The Cellar - Are actors smart?

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Cloud

06-11-2007 10:20 PM

Are actors smart?

I don't mean bad judgment type things--we ALL know about that.

But it's something I've wondered about.

Kyra Sedwick was on At the Actors' Studio, and she said that her character Brenda was smarter than she was. She said she didn't believe that actors had to be smart to play someone smart. "I know some actors who aren't so smart who look really smart on screen."

I know actors have to have facility with language, and I always assumed that since so much intelligence comes through the eyes, that actors had to be pretty smart to pull off a smart character.

Drax	06-11-2007 10:27 PM

Depends. Are we talkin' smart, or just knowledgeable?

Cloud

06-11-2007 10:36 PM

well, I guess smart, because knowledge can be portrayed through props, scripts, practice, etc.

Flint

06-11-2007 10:37 PM

I think I could see "dumb" ...

Cloud

06-11-2007 10:47 PM

In an actor's eyes, you mean? I would have thought it's easier to play dumber than you are; harder to play smarter than you are.

lizzymahoney

06-11-2007 11:00 PM

I used to think that I could always tell smart people by their eyes, with the exclusion of blind people and people who are very ill or very tired. I still believe that the eyes are my first indicator and something that I perceive without thinking about it. It's just not as absolute as I once thought and that is principally because of actors.

I loved the West Wing and loved Jed Bartlett as President. I've liked Martin Sheen since I was a kid, but the man is dumber than toast. Not a good interview subject on talk shows. Another one that people think is smart because of the role is the girl from Alias. I'd compare her thinking more to navel lint. Also from seeing her on talk shows. I no longer remember the sort of things either of them said, but I realized I would never invite them to one of my salons! Take that!

So now I think that some people can fake being smart with acceptable or perhaps good acting. Others, as with David Hasselhoff, are unbelievable when they try to act smart.

I don't want to know if Tony Shalhoub is smart or stupid. Although his eyes make me think he's a very good actor...

rkzenrage

06-11-2007 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloud (Post 353791)

In an actor's eyes, you mean? I would have thought it's easier to play dumber than you are; harder to play smarter than you are.

It is FAR harder to play less intelligent than you are. I cannot stress how much more difficult it is.

Actors are more so than any other profession than I have been in except, perhaps, teaching... varied. This is true of basic wisdom, intelligence, how articulate they are, how well read they are, how well they comprehend what they read, how well educated they are, etc.
A lot of actors are total idiots, many are some of the most amazing minds I have encountered, and you would really be surprised whom each are.

freshnesschronic

06-11-2007 11:44 PM

Tangent :Is Keanu Reeves really as dumb as his vocal box perceives him?

Woaaaa...yeahhhh.

Undertoad

06-12-2007 12:09 AM

James Woods is said to have a genius IQ. Of course that could just be publicist gossip, but I think it comes across in interviews.

lumberjim

06-12-2007 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 353838)

James Woods is said to have a genius IQ. Of course that could just be publicist gossip, but I think it comes across in interviews.

not to mention a legendary cock. i'm no homoist, i just hear howard interviewing him...and it was the topic.

Quote:

After the eventual passing of comedian Milton Berle -- long rumored to have the largest penis in Hollywood -- several celebrities are said to be lobbying for the much-heralded title of "Entertainment's Biggest Member," including actor James Woods, comic Bob Newhart and singer Wayne Newton. Berle died at the age of 93, but his age never appeared to be a factor in the long-running rumors that he possessed the largest penis in the entertainment industry. Now that he has passed away, many celebs are positioning themselves to overtake Berle's title.
"I have great respect for Mr. Berle, but now that he is no longer living, I am not ashamed to tell the world that I have an enormous tallywacker," said Woods, best known for his role in "Against All Odds." "I think it's important for the world to know that I am gifted and proud of it."
Newhart begs to differ with Woods' assessment of himself. "I have lived in Milton Berle's shadow for far too long," he said. "You ask any woman -- including my wife and Susanne Plushette -- and they will tell you that I am hung like a horse. I might look unassuming on the surface, but my 10-inch piece of meat takes a backseat to nobody, especially James Woods."
Newton, meanwhile, said he is prepared to put his package head-to-head with anybody. "Milton stayed at the top because he had both length and girth," the famous Las Vegas performer said. "That's what I bring to the table as well. Most guys here in Sin City are just banging showgirls, but I feel like my Johnson is too good for them. I am very selective with whom I share The Big Harley."
So who gets to decide? That distinct honor goes to a small non-profit group in Beverly Hills called Personalities Receiving Infinite Cock Kudos (PRICK). "Anybody wanting to lay claim to this prestigious title must come to our office in person and have themselves measured by our staff," said Dick Judge, president of PRICK. "To be honest, we've never had to do this before, because nobody came close to beating Mr. Berle. If you'll pardon the pun, we are excited over the prospect of having a new pole bearer.

Cloud

06-12-2007 12:23 AM

well, I guess the rumors are true, then.

. . . men do think with their dicks.

is there an inverse proportion intelligence thing going on here?

bigger dicks=bigger brains, BUT

bigger boobs=fewer brains?

rkzenrage

06-12-2007 12:26 AM

IQ means nothing, I've been to Mensa meetings (quit after a few... they are SAD) with morons and met people with almost no education that were amazingly wise.

wolf	06-12-2007 01:30 AM

This should have been a poll.

I'm going to go with a resounding "no."

Yes, there are a few notable exceptions, but for the most part, "no."

rkzenrage

06-12-2007 01:44 AM

There are very few actors who do well in it that are stupid.
To do well in it you have to have a lot of internal experience that is readily accessible.
That kind of self-awareness and stupidity don't work together very well.

