Agreed probably had one of the biggest career turnarounds of all time. He totally redefined who he was as an actor. His performance in true detective s1 is absolutely phenomenal and where I was like wow is this even the same actor lol
I'd agree so far. (Started season 3, currently halted watching for various reasons, but plan on continuing in a day or two.) Season 2 was a snooze fest.
Sad part is that the actors in S2 can be good (Colin Farrell especially), but that season was so weak. It didn't really have a conclusion so much as it just ended. Horrible season.
I am not even joking when I say that the only modicum of enjoyment me and my dad had during that season was the 2-3 brief torture scenes.
Although I did personally get a laugh out of Colin Farrell threatening the bully kid and his father:
>"If you ever bully or hurt anybody again, I'll come back and butt fuck your father with your mom's headless corpse on this goddamn lawn."
,mainly because of the exasparated way he delivered that very specific threat with a straight face.
Also, my dad quipping "Aren't you going to a luxury hooker party?" during episode 5 got a chuckle out of me.
I’ve seen bits and pieces of that season and thought he was alright but I will say even though it’s a comedy movie I thought he was very convincing as a villain type role in starsky and hutch lmao
Let’s be fair here, he had a couple iconic roles and some great work before anyone knew him as a pretty boy rom com chump, he was in Dazed and Confused, A Time to Kill (starred), and Amistad, before he was in a chick flick.
He definitely got typecast for a long while and I didn't know anything else from him until Mud (which he was amazing in) but he had definitely proven he was a great actor before once I went back and watched some of his other stuff.
I always think wrestlers just don’t get good parts at first in Hollywood.
Folks casting don’t realize that the best wrestlers aren’t just jacked dudes, they’re talkers. Minimum 52 nights a year they need to be able to get on the mic move the plot and get over with the audience.
Hated that smoke jumper comedy he made. Terrible acting all around. He really pulled a 180 with Stanicky. His ability to switch between the fake character and the washed up actor character was brilliant.
Now hear me out lol
Dave Bautista
We’re all used to his silly/badass persona. Playing in guardians/ glass onion/ My spy lol but his performance in Knock at the cabin really impressed me. He showed some serious chops and made me feel a ton of emotion. Dave is my guy
If you told me in the mid-00s Big Dave would become a Hollywood star, I would've laughed at you. If you told me he'd be a legit actor, not just a bag of muscle, I would've sought help for you.
What a way to set up Kay as indestructible than to have Big Dave literally smash him through a wall. There’s definitely skill to his brutality in that scene.
I feel like when Dwayne Johnson started his acting career, he was trying to develop a range before having enough money and becoming one of the most powerful people on the planet made him go "Screw it! I'll just play myself."
I hope that Dave Bautista continues that path of becoming more of an actor and less of a movie star
He was my favorite part of Guardians, always made me laugh. And in Dune he was perfect, I appreciated his performance even more after I read the book. In Part 2, when he goes ballistic on the guy in the war room, it gives me chills every time.
His non verbal scene when the fremen overrun their attack floored me. It wasn't even that expressive, but he looked absolutely terrified and shell shocked at what was happening.
Agreed! I feel that a lot of the best actors like, like Julianne Moore, can portray emotions effectively without crying, screaming or other overt actions. It's more realistic, and real terror can be stupifying.
I remember he was on some British talk show and he said very clearly that he did not want to be typecast as the meathead big guy and really wanted to perfect his art and be able to take on different roles.
Jensen Ackles
He was a terrible actor for a long time in Supernatural. That show basically taught him how to act, now in The Boys he's fantastic.
His voice acting is also fantastic now.
HEAVY improvement. Go watch early supernatural seasons, he's absolutely horrible.
Michael Shannon is a acting god. I have yet to watch a movie with him that I haven't throughly enjoyed his portrayal of a character, good or evil, that hasn't been absolutely brilliant.
Ben Affleck.
His growth from “Matt Damon’s stoned buddy” to a guy who puts in some brutally emotional performances…
You have to take your hat off to the guy.
