Maybe you have it a bit different where you come from, but in Australia our athletes don’t tend to speak out in protest about political or moral issues, although the media scutiny on them is overwhelming.

If you want to go back to being “Springs”, check out my comment 65 over in the Peace Corps list.

I was just annoyed that in a list titled ‘55 Academy Award Achievements’ it was entirely filled with actors…I think cinematography, editing, special effects, make-up, costuming and especially direction are all just as hard and require just as talented individuals.

I don’t disagree, but “acting achievements” apparently was blogball’s vision for this list (a pretty cool list, I thought). Now you’re entering into the territory of – you should submit your own list then, to share those achievements that interest you. Most of us are always open to new information or a different take on things. You ought to try it (submitting a list), it can be fun, but you have to be kind of thick-skinned too, because no matter what, someone out there is not going to like it, and will let you know in no uncertain terms. Hehe

I also get quite annoyed with actors seemingly being the ultimate celebrity and taking themselves as seriously as to think they are more qualified to comment on moral and social issues than other people.

Agreed, that bugs me too. The same can be said of athletes (some of them).

I do think that acting is hard to do right, I do not think it is an art form (just as I do not think abstract art, like an upside-down toilet, is an artform)

The works of Van Gogh, Monet, etc. – artform
Upside-down toilet – not an artform

De Niro, Brando, Olivier – artists
Paulie Shore – uh, not so much…

Anyway Maggot thank you for understanding my opinion. And I have to admit I must change my stance as well. I should not have said anyone can act, because they can’t. I was just annoyed that in a list titled ’55 Academy Award Achievements’ it was entirely filled with actors. I do think that acting is hard to do right, I do not think it is an art form (just as I do not think abstract art, like an upside-down toilet, is an artform), I think cinematography, editing, special effects, make-up, costuming and especially direction are all just as hard and require just as talented individuals.
I also get quite annoyed with actors seemingly being the ultimate celebrity and taking themselves as seriously as to think they are more qualified to comment on moral and social issues than other people. To think they are respected more than doctors and scientists is disgusting. But also to think how much crap they have to put up with in the media is also disgusting.
Yes acting is a hard job, not so much with the reading lines and creating characters, for me that is about as hard as make-believe in the backyard when you are 5 (although I see how some people bawk at it), but the 10-12 hour days would be the hardest part, sometimes longer.
But that still is not as much as other film professions, editors and special effects artists sometimes have to work upwards of 20 hour days to meet a deadline. Actors usually do not spend much time on set (most supporting roles would probably take less than a month), while directors would spend over a year or more. Actors also rarely contribute to the storyline, actors who do (De Niro often worked like this with Scorcese) should be given more credit. For example, William Hurt was nominated for an Oscar in A History of Violence for a ten minute role. This would have taken less than a day to shoot.

With Anthony Hopkins, yes I think it must be because it comes naturally to him, I don’t think anyone could play Lector as well. But with John Wayne, how often did he not have his distinctive accent, or distinctive walk.
A good example of a good, hard-working actor is Daniel Day-Lewis. Now I respect him not for his roles, but because he also works as a carpenter in italy. In his films he takes ‘the method’ to the brink, staying in character for the whole shoot and often harming himself because of this. But on the surface, it doesn’t mean much. I would say if he didn’t stay in character the entire shoot there would not be a difference onscreen, for me he does that for nothing except to add to his own experience of being someone else.
Tropic Thunder was a great movie commenting on these types of actors and how they can take themselves too seriously sometimes.

And one more thingI might add, i wish critics would stop criticising novices acting abilities. Usually they are just know-all moviegoers, but when I hear ‘I could not watch that movie because of the terrible acting by the teenagers’ or whatever, it sickens me. Just suspend your disbelief for a moment and get in to the story you won’t even notice the acting. As far as I’m concerned, actors only need to make their character seem real, as in they could exist in real life, they don’t have to create such a complex, five-dimensional character out of nothing. As for me, there are certain actors I can’t suspend my disbelief with, making them seem fake, these are Cate Blanchett and Leo DiCaprio, two very acclaimed actors but whenever I see them they ruin the movie for me.