Aliantha

06-12-2007 02:26 AM

OK, I'm here to argue the case that smart women do come with big boobs!

Sundae

06-12-2007 02:34 AM

I agree with RK - having known quite a few actors myself, they are simply people and their intelligence varies. Are actors emotionally stable would have a different response from me though :)

Also, I try not to judge people too much on one interview. Many things can affect how they behave on the day - and being a good interview subject isn't really a valid indication of intelligence, it simply means you give a good interview! One of the most painful interviews I ever saw was with Rowan Atkinson. Despite being a highly intelligent man (try not to judge him on Mr Bean) he came across as a stuttering fool with nary an idea in his head.

rkzenrage

06-12-2007 02:36 AM

We do tend to be very eccentric.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aliantha (Post 353880)

OK, I'm here to argue the case that smart women do come with big boobs!

We just can't hear you.

Aliantha

06-12-2007 02:39 AM

Well you should listen better. :)

rkzenrage

06-12-2007 02:39 AM

Huh?

Aliantha

06-12-2007 02:41 AM

Exactly!

rkzenrage

06-12-2007 03:14 AM

But our eyes and brains.... huh?

piercehawkeye45

06-12-2007 07:12 AM

I bet there are some smart actors and more dumb actors.

Rexmons

06-12-2007 07:33 AM

IMO there are smart actors and there are dumb actors just like anybody else. Certain actors you can tell are just smart, like Kevin Spacey for example. What pisses me off though are regular people, who basically either got lucky in life and caught a break, or knew somebody in the industy, became super successfull and now they think that it was there pure genius which got them where they are and everyone should do everything the way they do it.

lizzymahoney

06-12-2007 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl (Post 353884)

... One of the most painful interviews I ever saw was with Rowan Atkinson. Despite being a highly intelligent man (try not to judge him on Mr Bean) he came across as a stuttering fool with nary an idea in his head.

Whoa! Damn. Just damn.

I believe you, and have the highest regard for Mr Atkinson's thinking apparatus.

lizzymahoney

06-12-2007 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkzenrage (Post 353847)

IQ means nothing, I've been to Mensa meetings (quit after a few... they are SAD) with morons and met people with almost no education that were amazingly wise.

Taking umbrage here. Many active Mensans have little formal education. Generally, the group is not that dissimilar to the socio- economic environment in which it exists. If there are lots of boring stupid reactionary people around then the local group will have lots of boring stupid reactionary members.

Since I'm easily bored, it's my chosen responsibility to make a meeting or party into something more entertaining. You definitely haven't been to anything I've ever hosted, and probably nothing I've attended.

If your intent was to show that scores on tests are not relevant to real world applications of intelligence, you could have done so without denigrating a social organization that doesn't suit your needs.

I've been a member for thirty-five years, with more than half that in central Florida.

lizzymahoney

06-12-2007 09:55 AM

As a nurse, my experience makes me question the veracity in claims of penile girth and length attributed to Milton Berle, James Woods, and Wayne Newton. It's just not genetically likely that any one of them has or had the award winning dimensions.

DanaC

06-12-2007 09:56 AM

Actors are just people. I know quite a few. Some of the cleverest people I've ever met are actors. I also know of at least one who is thick as pigshit.

Rexmons

06-12-2007 10:12 AM

one of the best trainwreck interviews i've ever seen was conan o'brian interviewing jeniffer garner, she starts telling a story about how she got accidently punched in the lip during a fight scene and her lip swelled up to the point she "looked like one of those african ladies". then later in the interview conan uses the word "snuck" and she very patronizingly reprimands him by saying "snuck" is not a word and because he graduated "Harvard", should know better. of course when they came back from commercial conan was sitting there with a dictionary pointing to the word snuck.

Shawnee123

06-12-2007 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rexmons (Post 353985)

Sounds about right, coming from her. She seems like the type who would go on and try to be cutesy clever.

But, as has been pointed out, perhaps in other interviews she shines and she was just nervous. She's not my fave. Sometimes it is the interviewer, as well. Carson could make the biggest dolt look good, or at the very least give us a sense that they were loveable lugs.

I think that the actors who come across as intelligent are the ones who are just being themselves, not trying to bolster whatever image they have been trained to project. I've seen interview shows with men and women actors who I didn't really feel one way or another about, and after the interview I thought they were pretty cool. I've seen both men and women actors I thought I liked who came across as self-centered in their interview and it changed the image I had formed.

Though I think intelligence can have much bearing on conversational skills, it's not always the case. And some actors aren't much beyond their "acting."

Cloud

06-12-2007 10:28 AM

certainly personalities come across much different in interviews. That's one reason I love at The Actors Studio. Kyra Sedgewick's personality is more bubbly than you would think, for instance, based on the characters she plays. James Wood, regardless of the size of his dick, was one of the more fascinating people I've seen interviewed.

richlevy

06-13-2007 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aliantha (Post 353880)

OK, I'm here to argue the case that smart women do come with big boobs!

Ok, please state your case.

First post a two paragraph essay on the topic of your choice.:typing:

At the bottom of the post attach a picture of your boobs.:ggw: Nudity is not necessary, but there must be visible cleavage.

Let the games begin.

You know, I was thinking of making this a thread. The Show Us Your Brains and Boobs NSFW thread.

Aliantha

06-14-2007 06:17 AM

I"m pretty sure there's pics of my cleavage somewhere else here.

I was just being annoying cause rkz seemed bored the other night.

Here's a pic anyway.

http://www.cellar.org/attachment.php...1&d=1161742137

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