- 2x Oscars
- 3x Golden Globes
- 2x BAFTA’s
- 2x SAGA’s
Argo was great. The Town was great. The Way Back was great. Gone, Baby, Gone (Director) was fantastic.
i first saw him in chasing amy back when in came out. might be his best performance.
and he was low key really good in bounce.
and his performance in GWH is way more nuanced than damon's stonner buddy. that's he get the best monologue in the whole movie. and his performance in the "retainer" scene is amazing.
bu i don't think the acting has gotten bette over the years. but his performances in the tender bar and the way back are massively underrated
>that's he get the best monologue in the whole movie.
Every time people need to see an example of someone being a friend that genuinely cares and wants what's best for you, I will show them that scene!
sean doesn't get him to move on. lambeau doesn't get him to move on. skylar doesn't get him to move on. his best friend gets him to leave and move on, the one guy who made him feel safe.
Mark Hammil. Watched him in House of Usher and it’s hard to believe he’s the same actor that was in Star Wars. Obv his voice acting is phenomenal as well
Keanu- not saying he’s gotten to Olivier tier (and he’s more a “a star” than “an actor”) but he’s gotten to the point that he’s more than convincing in what he chooses for himself. Say what you want about that last matrix movie, I maintain it’s his best pure acting ever.
Daniel Radcliffe. He's still not great, but even amongst other child actors, he was exceptionally bad. It's only in his last couple of movies that he's stopped standing out as terrible.
+1 for Radcliffe. Movies aside, I just recently saw him on stage in Merrily We Roll Along and was blown away. He’s not extraordinary (especially when sharing the stage with Jonathan Groff) but he’s close. He gave a delightful performance.
I’ve been enjoying Bryce Dallas Howard’s career, I feel like her growth is very organic and in front of us and there are even stumbles. But overall the actress that she has become from where she started is pretty incredible. She seems like a very nice person, which is bonus points!
Her role in (I think) the American Horror Story first season really made me dislike her for some reason, it was her character and a very unlikeable character. But it stuck for some reason, so everytime I see her face I can't stand it haha.
Nothing against her, she's very talented but that role did something to me haha.
I get it, sometimes there are actors that play roles where it really sticks that it's all you ever see whenever you look at them. Even if they are playing someone whose completely different!
Millie Brown.
Never saw her until stranger things.
She steadily is getting better.
She keeps popping up in things, and she will eventually land a role that elevates her as an actress.
Agreed. She has a lot of range too. She can be dramatic, vulnerable, strong, and has comedic timing. I've seen in Intruders, Stranger Things and Enola Holmes and they are very different roles.
Honestly? Bradley Cooper.
I know we give him shit for his tryhard Oscar stuff but he has really broadened out in terms of variety to his performances. Like yeah, he’s not always the best actor there, but he definitely works his ass off and has expanded his portfolio.
See I feel the opposite. He was so natural and funny in his older smaller roles. NOW THATS WHAT I CALL A SACK LUNCH OMNOMNOMNOM is a hilarious line. He did a lot of great shit after the hangover, but since like 2017 onwards he’s gotten so generic “good actor guy” with his roles because of the shit year he had in 2015.
It is always hard to tell if they improved - certainly they gained more experience - or if they failed upwards to better productions. An actor's performance on screen is often due to the director, cinematographer and editor having the skill to capture the best moments in front of the camera and support it with all the resources of a major production.
It could be that they weren't giving bad performances in their earlier films as well, but that the production around them didn't care to support them.
Morgan Freeman started on the Electric Company. Mark Walberg was Marky Mark. Bill Burr had a bit role in Breaking Bad over 10 years ago. Just a few I can think of.
She's already had to play such a vast extreme of roles, and she has killed it every time. I know that nepotism does play a part in her success, that's just logic, but she plays really dangerous roles that could make or break her, and I applaud her for that. It's like she knows what her family brings her, and she wants to show that she is beyond that...it makes me love her even more. She's wonderful, no way to say it otherwise. She's in my top 5 women actresses just because I love her so much, and because she busts her ass to perform.
