The actor's the thing

I've been thinking a lot about actors. If done right, the business of acting is a beautiful thing. What amazes me sometimes is how an actor can play one role brilliantly, and then another role, equally brilliantly. 

Let me give you a more tangible example. I was just staring at a picture of Leslie Knope, and I swear to you, I had to physically remind myself that it was really Amy Poehler behind makeup. I don’t know if it’s just me. Maybe it is. But Leslie Knope is a legitimate person to me, she is not a character. I think of her as an entirely separate life form from Amy. And this happens quite rarely for me. I literally see no traces of Amy in Leslie, or vice versa. When I see Amy acting in other movies/SNL, I never think, “Oh yeah, she plays Leslie Knope.” Amy is just that good. And yes, I realize this is a pretty mundane revelation, but it kind of blows my mind.

And Amy is just one of many actors who can do this. (Mind you, there are an even greater number who can't...) It's just so insane that you can imagine a character from a movie, TV show, etc., and know their background and how they'd react in situations... and then that same actor plays a different character and nothing is the same. Not the clothes they wear, not their bodily movements, not even the inflections in their voices.

I've done a fair share of acting myself, and while I love it, I just don't think I could ever have that factor. That ability to make you not see Neda, but somebody completely different. It's a gift, one that I am wildly jealous of. If you have it, use it. And if you don't... maybe don't quit your day job.

"Acting deals with very delicate emotions. It is not putting up a mask. Each time an actor acts he does not hide; he exposes himself." - Rodney Dangerfield