And just to prove you can act without killing yourself with ten years or whatever of acting classes:
Elijah Wood, Anna Paquin, Abigail Breslin, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Shirley Temple, Beyonce, Dwayne Johnson, Matthew Johns, Sharlto Copley,etc etec
What you need most as an actor is a lucky break, if you get that, then it doesn’t really matter if you’re talented enough or not.

And as you mentioned, this Hopkins interview was recent, coming from a veteran with tons of experience now, and he’s maybe coming across as a bit jaded. Rightfully so perhaps (I’m a big Hopkins fan), and that’s not to say his opinion is not valid. But if you think just any ol’ person can step into a Hopkins role and out-perform him (or even equally perform him), you’re crazy. We are still only talking about a select few here. Not “anyone”. Anyone can paint a picture or take a photograph too, but those with award winning and/or more importantly critically acclaimed talent probably aren’t “trying as hard” as the average Joe in their fields either. So we can agree to disagree that (IMO) acting is an art form that relatively few do well. Well I think you agree on the “few do it well” part.

Anthony Hopkins has said that acting is easy, according to reports.

The veteran actor, who stars in new horror film The Wolfman, also claimed that American performers “didn’t try to do too much” in the past.

Hopkins told Parade: “It’s very easy. If you’d asked John Wayne he’d have probably said, ‘Well, you just go to Monument Valley and get on a horse’. Acting is very, very simple.

“That’s the trick great American actors have had. John Wayne didn’t have to act, he just rode in. Gary Cooper, all those guys were smart. They didn’t try to do too much.”

The 72-year-old added that he thinks that young actors are “very insecure” and offered some advice for up-and-coming stars.

“I say just get up and do it. Don’t do all this preparation. Don’t waste time worrying about it, looking over your shoulder.

“But when you’re a young actor it’s not easy to do that because you always want to *****yse because you’re very insecure. If I could revisit my past, I would say to myself, ‘Don’t think too much, just get out there and do it’.”

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a203076/anthony-hopkins-acting-is-easy.html

And also Arthur Schidt isn’t an actor, but he is an oscar winner. And yes, I agree that not everyone can act well, but I have a different view on acting than others. See Heath Ledger’s performance in the Dark Knight, yes it was good, but it was noticed because of the psychopathic role. Try and act like the Joker in that film, easy to do the voice (just a strange american accent), easy to do the mannerisms, easy to think like a psychopath. Now try Gary Oldman’s character Gordon, the voice is much harder to get right, and it is much harder to think like a normal person, only a completely different normal person.

Oldman is a brilliant actor, probably the best around, and is not recognised. I cannot act like him as i cannot do as many voices. Now take Sean Penn, 2 time oscar winner. In Mystic River his character had lost a daughter, very easy to imagine how one would act, especially for fathers. In Milk he played a homo*****ual, but would he have won if playing a hetero*****ual Harvey Milk? Probably not. The Oscars seem to recognise the actors who are willing to put out, as in, an actress is more likely to win as being nude on camera is seen as doing anything for the character or the film.

Now take the well-known Hollywood actors and compare them with other talented actors. Robin Williams has brilliant improvisational skills probably unmatched on this planet, so much he can change in and out of characters in a matter of seconds. Jim Carrey’s rapid fire comedic talents are also almost unmatched. But both seem only to be recognised for dramatic roles (Robin Williams’ oscar was helped greatly by a brilliantly-written script).

The actors on Whose Line is it Anyway? are some of the funniest and most talented actors I have seen, yet they are hardly well known. Voice actors on cartoons are also brilliant as until you read the credits you would think all the characters are different people. Only a handful of people can do these voices, but anyone can act.

I also understand that some performances are far superior to others, for example, Johnny Depp’s performance is superior to Orlando Blooms in Pirates of the Caribbean. But if you are willing to suspend your disbelief a little, and look past the acting, you will find that maybe that’s exactly how Bloom’s character acts like, and is intended to act like, in the Pirates world.

If you have a different opinion that’s fine mate, but I stick by that if they are willing, anyone can act, and if they put their mind to it, anyone can act well, savvy?

I know that if you were a true actor (much less an Oscar winner), you wouldn’t be disrespecting the craft as you are doing.

I didn’t infer anything, you just misunderstood.

Whatever man. You trolled out some bs trying to disparage the acting profession and I called you on it. Quit mincing words now. Ok, how’s this: I agree with you – anyone can “act”. But not everyone can act well. Feel better now?