What I love the most about her performance in “A Teacher” is how she made me feel so conflicted towards her, especially when it came to her relationship with her student she has an attraction towards (and had great on-screen chemistry with Nick Robinson who plays him).
Even though you know what she’s doing is wrong, and is clearly manipulating the poor kid into putting so much burden on his shoulders to make it seem like he’s initiating their relationship. Mara handled her chatacter’s complexities so well, that she’s careful with not making her a complete monster but a very flawed person that clearly needs professional help.
I haven't watched that yet!!! But you just gave me my go to movie to check out...I skimmed your comment because I hate spoilers, but you didn't reveal anything, so I'm excited to see this one. She's such a special actress.
She’s always had the ability. It’s just better writing and better parts. Perhaps she has intervened more. Great actors change the dialogue to make more sense.
He was ok. The thing with Ethan Hawke for me was that as a younger actor, even into his late 20s, he was always noticeably ‘acting’. He was never bad, sometimes he was good, but it was in a style that when you notice it is very annoying. Waving your hands around to empathize a point, just acting in a way that looks ok on screen but is not natural. Again… not bad acting at all but not great acting.
I think he has developed into a truely great actor. He really gets lost in his roles, he seems completely natural and believable to me. He’s more subtle.
See the first movie I saw him in outside of Tapeheads (which is amazing) was Gattaca and I was sold. He also is the narrator for a version of the Slaughterhouse V audiobook and he’s really good.
Reign Over Me is another movie that I thought he showed some good acting ability.
Coincidentally, there seem to be a number of comedians that surprise people by exceeding their expectations when they do a drama/serious movie.
Robin Williams was actually the one I had in mind when I wrote that comment.
Another actor that I had impressed me with his more recent acting ability (last 8-10 years), but not technically a comedian (but was in Hangover), is Bradley Cooper.
I mean most famous celebrities come from wealthy families and had connections that helped them elevate their acting careers.
It’s really hard to pinpoint ones that are really up there that came from nothing, I’m sure there are a lot but none I can think of at the top of my head
Also I just recently remembered, Eminem also grew up in poverty and had to work extremely hard, made so many sacrifices in order to get discovered and he did all of this while raising his daughter; Hailie.
He raps a lot about his backstory in many of his songs!
I have fond memories of the Rosie O’Donnell season. Really the whole show, I got into it when I was like 13/14 and watched it every week religiously. I haven’t seen it in probably 10-11 years though. I should watch it again too
A lot of people not getting OPs question. Adam Sandler was always a good actor, so was Michael Shannon, and Ben affleck, and Matthew mcconaughey. They were always great actors. Adam Sandler is a comedian first and he found a way to get vacations for his childhood friends, and good work for his employees thanks to his trash comedies. Mcconaughey made some stinkers in the late 90s and fell off because of them (that movie where Gary oldman plays his dwarf brother Jesus Christ). Shannon just wasn’t famous. Affleck doesn’t even make sense cause the dude was a huge star from go, sure he was behind Damon, but he was huge. None of them were ever bad
Robert Pattinson comes to mind. Zac Efron next.
Zac Efron was wonderful in The Iron Claw
And that Bundy movie. *shudders*
Agree. Bundy performance convinced me.
He was, that film made me cry on an airplane. I knew the story anyway as I'm a wrestling fan
The scene where he cries and is comforted by his sons is so beautiful and poignant
I have a brother and when he said I'm not a brother anymore.... I got something in my eye and stubbed my toe...and happen to cry at that moment
agree, Lighthouse is my favorite movie.
Robert Pattinson, for sure
Pattinson was always good. Twilight just sucked.
Rob went from teenage glowing vampire to Batman. Dude really got better.
Matthew McConaughey Went from a being typecast as a pretty boy, rom-com, eye candy only good for delivering cheesy one-liners, to a serious actor.
