Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with actor

Speak the speech trippingly. Or pitched low. Or with a mumble.

grumblebee — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:07:15 -0800

Is there a resource that lists and explains the various effects one can use to accessorized speech, such as altering pitch, speeding up, slowing down, etc.? As a director, I often have to help actors make vocal choices. My company regularly employs doubling -- that is using one actor to play multiple parts. So that the audience doesn't get confused, it's great if the actor makes each of his characters sound different.

Some actors are naturally gifted this way. Others need help.

Note: like most modern actors and directors, I take a psychological approach to character work. So I would never simply tell an actor something like "speak more quickly" or "raise your pitch." But once we've done the psychological work, it would be awesome to see an array of choices from which you could pick an appropriate set of effects.

The vocal instrument is flexible but not infinite. There are only so many things one can do while speaking: add gruffness/gravel, change the pitch, change the speed, change the degree of annunciation, try an accent, etc.

I would like a complete list. The perfect list would include effect, example (e.g. an actor who naturally talks with that effect, such as George C. Scott for gravel) and any hints/pitfalls to help create the effect without hurting your voice.

I have a bunch of Voice-For-The-Actor books, but none has the list I'm looking for. If such a list doesn't exist, maybe we could compile one together here.

How is IMDB matching people to "distinguishing" roles?

specialagentwebb — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:26:12 -0800

How does IMDB decide how to distinguish one actor/director search result from another? Last night, after watching Million Dollar Baby, I decided to see what else Clint Eastwood has done recently. I pop over to IMDB, do a search for "clint eastwood", and this pops up. Clint Eastwood (Actor, Million Dollar Baby (2004)). What is the process that they use to determine that the best way to specify THE Clint Eastwood is by identifying him as an actor in Million Dollar Baby? It's an excellent film, obviously, but why did they choose that film over, say, Dirty Harry? Or why bill him as Actor, and not Director (for which he won an Oscar)? Hillary Swank is also linked to Million Dollar Baby, but Morgan Freeman is linked to Shawshank Redemption. Extra confusion: Mark Harmon, recently of NCIS is linked with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (he played "Magazine Reporter at Mint 400"), while Michael Weatherly (also of NCIS) is matched with Loving, where he played a recurring character. I'm not seeing any continuity based on movie/series, role, or date.

So is there a logic behind IMDB's choices? What am I missing here?

Want to write a biography

frosty_hut — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:41:50 -0800

I've fallen in love with a certain older British character actor and want to write his biography...where do I begin? The thing is, I'm not a published author. I'm finishing a novel, but don't have a deal or an agent or ANYTHING lined up yet.

I think the field is pretty wide open for me. I've scoured the Internets and haven't found any evidence that this guy has either written an autobiography himself, or had anything written about his life so far. I don't know if he's a nice guy and approachable, or impossible to get in touch with. I haven't tried. I'm terrified.

My question: How do I approach him? Should I wait until I've published my own book, so I don't look like a complete crackpot and phony and have some minimal publishing credentials (although in another category)?

This is a minor actor, a name most people wouldn't recognize -- but fans of certain of his movies and television dramas might know him. He's more familiar to English audiences. If it makes any difference, I'm American.

Any thoughts appreciated, especially from any writers/biographers out there.

The most credible voice in the world

zaebiz — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:07:50 -0800

Who is the guy who does the narration for the PBS Frontline series? I have always thought he has the most interesting and uniquely credible voice in the world. I know he is doing the Dos Equis commercials now, but has he done anything else? Any other presenters with voices I might like? I don't mean to offend, but in general I find American presenter voices to be sort of cartoonishly unreal - it's hard to describe. (I would also put Australian voices in the same category by the way.) But this guy's voice sounds like he takes his "measured consideration" pills for breakfast every day like noone else. Love it.

