Actors That Fooled You Into Thinking They Could Act

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 25, 2008, 7:02 pm

http://www.themovieblog.com/2008/03/act ... -could-act

"Actors with one movie that fooled you into thinking they could act" is the entire title of the article.

Not going to paste the article as it's better with the actor's picture beside the comments but here's his list:

1) Hayden Christensen (Life as a House)
2) Heather Graham (Boogie Nights)
3) Chris O’Donnell (Scent of a Woman)
4) Amanda Peet (The Whole 9 Yards)
5) Kate Hudson (Almost Famous)
6) Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)
7) Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite)
8) Ed Furlong (American History X)
9) Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings)

I've liked some of Mira Sorvino's other movies so I disagree with that one. I'd add Cuba Gooding Jr to the list.

There's a lot of other actors/actresses suggested in the comments of that article. Although I like Nicolas Cage's movies, I'd have to agree that he's not a great actor. He's also not a one hit wonder.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » March 25, 2008, 7:25 pm

Hayden has to be my least favorite actor / person in all of existence. His movies are so terribly acted, and he gets so much money and notoreity for being such a useless douchebag... If this was Fight Club and Edward Norton asked me who I wanted to beat up, it would be him.

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » March 25, 2008, 7:28 pm

I must admit i like John Heder, he was great in both Napoleon Dynamite, Blades of Glory, and School for Scoundrels

. But yeah, the rest sound about right

Ok, i enjoyed Amanda Peet in Identity, but that was the movie, not her

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 25, 2008, 7:56 pm

Hesten wrote:I must admit i like John Heder, he was great in both Napoleon Dynamite, Blades of Glory, and School for Scoundrels . But yeah, the rest sound about right Ok, i enjoyed Amanda Peet in Identity, but that was the movie, not her

I thought Heder was also good in Mama's Boy as well so I'd have to disagree with that one also.

Spang · Post by **Spang** » March 25, 2008, 10:53 pm

I thought Heather Graham was good in the Scrubs' episodes she guest starred in, and Orlando Bloom was good at falling out of a helicopter in Black Hawk Down.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » March 25, 2008, 11:54 pm

What type of idiot ever thought that Hayden Christensen could act in the first place? He's fucking terrible and always has been.

Orlando Bloom was good as Legolas, but a role like that would be surprisingly easy to play. The more one dimensional you get to be the easier it is (at least that's what I've found anytime I've acted - I do several performances a month atm). He was pretty terrible in Pirates of the Caribbean, but that whole trilogy is fucking terrible anyway.

The only people I can think of that have let me down recently are the two main guys in Shoot Em Up. Clive Owen was awesome in Sin City, and passable in Children of Men (although the actors in that film are godawful) - but terrible in this film. Although Shoot em up was fucking awful anyway.

The other guy in it was sad to watch too. Cant remember his name, he was the main guy in Sideways (fantastic film) - but in Shoot em up he's just retarded.

Trek · Post by **Trek** » March 26, 2008, 12:59 am

Nick wrote:What type of idiot ever thought that Hayden Christensen could act in the first place? He's fucking terrible and always has been.

The other guy in it was sad to watch too. Cant remember his name, he was the main guy in Sideways (fantastic film) - but in Shoot em up he's just retarded.

Totally agree

I would have to put Keanu Reeves on that list. He is in quite a few movies I like, but not because of him.

Drinsic Darkwood · Post by **Drinsic Darkwood** » March 26, 2008, 1:08 am

I thought Hayden Christensen did fine in Shattered Glass. =/

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 26, 2008, 1:32 am

"Hay"den Christensen was horrible in Jumper (and so was the entire movie)

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » March 26, 2008, 1:42 am

Cuba Gooding Jr wins in a landslide. They should be able to take Oscars back.

miir · Post by **miir** » March 26, 2008, 10:28 am

Trek wrote:I would have to put Keanu Reeves on that list. He is in quite a few movies I like, but not because of him.

I think it's universally accepted that Keanu Reeves is not a good actor.
He's been extremely fortunate to be cast in roles that didn't require much (or any) acting ability.

