What is good acting?

[Rambhutan]

Title says it all - what exactly is good acting? It is something I find very hard to pin down, it seems vary enormously from country to country and from one era to the next. I think I can recognise it, but I just cannot put it into words what it is.

[The Western Reaches]

Good acting is acting that makes the audience forget that the actors are acting.

[Rambhutan]

Good acting is acting that makes the audience forget that the actors are acting.

I am not sure it is just that kind of naturalism, sometimes I find that jarring and annoying. I don't think I ever forget that someone like Johhny Depp is an actor, but I don't think he is a particularly bad one.

[MisanthropicPopulism]

A dude playin' a dude playin' another dude.

[Coccygia]

There are many answers, but the actors I have the most admiration for are those who don't even seem to be acting, yet you can't take your eyes off them. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kevin Spacey, for example.

[North Wiedna]

Michael Douglas.

[Coccygia]

Michael Douglas.

[Vissarionevna]

A good actor, is the one who can transmit a message, it doesn't matter if he's natural or not as long as the audience gets the message..
as Milton Kateselas would say: it doesn't matter what method you use as long as it works for you, as long as the message is understood

[The Voltania]

Tom Hanks.

[Rambhutan]

I am not really looking for a list of actors names...more definitions

[Conserative Morality]

An actor who makes a character believable, relate-able, and/or enjoyable.

[Vivolve]

Anyone can 'act' per say, it takes skill and commitment to act well.

Proper character development and dedication to the role... Especially diversity. Placing yourself in a role convincingly can be extremely difficult. Many will often say that true acting is when a fellow actor forgets lines or a scene, as Improvising and carrying on the essence of the show takes a great deal of talent.

[Thurask]

Anything except these.

[North Wiedna]

I am not really looking for a list of actors names...more definitions

People like Michael Douglas.

[Valkern]

The fact that you have to ask this question makes me sad.

[North Calaveras]

Will Smith in I Am Legend I thought was very good acting, we need more old school actors like him.

[Lootie]

Telling you Welfare Officer that your broke while driving a Cadillac to collect unemployment.
And still get it even though you never worked an honest hour in your adult life.

[Coccygia]

I am not really looking for a list of actors names...more definitions

People like Michael Douglas.

Again...

[Killing is My Business]

It is much easier to define and spot bad acting...that would be a more worthwhile endeavor.

[Rambhutan]

The fact that you have to ask this question makes me sad.

Then I think you misunderstand why I am asking

[Mad hatters in jeans]

It is much easier to define and spot bad acting...that would be a more worthwhile endeavor.

ah i don't think that's worthwhile at all, however it is very funny and has it's own version of enjoyment attached.

Definition of good acting for me is basically, a combination of a decent support actors and the plot advancing in a way that's logical yet twisting, with the main actor(s) leading the way, i often find if an actor is good they can easily outshine other ones. For instance the joker from dark knight is a good example of this, everytime he comes on scene he dominates the place and makes the batman seem quite childish.

Basically avoiding cliches, or smoothing overthem in such a way as they don't matter because it's that person doing the part.


I suppose it really comes down to what the individual wants from a film.
I think being able to identify with the character can help a bit too, some sort of similarity between them and you.

[The Parkus Empire]

Being entertaining to the audience.

[Maineiacs]

Believeability is key. If a performance "rings true", if the audience "buys" that a given character is a plausible human being (even if it requires a certain suspension of disbelief as in slapstick), then it's a good performance. Or so says this mediocre actor with a degree in it (but no professsional experience as yet).

[Arumdaum]

They seem like they're having real emotions and that they're not acting.

[New Ziedrich]

The opposite of Hayden Christensen.