The Academy loves films like these

pseudostrabismus — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:49:22 -0800

Scene Suggestions Filter: Please suggest scenes from modern movies or plays, for two female characters, where one or both have an "impediment"- cognitive handicap, physical disability, or intoxication. More specifics included. Helping a friend find scenes for a Meisner acting class that's almost all females. She needs strong scenes from movies and plays that fit these criteria:

Scene is for two women
Age range for both women is 17-35
Language is modern English, not too period (1950s is probably as early as it can go, 70s-present is better)
Scene is important or climactic in the structure of the story
One or both women must have an "impediment" during the scene

(Disclaimer: "Impediment" is a politically incorrect term that lumps together a whole lot of unrelated things as a type of acting challenge. I apologize for its lumpiness: please don't derail the thread with a discussion of how it's not a great term. For what it's worth, I don't like it either, but it's the Meisner Technique term for a kind of practice has won a lot of actors a lot of Oscars, and I couldn't think of any succinct way to re-phrase it. Basically the idea is to give the actors something consistent and physical or verbal to research, then portray throughout the scene, and that interferes with the character's ability to get what they want. I really don't mean to offend anyone, and I apologize in advance for using a term that's making me cringe.)

The "impediment" can be:
A physical disability (ie, blindness or cerebral palsy)
A mental disability
A mental illness
Alcohol or drug intoxication

Good scenes for men include stuff from Rain Man or My Left Foot.
Can you think of any good scenes for two women?
So far we have The Miracle Worker and a few more.
Thanks in advance

Exit, stage...center?

thankyoumuchly — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:41:25 -0800

What are the next steps for a Theater major going into her Senior year of College? My younger sister, a college Theater major, will be starting her Senior year this upcoming Fall. I would like to help her transition, over the next 18 months, into the working world as a well prepared thespian. The catch? I don't know the ropes.

Here's the background: I am in business, my father was in business. My older sibling is in health care, my mother was in health care. Myself and my older sibling had graduation/senior year/interview/job world questions answered by Dad and Mom. Our parents provided us guidance on everything job related such as "how do I interview for jobs my Senior year... should I choose job X or Y... what steps should I be taking now... how should I market myself?".

Our parents still have good advice for our Theatrically inclined younger sister, but they can't provided her with the same type of intimate industry knowledge that I received.

I'm turning to the hive mind for answers! What are the do's and don'ts? Should my little sister be attending job fairs, create a portfolio, apply to the Screen Actors Guild, hire an agent? What am I missing? Please be honest, I can take it (remember I'm in business, the truth no longer scares me ;). She is open to my advice but I have two left feet when it comes to keeping her in the lime light after the curtain closes on college (o boy, maybe she and I should do a comedy/acting routine).

The end goal is to make sure my little sister doesn't miss her que when it comes to the next steps she should be taking in her upcoming Senior year to ensure she has a job, or is in a viable position to market herself to parts in plays, movies, etc.

Thank you in advance!

Does anyone watch FX's show "Damages"? If so, who WAS that guy...?

newfers — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:43:55 -0800

On the February 11th episode of FX's show "Damages", I saw an actor in a small part, who I know from another show, but I'll be damned if I can remember him, and I missed the credits! In the scene where Ellen returns to the apartment she shared with her fiance before his murder, a neighbor walks into the apartment to hand Ellen a gift that had arrived in the mail.

The actor who played this part looks terribly familiar, and I just cannot find any information online as to who it was. I'm sure that when I find out who he was, I'll slap myself on the forehead and go "of course!", but for now, I am drawing a total blank...

Help me relieve this mental indigestion, mefites, please!!

Down's syndrom : do they know what money is ?

Baud — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:12:37 -0800

Down's syndrom : do they know what money is ? In France, a mobile phone company is using Cannes festival prize winner and famous Down's syndrom person Pascal Duquenne to tell us about their latest low rates.

I would like to know how much he understands of his text. Do the people with Down's syndrom understand what money is, what price is a bargain and what price is robbery ?

Just to make sure : I have no disrespect for these persons, I simply don't know very well how they are and what they know, hence this question.

Making A Vagina Monologue Awesome

divabat — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:24:27 -0800

I'll be performing in next year's Vagina Monologues. How can I be awesome? Some friends from a nearby university are organising next year's V-Day and I've volunteered to help. I'll be performing "The Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy" (the story with the sex worker and the moans) - this story was suggested to me by my friends as they said I was "loud and energetic" enough to pull it off. Great! Now what?

