Learning About Others

There is a very special skill that actors acquire in the many roles that they play. Besides learning to do accents (the most popular being British, Southern, and if you’re really good Australian) you also learn the most about yourself.

 

Former actress Roxie Sarhangi explained it best in her article when she said, “Throughout my acting career, I have lived many lives. As an alcoholic mother, I discovered that I also have my own defense mechanism to avoid pain and negative feelings. We all do. And as someone who loves and cherishes children deeply, I had to investigate how awful my emotional life and the addiction would have to be in order for me to not be completely present for a child — and the shame that would come along with it. This was very painful to even imagine. When playing the role of a woman dying of leukemia, I explored my own mortality and learned how people cope with knowing they will die too soon. As an unassuming bag lady, I learned about hoarders and the need to control. As a self-righteous, gossip-loving Southern woman, I uncovered within me my own insecurities. On a lighter note, I also learned a Southern accent and enjoyed playing around with it at restaurants and parties. These roles, as well as a multitude of others, gave me the opportunity to judge less and learn more” (for more of the article click here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roxie-sarhangi/my-failed-acting-career-a_b_4102115.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment&ir=Entertainment )

 

The world of acting opens up a whole new world to people, but for someone who has to play a role that they have never been in in their own lives, it becomes a time for self exploration and discovering things about yourself. When people say that performers are sensitive people, in a way they are right. When you have to bring emotion into a performance, that sincerity is what makes your performance believable and what moves an audience. So the next time you see a movie performance, imagine what the actor had to do in order to get to that place emotionally.

The New Generation of Hollywood

 

While there are some great Hollywood legends that have left behind a wonderful legacy, there is a new generation of actors to be excited about. These new faces are making their mark on Hollywood and if you haven’t heard about them yet, it’s time you did.

Jim Sturgess : He has already starred in 17 movies including Cloud Atlas (2012) and Upside Down (2013) and he has 5 new projects that he is working on now. 

The Fanning Sisters: It seems that great acting is a family affair for these two. While older sister Dakota probably has more Hollywood exposure, Elle is doing quite well for herself starring in more retrospective indie films.

Jonah Hill: All grown up and a little bit slimmer, he is making the transition from comedian to starring in more serious roles. Django Unchained and The Wolf of Wall Street is a pretty good start in our book. 

Emma Stone: Our favorite new funny lady is also showing her range. From romantic comedies, drama thrillers, and big budget action movies. The fact that she got to star in multiple movies with Ryan Gosling just shows what a lucky girl she really is.

 

Abigail Breslin: She has come a long way  from Little Miss Sunshine. Now starring with August: Osage County, you can see that she can hold her own in such a star studded cast.

Garrett Hedlund: His meteoric rise into Hollywood has caught everyone’s attention, the fact that he can sing (as shown in Country Strong) only makes him seem better in our eyes and probably yours. 

Eddie Redmayne: You may not know the name, but probably know the face. He has had the great fortune of costarring with some great actress. He will be playing Stephen Hawking in Theory of Everything, which will premiere in 2015.  

Armie Hammer: Don’t let the fact that the Lone Ranger didn’t do so well deter you from seeing the how talented he is. Watch The Social Network, and you’ll see what we mean. 

Benedict Cumberbatch: This guy is literally everywhere. He has a legion of fans, very passionate fans. He has worked on over 30 movies in his career so far and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.  

Jennifer Lawrence: Quite possibly Hollywood’s new “It Girl” is refreshing to see that she is still so grounded. She has shown the world that she can rock the bow and arrow in the Hunger Games movies, but can also play very complicated and more adult roles, such as her newly confirmed role in “East of Eden”. 

Hailee Steinfeld : Making your Hollywood debut with Jeff Bridges and getting nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is a pretty great way to start. Not many people can boast those credits so early in their career. You can see her in the new Ender’s Game movie this November. 

Need For Originality

Hollywood is a fickle business who doesn’t always know what it wants until it finally gets something good. This summer hasn’t really been so great for movies, riddled with monsters, destruction, and superheroes. Guess what though? It’s not working anymore. Movies like “Pacific Rim” and “Man of Steel” are being compared to the Transformers franchise and say that there is nothing original about these big budget movies.

 

That makes sense, when “Transformers” came out, it was a fresh and new concept of large robots and prolonged fights scenes, but now it seems that every action movie is following this formula, almost to the point of excess. The main issue being that because it takes so much to make these kinds of effects, movie makers are under pressure to make returns on these big movie effects and just keep getting bigger and bigger.

 

Well, if it’s true that the American public votes with their wallets, then the wallets have spoken and it seems lower budget movies with more storytelling seem to be popular. Comedy such as “The Heat” for grown ups and “Monsters University” for kids are what the people want. Low budget like “The Conjuring” have also done well this summer.

 

A message to movie makers: if your movies cost less to make, then the ticket prices don’t have to be as much, and more people will actually go to the movies. Groundbreaking, right? Don’t worry, we still believe in you Hollywood. We know you can do it.