Agreed probably had one of the biggest career turnarounds of all time. He totally redefined who he was as an actor. His performance in true detective s1 is absolutely phenomenal and where I was like wow is this even the same actor lol
By far, the best season of that entire show.
I'd say one of the best seasons of any show, ever
I'd agree so far. (Started season 3, currently halted watching for various reasons, but plan on continuing in a day or two.) Season 2 was a snooze fest.
Season 2 was a turd. Vince Vaughan is a very weak dramatic actor.
His character was somehow the best and most interesting thing in that 8 hour endurance test.
Sad part is that the actors in S2 can be good (Colin Farrell especially), but that season was so weak. It didn't really have a conclusion so much as it just ended. Horrible season.
I am not even joking when I say that the only modicum of enjoyment me and my dad had during that season was the 2-3 brief torture scenes. Although I did personally get a laugh out of Colin Farrell threatening the bully kid and his father: >"If you ever bully or hurt anybody again, I'll come back and butt fuck your father with your mom's headless corpse on this goddamn lawn." ,mainly because of the exasparated way he delivered that very specific threat with a straight face. Also, my dad quipping "Aren't you going to a luxury hooker party?" during episode 5 got a chuckle out of me.
I’ve seen bits and pieces of that season and thought he was alright but I will say even though it’s a comedy movie I thought he was very convincing as a villain type role in starsky and hutch lmao
I thought he was utterly unconvincing but I might be in a minority.
The only season (to me)
If you want to see him in a wild, whacky, and DARK movie, watch Killer Joe. It's a crime drama like no other.
S1 is burned in my memory. Best single season of television ever imo.
Idk. He did Amistad and A Time to Kill early on in his career. He was very good in both those films.
Ya this one isn’t right, he was in one of his best roles, A Time to Kill, early in his career
He is definitely an actor I never would've guessed would one day become an Oscar winner
And then he gave us Rust Cole
Let’s be fair here, he had a couple iconic roles and some great work before anyone knew him as a pretty boy rom com chump, he was in Dazed and Confused, A Time to Kill (starred), and Amistad, before he was in a chick flick.
He was also in one of my favorite movies, Lone Star, from same time period. Excellent movie and performance.
Absolutely. Have you seen True Detective season one?
His breakout role was in Time To Kill - he didn't start doing crappy rom coms until we'll after that
I never saw the appeal, dude looks so greasy, and his S's are really whistling now, like Herbert
The McConaissance was real and I enjoyed the ride
He definitely got typecast for a long while and I didn't know anything else from him until Mud (which he was amazing in) but he had definitely proven he was a great actor before once I went back and watched some of his other stuff.
He was always good, he just took a few too many weird and unsuccessful roles in the 90s. He was the best part of that Texas chainsaw remake
John Cena, he's like, actually good now. Robert Pattinson has also drastically improved in standing and ability.
I always think wrestlers just don’t get good parts at first in Hollywood. Folks casting don’t realize that the best wrestlers aren’t just jacked dudes, they’re talkers. Minimum 52 nights a year they need to be able to get on the mic move the plot and get over with the audience.
Cena's face looks like a real life cartoon, so that might not help his ability to get roles.
Cena was doing that shit WAY more than 52 nights a year
Conservatively, I went with 52 Raws a week, but yeah PPVs + everything in between he’s non stop.
John Cena really impressed me in *Peacemaker*
Honestly that show has the best intro in TV history
DO YOU REALLY WANNA DO YOU REALLY WANNA TASTE IT
What's going up must come down
And it’s not even close. The 80’s had peak intro music and they can’t compete.
[удалено]
He was so fucking good in that.
Re: John Cena - I’m sorry, I just don’t see it
I said the same thing, but after watching Ricky Stanicky, I'll give him another chance in his next role. -oo-
(I’m trying to make a joke - cena’s awesome and a great example of op’s question, except, you know… invisible )
Hated that smoke jumper comedy he made. Terrible acting all around. He really pulled a 180 with Stanicky. His ability to switch between the fake character and the washed up actor character was brilliant.