I don't have a lot of acting experience - just a short skit here and there for school. I've done public speaking, choir, and poetry (recitals/slams) before, as well as other performance styles - but I'm just an amateur dabbler. I want to make the performance awesome - to capture the spirit of the story and entertain the audience.

Rehearsals are starting soon. What can I do to prepare? How do I effectively memorise the monologue without coming off stiff? (I've got a long list of moans to do.) Also, is it OK to adlib in TVM? Since we're performing it in Australia, I'm not sure if some of the Americanisms will translate well, and I'd feel more natural if I was able to add a spontaneous quip here and there.

Has anyone done this monologue (or one very similar) and found the material challenging? I liked the story but I'm worried that when I try to perform it I'll get a sudden case of nerves or some latent prejudice about sex workers will come up out of nowhere. This monologue requires quite a lot of confidence and slack inhibitions - how do I pull that off?

What else should I know about monologue work, stage work, or The Vagina Monologues in general? Actors, performers, directors - what are your tips for me?

(also, side question: who's generally responsible for the costuming with TVM? The actor or the crew?)

Sunglass brand question

Mr. Justice — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:16:47 -0800

In the 1st season of Heroes, what kind of sunglasses is the character Nathan Petrelli (played by Adrian Pasdar) wearing? (He is the congressional candidate.) And where can I buy them

What's new in Kung-Fu?

FortyT-wo — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:23:43 -0800

Can you help me become familiar with what and who is up-and-coming in martial arts movies? Am interested in recent movies that are less reliant on wires and CG, and in younger actors who didn't just learn martial arts to make a movie, but are truly gifted in the area. I don't mind subtitles! As I was watching The Forbidden Kingdom (a stinker, I thought, but I just really loved getting to watch Li and Chan fight), I was noticing that Jackie Chan and Jet Li have gotten on a bit in age. I realized that I'm not aware of who the next generation is in Kung Fu movies. I still love these two guys, but what's next? Whose movies should I be renting?

While I enjoy Kung Fu movies, I'm certainly no hardcore or super-knowledgeable fan. I have been a big Jet Li fan because I felt that he was so very gifted, and that to watch him was a treat. Knowing that he was a phenom as a youth is part of what really impresses me. But I am not familiar with any younger guys (and by that I mean under 40) who are matching up to him right now.

It's the raw abilities of the fighters that I love watching. I don't care for all the wire stuff that seems to be more popular now. I really love some of the older Kung Fu movies that don't rely so much on that. Fist of Legend is one of my all-time favorites - though, again, I haven't probably watched 1/100th of the classics because I'm pretty uneducated regarding the genre.

Would love to see some new stuff. What plain-ole good fighting movies without lots of wires and effects have come out recently? Which young actors are really gifted martial artists? Or, more importantly to me, which young, gifted martial artists are making movies right now?

Thank you so much in advance!

Don't read if you're going to see "Harold and Kumar" - question about a cameo

amtho — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:11:17 -0800

Spoiler inside for "Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay". Who was that one actor? OK, you've been warned. I'm sure the terrorist / fellow prisoner, with the huge fake beard, with our protagonists in Guantanamo Bay was played by Steve Carell, but don't see his name in any cast list. Am I wrong about this?

Help me identify an acne scarred actor

royalchinook — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:54:47 -0800

While flying from Montreal to Chicago, I saw a guy on my plane that I'm sure is an actor. I know in retrospect I should have just asked him who he was, but I didn't, so now I need some help. Here's what I noticed about him - he is probably 40+ years old, Caucasian, reasonably tall (6') and a bit heavier set. He has lighter features, light brown straight hair (not bald), he is able to speak both English and French fluently, and for some reason really reminds me of the zucchini from Veggie Tales.

I know the first actor that comes to mind when I think of 'acne scarred' is Robert Davi the FBI agent in the original Die Hard but it's not him.

The person I'm thinking of hasn't been in anything really big so if you could go through and list some actors that you think fit the bill, I'd be really grateful.

BTW - I'm in Canada, so Canadian TV is certainly a possibility.

He has that certain je nais c'est quoi, no?

miss lynnster — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:40:55 -0800

Do you know your French actors? Well then tell me, who is this man? I can't believe I didn't think to ask this here before! So last year when I was in Egypt there were a few days where I found myself traveling in the company of a somewhat high maintenance couple who included this man, allegedly a big "French film star."