Daboohk · Post by **Daboohk** » March 26, 2008, 10:52 am

Nick wrote:The other guy in it was sad to watch too. Cant remember his name, he was the main guy in Sideways (fantastic film) - but in Shoot em up he's just retarded.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0316079/

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » March 26, 2008, 12:19 pm

Lol, yeah, Keanu Reeves. If there were a "cannot act at all" list, he would be on it, but not in a "fooled you into thinking he could act" movie

.
Hell, he is like Zoolander, got one look, and smost people dont notice he cant look any different

Btw Nick, youre wrong. Michael Caine was great in Children of Men, if nothing else, then just to see him be a long haired, hash smoking hippie leftover

Morgrym · Post by **Morgrym** » March 26, 2008, 1:10 pm

I like Orlando Bloom, I thought he did an awesome job in Kingdom of Heaven and was passable as a character I did not like in Troy. Perhaps I have no taste

Hayden killed Star Wars, that is all.

Drinsic Darkwood · Post by **Drinsic Darkwood** » March 26, 2008, 3:25 pm

Lucas killed Star Wars.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » March 26, 2008, 4:31 pm

Kevin Costner is the king of bad actors that have fooled everyone.

miir · Post by **miir** » March 26, 2008, 4:56 pm

Kilmoll the Sexy wrote:Kevin Costner is the king of bad actors that have fooled everyone.

I actually think he's a decent actor... but there's no arguing that he's a right fucking awful director.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » March 26, 2008, 5:03 pm

He is a better director than actor. He has just benefitted GREATLY from having some incredible movies they put him into.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » March 26, 2008, 5:10 pm

I forgot about Michael Caine, yeah he was good in Children of Men. I think there are a lot of noticeably bad actors in that film though, regardless of Caine's involvement.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 26, 2008, 5:34 pm

Kilmoll the Sexy wrote:Kevin Costner is the king of bad actors that have fooled everyone.

Kevin doesn't suck at acting but he's a one trick pony. Monotone, mostly emotionless roles are his only hope.

Is Ben Affleck so bad that he isn't even worth mentioning on a fooled you list? He never fooled anyone!

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » March 27, 2008, 12:47 pm

eh, I think Ben Affleck and Kevin Costner are good in comedies (any Kevin Smith movie, and Tin Cup are great examples). However, they usually suck in everything else.

Boiler Room was cool though.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » March 27, 2008, 3:53 pm

Winnow wrote: 1) Hayden Christensen (Life as a House)
2) Heather Graham (Boogie Nights)
3) Chris O’Donnell (Scent of a Woman)
4) Amanda Peet (The Whole 9 Yards)
5) Kate Hudson (Almost Famous)
6) Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)
7) Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite)
Ed Furlong (American History X)
9) Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings)

1) He was good in some things, but ever since he worked for Lucas, he is absolutely terrible.
2) I believe this has more to do with the roles she is given. She has been excellent in some indoi stuff I have seen her in as well as her small role in Scrubs, someone else mentioned.
3) This guy sucks balls so bad he managed to stick out in the batman movies he was in as being worse than everything else in them.
4) She plays one character and shows her tits, so people give her a pass.
5) I think before she went the Sandra Bullock route of formulaic romantic comedies she was descent, but now she is just lazy.
6) Absolutely disagree here. The guy is funny and entertaining in every movie I have seen him in.
7) Completely off the mark here, as well. She has had several good roles (some of which have been in bad movies).

This is what happens when a kid starts porking his agent and doing coke. He belongs on this list.
9) I wouldn't call him a bad actor, but he deffinately got full of himself when he started doing these big scale fantasy pictures and his acting went south.

As for Keanue Reeves, he gets some of the roles he has done because of his willingness to do all the training and special effects bullshit, but anyone who thinks he never could act should go back and watch Parenthood, Devil's Advocate, and My Own Private Idaho. Will Smith is kind of in the same boat as Reeves, as someone who acted well in small films then started phoning it in because they were making big money movies and willing to deal with all the extra bullshit involved in action/sci-fi movies, but Smith has gone back to doing occasional drama movies every once in a while (Ali), so he is not as bad.

Cuba was a victim of his own success and let himself be typecast into one role for the money and it destroyed any claim he had on being a real actor. He deffinately belongs on top of that list.

If Kate Hudsen is up on that list, I really think Sandra Bullock, Halley Berry, Sharon Stone, and Jennifer Anniston belong up there as well for the similar reasons.

