There's a movie with Peter Billingsley. In the movie, his uncle is a spy. While on a mission, Peter asks the uncle if he can stay up past eleven o'clock. What movie is this?
General questions about movies, TV and more since 17 Apr '24, 06:33
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Is there a general reason why American actors are chosen for starring roles as British characters, or vice versa? I've read about Renée Zellweger working at a British publishing firm to prepare for the Bridget Jones movie. Andrew Lincoln played a Southern US man on "The Walking Dead" for several years. Natalie Portman hired a coach to help her prepare for playing Anne Boleyn. With all due respect to them, would it not be easier to simply use an actual British or American actor?
Answer: Why "easier"? If an actor can do the right accent and is the best fit for the role, there's no great hardship in someone traveling for work and changing their voice. It's not like they're hiring someone with a completely inappropriate physical look that will involve hours in makeup every day. If the best person for the role happens to be a different nationality, far better to get them to do an accent and make the movie better, rather than hiring someone with the right natural accent but who isn't actually as good a fit. Producers and directors and casting directors don't owe it to actors of either nationality to give them work, their job is to find the best person for the film they're making.
By "easier", I only meant that some of the preparation work might have been skipped by choosing someone who is already American or British. Also, I did not mean to imply that any actors are "owed" work. They're not. I was only curious about why actors are chosen for such roles. Thank you for your comment.
Why the snappy response? This is why people are afraid to ask questions.
When an actor wants to leave a show or is fired from the show, why is the character killed off instead of having them do something else? In House M.D. Kal Penn wanted to leave the show so his character was written as having committed suicide. Wouldn't it have been better to have his character leave the show by either having him take a job somewhere else or having him get fired instead of him killing himself? In Roseanne, her character overdosed. Why not have her character divorce Dan instead?
Answer: Often times it's done for dramatic purposes, even if the actor leaves on good terms. Writing an episode where a character dies is much more jarring to the audience and something they may talk about the next day. Plus, actors that suddenly leave the show, don't return the next season, or die in real life, aren't there to say goodbye to friends, family, or colleagues before taking another job, going off to college, or getting fired. Which is what normally happens in real life, so it would come across as unrealistic. But there's plenty of shows/characters where an actor is knowingly leaving the show, so writers do have time to write a farewell type episode in. Also, by killing off characters, the audience doesn't have an expectation for their return and writers don't have to think about them. Of course, the alternative is recasting the character and then just dealing with the backlash or criticism of such a cheap move.
Why do some actors "mouth" other actors' lines? This site has a few entries about actors doing this.
Answer: I've tried to catch this and don't think I've seen it, even when others list it as a mistake. However, I'd imagine this is more for television, especially when filmed in front of a live audience, where they're trying to get the shot in one take. When you're acting, it's not enough to just know your lines; you have to know your "cues", which are often the last line of the character speaking before it's your turn. So some actors are repeating the lines leading up to their lines in their head and may just subconsciously mouth the words (in the same vein some people mouth the words of the book they're silently reading). This is also why some actors don't like when their co-stars ad-lib their lines because it takes away their cues.
Why do modern movies have such a "dark" tone/look, compared to the generally brighter look (sometimes called "blue skies" feeling) of movies from the early 2000s and before?
When scenes take place in restaurants, a character will occasionally order something like "the chicken", "the salmon", or "the steak." In my experience, most restaurants have more than one option that involves chicken, steak, etc. Is there a reason for doing this on-camera, or have I just not found such a restaurant?
Answer: Someone ordering food isn't particularly interesting. "I'll have the t-bone steak, medium well, with a baked potato—hold the chives—and broccoli" would slow down the movie's pacing more than "I'll have the steak."
Answer: Totally agree with the other answer but would add that movie scenes are filmed multiple times over many hours to get the best result. In a restaurant scene, if an order is being brought to the table, it's easier with simpler food, like a T-bone steak, that won't make a mess, spill, smell, or wilt under hot lights. Realistic-looking prop food may also be used, so simpler is better, easier, and more efficient.
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Answer: I don't know about the quote, but there is a made-for-TV movie called "Massarati and the Brain" (1982). Billingsley plays the Brain and lives with his uncle, who is a secret agent.
Bishop73