Okay, so gimme the dirt please. Who is he? I don't doubt he's an actor (after 18 years in LA, I can spot 'em), but what's he been in? What kind of a performer is he? I've been horribly curious. :)

Voice-over actor in NoVa

itstheclamsname — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:13:23 -0800

Can anyone recommend a voice-over actor or vocal coach in the DC/Northern VA area? I'm interested in locating someone for a brief interview/lesson that would be part of a podcast. Someone who would do it for the possibility of some free publicity and the certainty of a free lunch would be optimal, but not essential.

Canadians in NYC?

miles1972 — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 13:15:34 -0800

Do you know artists who moved to NYC illegally and now live there legally? A friend of mine is a talented actor and writer. She talks a lot of her love for NYC and how she should be living there. I love NYC too, but last night I'd heard enough and said I was sick about her talking about it all the time and that she should stop talking about it, and set forth a plan to move there. She says she can't, agents there won't sign on an illegal Canadian, etc. I told her she was creating a false barrier for herself and that if she really wanted it, she could make it happen, and she should just move there, and that she can more easily make it happen there, and as far as I know there are many many illegal Canadians living and working in that city, and that it was possible, and that if they want you bad enough when you are there you can get the proper papers to work. She said "like who?" I said I would find out if I was just talking off the top of my head. She said go for it. Then we went to see Regina Spektor. Do you know actors / writers who are Canadian or immigrants that moved there illegally and have made a legal go of it now in NYC? Bonus points for citing examples

Fiction movies in which actors, portraying musician characters, actually play the instruments and/or sing?

lorimer — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:44:05 -0800

Real music-making onscreen: Fiction movies in which actors, portraying musician characters, actually play the instruments and/or sing? I'm inspired to ask by Laurel Canyon, a movie with several musician characters who all play their own instruments & sing with their own voices (I think this would have been less evocative & effective as a movie if they'd faked the music-making scenes).

The music doesn't have to be a main focus of the plot; I'm just interested in examples of real onscreen music-making.

I'm also interested to hear about
- movies that use hybrids of the actor performing at some times and a pro performing at other times (as in The Pianist); and
- movies where a pro musician has an acting role, rather than a role "as themselves," and their character performs music onscreen (as in Dwight Yoakam's amateur-musician role in Sling Blade).

Here are all the examples of this I remember having seen already:
- Antonia's Line
- Cold Mountain
- The Crying Game
- Dancer in the Dark
- Dark City
- De-Lovely
- L.I.E.
- Laurel Canyon
- A Mighty Wind
- Mulholland Dr
- The Pianist
- The Piano
- Sling Blade
- Strange Days
- The Talented Mr. Ripley
- Timecode

So which others should I check out? If you can do it without spoilers, I'd also love to hear any info about which character and what instrument they play (or that they sing). If anyone is curious, I can give the same info for my list above.

(PLEASE, NO SPOILERS IN THIS THREAD [please don't reveal surprises / plot points in any movie]. THANKS!)

Who plays the Cingular guy in the Alltel food court commercial?

Xazeru — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:38:36 -0800

Who plays the Cingular guy in the Alltel food court commercial, and why have I seen him in so many commercials recently?

Are there famous Iranian men?

BuddhaInABucket — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:14:31 -0800

Are there any famous Iranian males who are well known among non-Iranians in the west (especially the USA)? Any kind of celebrity will do: actors, musicians, artists, authors, or other kinds of TV personalities like newscasters. It occurred to me that there are lots of famous Iranian women- Shohreh Aghdashloo, Anousheh Ansari, Rudi Bakhtiar, Christiane Amanpour, Azar Nafisi, and Marjane Satrapi, just to name a few off the top of my head- but besides the author Reza Aslan, and actor Adrian Pasdar (who is half German), I could not think of a single Iranian male who might be well-known.

Bonus points if they don't play a terrorist on TV.