John Cena in Blockers is just an incredible turn
Now hear me out lol Dave Bautista We’re all used to his silly/badass persona. Playing in guardians/ glass onion/ My spy lol but his performance in Knock at the cabin really impressed me. He showed some serious chops and made me feel a ton of emotion. Dave is my guy
If you told me in the mid-00s Big Dave would become a Hollywood star, I would've laughed at you. If you told me he'd be a legit actor, not just a bag of muscle, I would've sought help for you.
I mean, he basically was told “see you back in WWE when that superhero movie flops” when he left in 2014. I don’t think anyone gave him a fair chance.
It was a wrestling thing. If Dave is successful WWE always gets a piece of that by association and of course sweet….sweet ads.
I met him at an OVW show as a child in my tiny Home town Boys and Girls club. Red headed Paul Bearer was there too.
If you told me mid 00s this guy existed I would’ve had no idea who you were talking about
his part, although not very long, in blade runner 2049 was top notch! definitely stuck out to me.
What a way to set up Kay as indestructible than to have Big Dave literally smash him through a wall. There’s definitely skill to his brutality in that scene.
I feel like when Dwayne Johnson started his acting career, he was trying to develop a range before having enough money and becoming one of the most powerful people on the planet made him go "Screw it! I'll just play myself." I hope that Dave Bautista continues that path of becoming more of an actor and less of a movie star
Dwayne "The Ad" Johnson
Yea the bummer about it all is he was so good in Be Cool and then never tried to truly act again.
I agree, upvote also his performance in Blade Runner too
I said in another sub just earlier that Dave Bautista can *act*
His has one of the most diverse role portfolios I've seen for a guy that could easily be type casted as a muscle head action star.
>Now hear me out lol Dave Bautista No need, everybody already agrees
Dave Bautista is awesome. The guy takes his art seriously.
Dave Bautista has turned himself into a real actor
He’s always been an actor.
He was my favorite part of Guardians, always made me laugh. And in Dune he was perfect, I appreciated his performance even more after I read the book. In Part 2, when he goes ballistic on the guy in the war room, it gives me chills every time.
His non verbal scene when the fremen overrun their attack floored me. It wasn't even that expressive, but he looked absolutely terrified and shell shocked at what was happening.
Agreed! I feel that a lot of the best actors like, like Julianne Moore, can portray emotions effectively without crying, screaming or other overt actions. It's more realistic, and real terror can be stupifying.
Don’t be fatuous Jeffery.
Agreed. He does a great job of repping large, sensitive men.
I remember he was on some British talk show and he said very clearly that he did not want to be typecast as the meathead big guy and really wanted to perfect his art and be able to take on different roles.
He's a fantastic actor.
Did a lot with his short time in blade runner.
I love Dave! He really seems to actually enjoy acting and taking risks with his roles.
I totally like Dave Bautista!
Kate Mara is a selling point for me
Jensen Ackles He was a terrible actor for a long time in Supernatural. That show basically taught him how to act, now in The Boys he's fantastic. His voice acting is also fantastic now. HEAVY improvement. Go watch early supernatural seasons, he's absolutely horrible.
I agree and I am a huge Jensen Ackles fan.
Michael Shannon has always been so underrated for me
Michael Shannon is a acting god. I have yet to watch a movie with him that I haven't throughly enjoyed his portrayal of a character, good or evil, that hasn't been absolutely brilliant.
Edit: He's been in some stinkers, but throws himself 100% into every role regardless and is just a joy to watch.
https://youtu.be/dngOH9G4UPw?si=MfYPeA_gC4GDTwnz
Ben Affleck. His growth from “Matt Damon’s stoned buddy” to a guy who puts in some brutally emotional performances… You have to take your hat off to the guy. - 2x Oscars - 3x Golden Globes - 2x BAFTA’s - 2x SAGA’s Argo was great. The Town was great. The Way Back was great. Gone, Baby, Gone (Director) was fantastic.
