps informed by a film by Christopher Nolan called ‘The Prestige’. ‘The Presige’ states the point I’m making here. So I’ll give credit, where credit is due.
Hell, I even reviewed it on this very wevsite. Not that I’m self-advertising or anything…)
Ah, where were we?
Suspension of Disbelief & Immersion:
There are those that suspend their disbelief a tad bit more easily — the majority of audience goers complain about anything that ‘takes them out of the world’ of the movie. Suspension of disbelief is the biggest obstacle to viewer immersion.
The main actors job isn’t just to come off as likeable as they can, no, it’s to completely draw a person in, making them believe in a world presented on screen, even if that world has obstensibly unrealistic elements. It’s likely that one of the myriad reasons Hollywood seems to be suffering (especially in the department of nuanced and believable portrayals of characters) is simply due to the fact that filmmakers now have access to a larger array of tools -- so things like casting and acting ends up taking a backseat.
I would argue this it is also true in Hollywood - that just like acting, writing is suffering because of a lack of inspiration - in part due to more modern facets of filmmaking; CGI, Motion Capture, AI, 3D Effects, Special FX, Explosive Set-pieces, Costuming, Makeup.
Now the last couple of aspects of filmmaking I mentioned (Costuming & Makeup/practical FX), aren’t really brand new developments in the field. And they actually produce better results than the aforementioned categories, however without stellar acting even that positive - is hard to count. Majority of folks seem to love the resurgence of flamboyant wardrobe and makeup choices that these big budget films have helped to herald in.
However please remember — style in a visual medium is necessary, yes, but it is far from everything.
Most people will bitch about ‘shoddy’ CGI in a Marvel film while simultaneously complimenting it’s choices in makeup and costume design. Rarely do people disagree with the statement “well, they certainly know who to make one of these films look like a comic book!”
The problem here being — that they don’t always know how to make it feel like one.
Or if a studio or director does -- it’s not a very good comic book. It’s some back-issue no body wants.
IE: Blue Beetle, Eternals & Madame Web. A few recent examples of Marvel blunders at the box office.
The MCU suffered from severe quality control issue besides the few bright points we’ve had here and there like: Iron Man I, Civil War, first Avenger, and Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame.
Also Thor Ragnarok - that movie wasn’t bad.
To be fair, I was never one who thought the acting was ever up to the level it could be in the MCU.
Want some good acting in a comic property?
Go watch Todd Phillip’s Joker — or Legion on FX network. Both are ingenious shows.
Sources:
[1] Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislavski%27s_system
Written & Edited by: Lee Fenton
