In the Stars reading for this week, Richard
Dyer explores the different styles of acting popularized by film actors.
Although today people are less concerned with the acting style of stars, there
is still an undercurrent of fascination with the approach an actor may take
when delving into a role. Dyer writes that Method acting, for example, receives
such respect because “the fact that many people did and do believe that the
Method performer ‘got inside the character’ or ‘became’ him/her gave such
performances a mark of authenticity that made other styles seem correspondingly
artificial or stilted” (142).
This distinction
between an artificial performance and a genuine approach is becoming
increasingly characterized by physicality. As the Oscars were on last night, I
was reminded of the media fascination with stars when they undergo physical
transformations for their roles. It is almost as if it requires too much in-depth
knowledge about acting and performance for the typical audience member or media
consumer to fully grasp the amount of effort that actors put into their roles
until it can be made concrete with a visual.
When Anne
Hathaway took her long hair to a buzz-cut for her role in Les Miserables, there were multiple news stories highlighting her sacrifice
for her craft. To take it to the next level, Matthew McConaughey’s nearly
fifty-pound weight loss for his role in Dallas
Buyer’s Club was a huge topic of conversation. It seems an unlikely
coincidence that both of these actors received Oscars for these performances,
considering they had just prior received significant attention for their
commitment to these roles. Yet, perhaps it is just a fascination with bodies
that infiltrates the realm of acting in general. Chris Pratt’s transformation
from the chubby buddy to the buff hero for his role in Guardians of the Galaxy initiated the skyrocketing of his star persona.
There were seemingly endless stories on his transformation including details on
his workout routine and diet regimen and even how his wife felt about it.
I’m not sure
what the true root of the media frenzy over body changes is, but the
possibility that it is in part due to a physical manifestation of an actor’s
hard work seems reasonable. Most people think actors have a fairly easy job, so
when they see them sacrifice for their career, it makes sense that people would
have a certain amount of respect for actors they see doing so.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.