Watching him as Bruce Wayne, reminding myself that it's really Ben Affleck playing Bruce Wayne. Batfleck was great
i first saw him in chasing amy back when in came out. might be his best performance. and he was low key really good in bounce. and his performance in GWH is way more nuanced than damon's stonner buddy. that's he get the best monologue in the whole movie. and his performance in the "retainer" scene is amazing. bu i don't think the acting has gotten bette over the years. but his performances in the tender bar and the way back are massively underrated
First role I saw him in was Mall Rats, and I hated him for years because I associated him with being that asshole.
You mean Backseat-of-a-volkswagen-hole
Definitely that energy. He was so convincing in that movie, I thought it was just him and couldn't watch his movies for years.
Haha yeah me too.
>that's he get the best monologue in the whole movie. Every time people need to see an example of someone being a friend that genuinely cares and wants what's best for you, I will show them that scene!
sean doesn't get him to move on. lambeau doesn't get him to move on. skylar doesn't get him to move on. his best friend gets him to leave and move on, the one guy who made him feel safe.
Gone Baby Gone is one of my favourite movies, he’s a great director!
Air is an under-the-radar gem.
Was really amazing in Dogma. The writing was there, of course, but he played that role perfectly.
Adam Sandler
Uncut Gems was so good
Agreed, but it was Punch Drunk Love that made me first take him seriously.
*🎵Mr. Sandman…🎵*
Zac Efron probably for me. Just realized how similar she looks to Erin Moriarity from The Boys. Thought for a second it was her actually.
I thought you were talking about Zac Efron at first and was very confused.
Mark Hammil. Watched him in House of Usher and it’s hard to believe he’s the same actor that was in Star Wars. Obv his voice acting is phenomenal as well
House of usher was way better than I was expecting.
she is super hot and I liked her in House of Cards! I think S1 was brilliant
John fucking Cena
Keanu- not saying he’s gotten to Olivier tier (and he’s more a “a star” than “an actor”) but he’s gotten to the point that he’s more than convincing in what he chooses for himself. Say what you want about that last matrix movie, I maintain it’s his best pure acting ever.
Patricia Arquette I never thought much of her, but she's been pretty good recently Boardwalk Empire and The Act come to mind.
Daniel Radcliffe. He's still not great, but even amongst other child actors, he was exceptionally bad. It's only in his last couple of movies that he's stopped standing out as terrible.
He was dope in Swiss Army Man
+1 for Radcliffe. Movies aside, I just recently saw him on stage in Merrily We Roll Along and was blown away. He’s not extraordinary (especially when sharing the stage with Jonathan Groff) but he’s close. He gave a delightful performance.
Kate and Rooney are both good
Rooney in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is just *chefs kiss* she outperformed Daniel Craig in that film
She was great in that. The characters she plays are always interesting
Eva Green
Adam Sandler Jude Law Keira Knightley Sienna Miller Nicholas Hoult
Arnold
I thought she played her part very well in Transsiberian.
Adam Sandler. I don’t know if he got better, or if he was always that good and knew he didn’t have to try for people to see his movies
Kristen Stewart has taken great leap as an actress. Also her movies choices are very intriguing.
She was always pretty good. She was in 'Speak' and 'Panic Room' way before people made assumptions about her acting range in the 'Twilight' series.
I’ve been enjoying Bryce Dallas Howard’s career, I feel like her growth is very organic and in front of us and there are even stumbles. But overall the actress that she has become from where she started is pretty incredible. She seems like a very nice person, which is bonus points!
It took The Nice Guys to show me that Ryan Gosling is actually a pretty good actor.
Kate Mara is awesome in Morgan (2016)
Ben afflek
i thought she was actually scottish when i saw stone of destiny, back when it first came out. even tho it's an irish name
Her role in (I think) the American Horror Story first season really made me dislike her for some reason, it was her character and a very unlikeable character. But it stuck for some reason, so everytime I see her face I can't stand it haha. Nothing against her, she's very talented but that role did something to me haha.
