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'Film' actors who've also done 'theatre' - thoughts

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'Film' actors who've also done 'theatre' - thoughts

Old 01-25-06, 12:48 PM
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'Film' actors who've also done 'theatre' - thoughts

There's been much news about Julia Roberts making her Broadway acting debut in Richard Greenberg's 'Three Days of Rain' and seeing if she can pull it off, and it got me to thinking:

Several questions:

1) of us 'Film' goers who here also frequents live theatre?

2) have of seen any noted film stars on stage? any good?

I've seen:
- Paul Rudd ('The Shape of Things') - he's one of the few who effortlessly crosses in between film and theatre

- Macauley Culkin ('Madame Melville' - London) very surprising, he stage 'acted' better than I thought

- Anna Paquin and Kieran Culkin ('After Ashely' - New York) A+ performances

- Freddie Prinze Junior, Chris Klein ('This is Our Youth' - London) - this was a big surprise seeing the two not in some trite comedy.

while not theatre, I was quite revealing to see Peter Saarsgard stumble through various skits on last Saturday's 'Saturday Night Live' - he seems to do better when there is a film editor excising his flubs.
Old 01-25-06, 12:56 PM
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I'm consistantly amazed at how poorly most film actors do onstage. It really does take years of work to be any good at it. Most of them take a quick stab at it and run away. You really need the theatre training *before* becoming a star, and the UK is the only place that happens much.

Ian McKellan's going to be doing King Lear in London in 2007, that's about the only movie star that would draw me from my small hometown into the big city. What exites me about Broadway or the West End are the scripts and the scores, not the actors.
Old 01-25-06, 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Giles
- Freddie Prinze Junior, Chris Klein ('This is Our Youth' - London) - this was a big surprise seeing the two not in some trite comedy.
Jake was in that too at some point. What is/was it?
Old 01-25-06, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by adamblast
Jake was in that too at some point. What is/was it?
yes he and Hayden Christensen
Old 01-25-06, 12:59 PM
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I love live theater. It's just so expensive. My partner and I saw Carol Channing in Hello Dolly years ago - loved it! She's a great film and stage actress IMHO.
Old 01-25-06, 01:01 PM
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Originally Posted by adamblast
I'm consistantly amazed at how poorly most film actors do onstage. It really does take years of work to be any good at it. Most of them take a quick stab at it and run away. You really need the theatre training *before* becoming a star, and the UK is the only place that happens much.
true.. I wanted to see Joshua Jackson and Patrick Stewart in James Inverne's 'A Life in the Theatre' in London but couldn't find the time to go.
Old 01-25-06, 01:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Giles

while not theatre, I was quite revealing to see Peter Saarsgard stumble through various skits on last Saturday's 'Saturday Night Live' - he seems to do better when there is a film editor excising his flubs.
Peter was trained at juilliard, if i'm not mistaken. I definitely wouldn't write him off as a film actor. It's very possible that it's been a while since he did live theater...and never forget, live theater and live television are two different things. I didn't see the eppy though.

I saw The Seagull here in NYC several summers ago. A dream cast that included Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Marcia Gay Harden, Natalie Portman and John Goodman. Aside from Portman (who I thought was piss poor, almost Star Wars bad), the rest were very impressive...ESPECIALLY Kline and Streep who were fantastic. Didn't like the play much but loved seeing those actors live and outside (the theater is open air).

Saw Al Pacino in Hughie. Fantastic performance. Again, didn't like the show very much...but I got to meet him after the show. My friend and I were the only ones there.

Would love to see Julia Roberts who is coming to Broadway this season.

Will have to think of other "stars" I've seen on stage. Never saw Madonna.
Old 01-25-06, 02:35 PM
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I don't see all that much theater although I really enjoy it when I do. Years (okay, decades) ago I got to see Yul Brynner doing The King & I. I get chills just remembering it.
Old 01-25-06, 05:17 PM
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Originally Posted by digitalfreaknyc
Peter was trained at juilliard, if i'm not mistaken. I definitely wouldn't write him off as a film actor. It's very possible that it's been a while since he did live theater...and never forget, live theater and live television are two different things. I didn't see the eppy though.
let's just say it was a tad cringe inducing.
Old 01-25-06, 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by kitkat
I don't see all that much theater although I really enjoy it when I do. Years (okay, decades) ago I got to see Yul Brynner doing The King & I. I get chills just remembering it.
I'm kind of getting chills too, but that's because all I can picture is a western robot gunning down the audience.

Yes, that's the movie I associate with Yul.
Old 01-25-06, 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Giles
while not theatre, I was quite revealing to see Peter Saarsgard stumble through various skits on last Saturday's 'Saturday Night Live' - he seems to do better when there is a film editor excising his flubs.
Beyond what digitalfreaknyc mentioned, it seems odd to judge his acting skills in front of a live audience on a show where you have less than a week to memorize lines and where things are changed around up until the absolute last minute. With a Broadway show, the actors get weeks and weeks to get things right.

Plus, someone who sounds so much like John Malkovich can't be so bad at stage acting.
Old 01-25-06, 09:18 PM
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Originally Posted by mndtrp
I'm kind of getting chills too, but that's because all I can picture is a western robot gunning down the audience.

Yes, that's the movie I associate with Yul.

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