Afleck is an enigma, because with the right director or script he is awesome, but in any other case he is average at best. I have to imagine the whole J-Lo thing probably didn't help him out any, either. On the one hand, you have Goodwill Hunting, Boiler Room, his small part in Smoking Aces, Dazed and Confused, and just about any Kevin Smith Movie, where he is excellent. But on the other hand, you have Gigli, Pearl Harbor, Daredevil, and the one Jack Ryan movie he did. I think he is capable of acting well, but he is lazy about it so it comes down to who he is working with.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » March 27, 2008, 4:42 pm

I loved Heather Graham in Twin Peaks!

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » March 27, 2008, 7:56 pm

Canelek wrote:I loved Heather Graham in Twin Peaks!

Yes!

A lot of you are slamming the actors, but most of the cases I'm seeing I think it's a matter of what they had to work with. I think almost anyone would have been terrible as Anakin because George Lucas is a terrible writer with an ego. I heard excellent reviews about him in Shattered Glass. Nicholas Cage has been in a lot of campy movies, but have you seen Adaptation? Leaving Las Vegas? He can be great when there's good material. Shoot Em Up. Just... jesus, just don't bother associating the word acting with that movie. It was unabashedly a movie about shooting things up and that's about it. Not saying either of them, or any of the others, are acting gods here, but the actors can only do so much.

I'll agree with Keanu Reeves tho.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 27, 2008, 8:27 pm

I'm sure you liked her Twin Peaks! That's not acting though!

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » March 27, 2008, 10:36 pm

I would also like to add that Ben Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms.

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » March 27, 2008, 10:38 pm

Dregor Thule wrote:
Canelek wrote:I loved Heather Graham in Twin Peaks!
Yes!

A lot of you are slamming the actors, but most of the cases I'm seeing I think it's a matter of what they had to work with. I think almost anyone would have been terrible as Anakin because George Lucas is a terrible writer with an ego. I heard excellent reviews about him in Shattered Glass. Nicholas Cage has been in a lot of campy movies, but have you seen Adaptation? Leaving Las Vegas? He can be great when there's good material. Shoot Em Up. Just... jesus, just don't bother associating the word acting with that movie. It was unabashedly a movie about shooting things up and that's about it. Not saying either of them, or any of the others, are acting gods here, but the actors can only do so much.

I'll agree with Keanu Reeves tho.

Good point! I was about to agree with everyone, but you are right. Hayden was great in Shattered Glass and Cage was great in Adaptation & especially Leaving Las Vegas. Sometimes the bad acting is really just a bad script.

Siji · Post by **Siji** » March 28, 2008, 1:13 am

Winnow wrote: Ed Furlong

American History X was good, but not because of him. For what he did to The Crow franchise, he needs to be shot.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » March 28, 2008, 3:41 am

Yeah, Nicholas Cage really should choose better films, because some of the one's he has been in have fucking absymal beyond belief (Gone in 60 seconds/The Rock/Ghost Rider) yet in Leaving Las Vegas he is superb. He is a cool actor, and sometimes absolutely fantastic, he just doesn't appear to be able to tell his arse from his elbow on his choice of films.

Same goes for Affleck (Chasing Amy is amazing, Pearl Harbour is fucking terrible.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » March 28, 2008, 3:49 am

The Rock is a classic! I haven't seen it in a long time but I don't remember Cage's performance in there being especially bad.

Xyphir · Post by **Xyphir** » March 28, 2008, 11:43 am

Don't forget Nick Cage in Raising Arizona. I love that scene where he is fighting John Goodman in the trailer.

They've also been playing baseball movies on TBS, so I've seen Field of Dreams and Bull Durham recently. Kevin Costner is good in some things.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 28, 2008, 12:27 pm

The Rock was a great movie. What's wrong with you Nick?

Nickolas Cage has been in many good movies. He's not a bad actor but I think he's one dimensional which isn't bad as long as he's playing the particular style he's good at.

I even enjoyed (the first) National Treasure movie.

Hayden Christensen really does suck as an actor. Don't blame it on the scripts or directors.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » March 28, 2008, 12:37 pm

Siji wrote:
Winnow wrote: Ed Furlong
For what he did to The Crow franchise, he needs to be shot.