I get it, sometimes there are actors that play roles where it really sticks that it's all you ever see whenever you look at them. Even if they are playing someone whose completely different!
Yeah exactly!
Timothee Chalamet
Kristen Stewart. Thought she was terrible at first and now she’s got some chops.
Millie Brown. Never saw her until stranger things. She steadily is getting better. She keeps popping up in things, and she will eventually land a role that elevates her as an actress.
Agreed. She has a lot of range too. She can be dramatic, vulnerable, strong, and has comedic timing. I've seen in Intruders, Stranger Things and Enola Holmes and they are very different roles.
Damsel was a lot of fun, too.
Kristen Stewart.
The dude who plays Oliver Quinn in arrow started off pretty bad initially but got much better with time
This was Kata Mara's greatest performance.... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV63s6fsx6I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV63s6fsx6I)
Maybe Jonah Hill. Going from Superbad to Wolf of Wall Street and Moneyball there’s a big jump in his acting talent.
Keri Russell
Benedict Cumberbach … always improving
She was phenomenal in season 1 of House of Cards.
Colin Farrell, especially since he has been sober the past decade.
Honestly? Bradley Cooper. I know we give him shit for his tryhard Oscar stuff but he has really broadened out in terms of variety to his performances. Like yeah, he’s not always the best actor there, but he definitely works his ass off and has expanded his portfolio.
See I feel the opposite. He was so natural and funny in his older smaller roles. NOW THATS WHAT I CALL A SACK LUNCH OMNOMNOMNOM is a hilarious line. He did a lot of great shit after the hangover, but since like 2017 onwards he’s gotten so generic “good actor guy” with his roles because of the shit year he had in 2015.
It is always hard to tell if they improved - certainly they gained more experience - or if they failed upwards to better productions. An actor's performance on screen is often due to the director, cinematographer and editor having the skill to capture the best moments in front of the camera and support it with all the resources of a major production. It could be that they weren't giving bad performances in their earlier films as well, but that the production around them didn't care to support them.
Morgan Freeman started on the Electric Company. Mark Walberg was Marky Mark. Bill Burr had a bit role in Breaking Bad over 10 years ago. Just a few I can think of.
Kate Mara is gorgeous, and she's become a better actress with every role she does. I adore her.
Absolutely! Her performances in the projects I mentioned in this post, really impressed me and I can't wait to see what she does next!
She's already had to play such a vast extreme of roles, and she has killed it every time. I know that nepotism does play a part in her success, that's just logic, but she plays really dangerous roles that could make or break her, and I applaud her for that. It's like she knows what her family brings her, and she wants to show that she is beyond that...it makes me love her even more. She's wonderful, no way to say it otherwise. She's in my top 5 women actresses just because I love her so much, and because she busts her ass to perform.
What I love the most about her performance in “A Teacher” is how she made me feel so conflicted towards her, especially when it came to her relationship with her student she has an attraction towards (and had great on-screen chemistry with Nick Robinson who plays him). Even though you know what she’s doing is wrong, and is clearly manipulating the poor kid into putting so much burden on his shoulders to make it seem like he’s initiating their relationship. Mara handled her chatacter’s complexities so well, that she’s careful with not making her a complete monster but a very flawed person that clearly needs professional help.
I haven't watched that yet!!! But you just gave me my go to movie to check out...I skimmed your comment because I hate spoilers, but you didn't reveal anything, so I'm excited to see this one. She's such a special actress.
Just a heads up, it’s a miniseries not a movie
She’s always had the ability. It’s just better writing and better parts. Perhaps she has intervened more. Great actors change the dialogue to make more sense.