In search of "authentic" Southern (American) accents...

ibeji — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 11:43:49 -0800

Language/Dialect-filter: In search of "authentic" Southern (American) accents... One of the 20 or so things I've always wanted to be when I grew up was a linguistic anthropologist (it's been pretty consistently in the top 5 actually). Instead, I've taken up #3 (sorta) and try to maintain #1 along the way. Point being, I'm fascinated by accents of all kinds and how they are accurately or inaccurately portrayed in the media. Of special interest is the "Southern American accent", a blanket term which many use to cover a ridiculously large geographic area that (not surprisingly) has produced a number of widely varying dialects.

Now the request: those of you who grew up in the South or hang with a lot of Southerners, I'd love it if you could give me film/media examples of the best and worst Southern accents you've come across, with regional specifics (about you and the actor's accents) if at all possible.

Bonus info: I'd also love to hear your take on the accents of the numerous actors who grew up Southern, had to lose their accents for their careers, then were asked to perform as a Southerner (Josh Lucas and the guy from Lost who plays Sawyer come to mind, also Parker Posey who grew up in Mississippi but I can't actually remember her playing Southern...). Do their re-learned accents sound odd to you, or do they fall right back into it?

Thanks!

p.s. Some resources I've found already:
the speech accent archive
This American Life #138 "The Real Thing" (8/27/99)

An actor with a wireless mic at a wedding

freudianslipper — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:20:09 -0800

I am the MC for my good friends wedding tonight. I have the schedule and only a few announcements, but aside from that I will have a wireless mic and freedom. Ideas? I've got bios of the bride and groom's family members and am instructed to introduce and jab at each one before their toasts'.

But what about fun/funny/must-have's during the dance, dinner, etc? Anything creative to do with the wireless mic? Specific songs to play?

Some Specifics:
I have all the a/v stuff taken care of and will be running the music off of ipod(s). Bride is Japanese, Groom is Taiwanese, I am whitenese. Some family will not speak much English but most guests will. About 140 people in a nice outside, venue with trees and a couple cabins around the perimeter. Beautiful day in Seattle. Lots of web/graphic design and computer related careers in the audience. Lot's of culture. Traditional American style wedding, not religious, not really themed.

As an actor I have brain overload and will be having a blast, without upstaging of course! But I am definitely open to suggestions. Thanks!

Who is the actor in the video for Keane's 'Atlantic?'

shoos — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 05:07:13 -0800

Anyone know who plays the main character in Keane's "Atlantic" video?

Who's this Z-grade Canadian actor?

solid-one-love — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 08:31:38 -0800

Who's this Z-grade Canadian actor? Canadians, and in particular West Coasters, will recognize who I'm talking about: he's a big bear of an actor with an odd voice, typically bearded and with glasses, who did a lot of work for CBC and CTV (particularly in Vancouver) and a lot of TV commercials and did considerable voiceover and radio commercial work due to his characteristic ("jolly", even) voice. Notably, he played the Sasquatch in the early Kokanee commercials. I think he may have been on some children's programming as well.

I haven't seen or heard any of his work lately, so I can't name any other specific work that he's done.

Who is this guy? And is he still around?

How to create a full work with the actors?

Sticherbeast — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:30:03 -0800

How to produce and direct an collaborative, actor-created work? A cohort and I are heading up a project in which we would like to gather a group of eight or so of the best actors we know and to create a script and a universe with them. Through improv, guided improv, working from outlines, and so on, we'd like to begin with filmed shorts and, eventually, a full theatrical work from our combined efforts to evolve their characters, relations, and situations, and blabbity blabbity blah and other poncey stuff.

Long story short: we'd like to create the characters and their relations with the actors, and then build plots from there.

Anyway, what I ask for is guidance. We've done many similar things in the past, but nothing quite on this scale. What are people's experiences with regard to such things, whether in film or theater? What techniques, structure, and exercises would you recommend? Or to avoid?

Any examples, pitfalls, words of advice, tricks of the trade, or plaintive ocarina tunes would be most welcome.

If she calls herself an actor, does she have some 'splainin' to do?

Wild_Eep — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 17:40:44 -0800

When did actresses start calling themselves actors? Isn't the term 'actor' intrinsically male? Isn't the term 'actress' intrinsically female? Did I miss a memo or something?