The Crow franchise blew to begin with.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » March 28, 2008, 2:46 pm

Zamtuk wrote:
Siji wrote:
Winnow wrote: Ed Furlong
For what he did to The Crow franchise, he needs to be shot.
The Crow franchise blew to begin with.

Totally blew.

rhyae · Post by **rhyae** » March 31, 2008, 1:01 pm

Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton
They get a lot of work, but neither one can really act imho.
Likeable though, I've had a crush on Michael Biehn since Terminator.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » March 31, 2008, 4:49 pm

rhyae wrote:Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton
They get a lot of work, but neither one can really act imho.
Likeable though, I've had a crush on Michael Biehn since Terminator.

I dunno, Michael Biehn was pretty good in the Abyss as the crazy fucker army guy. And Bill Paxton should have gotten an Oscar for his role as Chet in Weird Science! Besides, both were in Aliens and thus exempt from any need to act. They're just badass by default. GAME OVER, MAN! GAME OVER!

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » March 31, 2008, 4:51 pm

Never would have considered Bill Paxton, but now that I think about the roles he's been in... yeah, not much range there...

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 31, 2008, 4:58 pm

rhyae wrote:Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton

I mildly disagree with these two as well.

The Aliens connection for both is almost an automatic exemption as mentioned above.

Bieghn

Terminator
Aliens
Abyss
The Rock

Paxton

Aliens
Twister
Titanic (thought his part of the movie was ok)
Apollo 13
Tombstone

They aren't going to win oscars but I think they did a good job in their roles. I consider them limited actors (give them the right role and they'll do ok)

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » March 31, 2008, 5:29 pm

Winnow wrote:Paxton

Aliens
Twister
Titanic (thought his part of the movie was ok)
Apollo 13
Tombstone

They aren't going to win oscars but I think they did a good job in their roles. I consider them limited actors (give them the right role and they'll do ok)

Going to just come out and say it: Twister sucked! Not really relevant to the topic at hand but I cringe everytime someone mentions that movie. It's like.. The Core kinda bad.

Aardor · Post by **Aardor** » March 31, 2008, 5:31 pm

Aslanna wrote:
Winnow wrote:Paxton

Aliens
Twister
Titanic (thought his part of the movie was ok)
Apollo 13
Tombstone

They aren't going to win oscars but I think they did a good job in their roles. I consider them limited actors (give them the right role and they'll do ok)
Going to just come out and say it: Twister sucked! Not really relevant to the topic at hand but I cringe everytime someone mentions that movie. It's like.. The Core kinda bad.

They nuked the tornado?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 31, 2008, 5:43 pm

I won't defend Twister but for some reason, whenever I see it while channel surfing, I can't seem to turn it off.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » March 31, 2008, 5:46 pm

My father loves to watch Twister. I don't really get it, but he's seen it so many times. Maybe something in his brain adapted to it always being on TV. Was either enjoy it or go insane with hatred.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 31, 2008, 5:59 pm

Dregor Thule wrote:My father loves to watch Twister. I don't really get it, but he's seen it so many times. Maybe something in his brain adapted to it always being on TV. Was either enjoy it or go insane with hatred.

he just wants to see the cow pass by...one....more....time

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 31, 2008, 6:23 pm

It's the haunting suspenseful music that plays whenever a twister is nearby!

Trek · Post by **Trek** » March 31, 2008, 9:27 pm

rhyae wrote:Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton
They get a lot of work, but neither one can really act imho.
Likeable though, I've had a crush on Michael Biehn since Terminator.

Both Biehn and Paxton have played characters that I like and doubt that a different actor in those parts would produce favorable results. This doesnt mean I think they are great actors or anything, but they can be good in the right roles.

Keverian FireCry · Post by **Keverian FireCry** » March 31, 2008, 10:37 pm

Bill Paxton pretty much plays Bill Paxton in everything he's been in.

I do enjoy a lot of things he's been in (Big Love, A Simple Plan & Apollo 13).

Biehn also plays himself in every movie and never really "fooled" me into thinking of him as a good actor. He's in sci-fi/action movies and generally plays his role well enough for the part he's given. I've always liked him as a B-list actor...especially in Terminator and Aliens(which Paxton was also in).

In conclusion: Aliens rocks