Joseph Gordon Levitt
Ethan Hawke
He was pretty great in Dead Poets Society (1989)
He was ok. The thing with Ethan Hawke for me was that as a younger actor, even into his late 20s, he was always noticeably ‘acting’. He was never bad, sometimes he was good, but it was in a style that when you notice it is very annoying. Waving your hands around to empathize a point, just acting in a way that looks ok on screen but is not natural. Again… not bad acting at all but not great acting. I think he has developed into a truely great actor. He really gets lost in his roles, he seems completely natural and believable to me. He’s more subtle.
See the first movie I saw him in outside of Tapeheads (which is amazing) was Gattaca and I was sold. He also is the narrator for a version of the Slaughterhouse V audiobook and he’s really good.
Adam Sandler. Never in a million years would have expected the guy who made Billy Madison grow up to make Uncut Gems
Reign Over Me is another movie that I thought he showed some good acting ability. Coincidentally, there seem to be a number of comedians that surprise people by exceeding their expectations when they do a drama/serious movie.
Oh I agree completely. First one that comes to mind is Robin williams. But I know there are others
Robin Williams was actually the one I had in mind when I wrote that comment. Another actor that I had impressed me with his more recent acting ability (last 8-10 years), but not technically a comedian (but was in Hangover), is Bradley Cooper.
i wonder if she has family connections that propelled her to fame
I mean most famous celebrities come from wealthy families and had connections that helped them elevate their acting careers. It’s really hard to pinpoint ones that are really up there that came from nothing, I’m sure there are a lot but none I can think of at the top of my head
Jim Carey was poor as dirt as a kid. He’s one of the few organic megastars.
Also I just recently remembered, Eminem also grew up in poverty and had to work extremely hard, made so many sacrifices in order to get discovered and he did all of this while raising his daughter; Hailie. He raps a lot about his backstory in many of his songs!
Is that a joke?
Boyd Holbrook. He was good in his early works but he's been mastering it
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Dangerous-Pear-3818: *Boyd Holbrook He was* *Good in his early works but* *He's been mastering it* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Betty Giplan.
Think she did a local natives music video too. It was great!!
Kate Mara to me, will always be the girl who got caught with Sophia Bush and the dudes son having a threesome on Nip/Tuck. What an awakening 🙃
I re-watched Nip/tuck recently and it still holds up!
I have fond memories of the Rosie O’Donnell season. Really the whole show, I got into it when I was like 13/14 and watched it every week religiously. I haven’t seen it in probably 10-11 years though. I should watch it again too
I was the same age! I suggest you do a re-watch :)
Kevin Spacey?
George Clooney
Is Kate Mara a nepo baby? I was always surprised she kept getting roles.
For me, Woody Harrelson. I didn't like him until True Detectives. Of course, he was made to play Tallahassee in Zombieland.
Money and plastic surgery provide some folks extra self confidence.
I thought that was J' Quellin'
I am old enough to answer Tom Hanks. He came out of nowhere with a string of goofy comedies.
Yep. The guy from Bosom Buddies has two well-deserved Best Actor Oscars.
Sam Worthington and Tobey Maguire is very underrated
I think Alexandra Daddario’s gotten better
A lot of people not getting OPs question. Adam Sandler was always a good actor, so was Michael Shannon, and Ben affleck, and Matthew mcconaughey. They were always great actors. Adam Sandler is a comedian first and he found a way to get vacations for his childhood friends, and good work for his employees thanks to his trash comedies. Mcconaughey made some stinkers in the late 90s and fell off because of them (that movie where Gary oldman plays his dwarf brother Jesus Christ). Shannon just wasn’t famous. Affleck doesn’t even make sense cause the dude was a huge star from go, sure he was behind Damon, but he was huge. None of them were ever bad
Keanu reeves, wouldn’t say he’s oscar worthy, but he’s certainly improved from his “whoa” days. Not knocking bill and ted either
I wanna say that I disagree about Kate Mara. She was absolutely excellent in We Are Marshall and that was one of her first big movies.
I just rewatched Labyrinth so I’m gonna go with Jennifer Connelly
Who?
Kate has always been insufferable to me. I'm not sure I've ever seen her play a part that I didn't immediately hate.