What Do You Prefer: Good Actor Phoning It In OR Lesser Actor giving 100%

[SpiderClops]

Or are they equally as bad?

I, personally prefer the latter. I like seeing guys like Channing Tatum be there 100% and be very passionate about what role they're playing. Good actors phoning it in becomes more distracting.

[Beaubier]

The latter. It’s so dull watching an actor halfass a role for a paycheck.

[Midvillian1322]

Really depends, on how bad the lesser actor is. If were talking Channing Tatum then I'd take the lesser actor but if we get to bad actor territory I'd prefer the good actor phoning it in. But also some actors are just fun no matter what. Will Smith can just be WILL Smith and still carry a movie.

Honestly it's only kinda good actor I think of phoning it in. Like Bruce Willis. People like Deniro and Denzel have been in BAD movie but they always seem to be trying.

[Vinsanity]

Depends on the actors.

Denzel phoning it in is better than several other actors. Reese Witherspoon phoning it in is better than a lot of actresses.

[Immortal Weapon]

Depends on the movie. If a good actor knows the movie they are in is crap then their half-assed acting can be entertaining in it's own right.

[Dementia5]

The latter. It’s so dull watching an actor halfass a role for a paycheck.

Absolutely this. If the actor isn’t interested then why should I be?

[Tofali]

It's excruciatingly PAINFUL to watch a no talent actor/actress with a lot of energy attempt at emoting. So nope i prefer a half-ass effort from a good actor phoning it than a lesser actor/actress who can't make me believe whatever they are trying to convey.

Tatum always makes me cringe.

[Soubhagya]

What really is a phoned in performance? I looked up online. And according to this explanation a phoned in performance can't ever be good to watch.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussio...yy8jic8qvmr731

Tatum always makes me cringe.

I thought Tatum was good in the Jump Street films. They were no award winning performances. But they were quite entertaining to watch.

[DrNewGod]

I'm in the "depends" camp. However, I will say that big name actors constantly just playing their signature persona, like RDJ and Will Smith, get on my nerves pretty fast.

[SpiderClops]

I'm in the "depends" camp. However, I will say that big name actors constantly just playing their signature persona, like RDJ and Will Smith, get on my nerves pretty fast.

But... that's not exactly phoning it in? I'm mostly fine with them just playing themselves, it's nearly always fun to watch.

Bruce Willis really gets on my nerves though. When was the last time he gave a good performance, anyway?

[AndrewCrossett]

If by "lesser actor" you mean lesser-known and not lesser ability, then I'd prefer to see a lesser actor giving 100%.

But there are few things more ridiculous than a bad actor giving 100%.

[DrNewGod]

But... that's not exactly phoning it in? I'm mostly fine with them just playing themselves, it's nearly always fun to watch.

Bruce Willis really gets on my nerves though. When was the last time he gave a good performance, anyway?

As an aside: It's one of the things that I love about British TV, seeing actors playing different roles and actually giving different performances versus "let's see if we can build this character for Big-Name-Star-X." In a related manner, one of the most fun things about A&E's old Nero Wolf series was that they used a limited cast of players that would turn up as different characters episode to episode; last week's femme fatale might be this week's innocent ingénue.

[shades of eternity]

I honestly like watching good actors chew the scenery.

now if they are boring, then meh.

[nx01a]

If by "lesser actor" you mean lesser-known and not lesser ability, then I'd prefer to see a lesser actor giving 100%.
But there are few things more ridiculous than a bad actor giving 100%.

Exactly.

For instance... I can only take so much JLaw phoning it in as Mystique but people and awards shows think she's a great actress.

[Hiromi]

Depends on the actor, Marlon Brando half assed his roles all the time and could still run circles around a lot of actors(acting wise, obviously not physically, I mean did you see him?)