Movie Bests: Start with the Steal

Knowing Oscars are up on our screens soon makes me think again about actor magic--and how lucky screenwriters when actors make their stories not just memorable, but indelible. For want of a better word, we tend to call it star power, but isn't that a small word for a much bigger thing?

Older movies from decades past seem chock full of overacting at times, even when "stars" are in the leading roles. Even now, as a playwright who learned her trade acting, I see too many people trying too hard to bring characters onstage.

What do I look for when watching a movie or play? Stealing. I don't mean stealing the spotlight -- I mean who is stealing my attention, who makes me want to watch them even when something else that's important is going on?

In theater language, it's called presence, and I think you can see it right away the moment an actor walks into a room. Let's start with the old, old movies and talk about Claude Rains. Watch him in almost any movie and watch how he steals you away. Voice, eyes, focus, movement, presence. 

For example-- the 1946 movie Notorious with Ingrid Bergman is one of my favorite black and white movies, because the entire premise builds without us exactly knowing how (even though it's a far fetched premise). Try as they might, though, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman never get under our skin as much as Claude Rains, whose eyes convey everything when he discovers his wife (Ingrid) has betrayed him. He also knocks it out of the park for the few minutes he shares time with Lon Chaney Junior in The Wolfman. I know we're supposed to care about Larry Talbot, but all I can think about when watching scenes with Rains is Larry's dad.

Fast forward to now and thinking of another favorite actor, Jennifer Lawrence. I first saw her in Winter's Bone, which is still one of my favorite movies of all time because of her. Again, as soon as you meet her onscreen, you see her eyes, voice, even her gait draw you in as she embodies the character. You see at once the steadiness and determination this character has and you know that no matter what they do to her, she will win. 

In American Hustle, the focus bled between Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams, another long-time favorite, but it's worth mentioning here that Jennifer's character was completely the opposite of anything we saw in Winter's Bone and no less riveting for that.

Same is true for Denzel Washington, who doesn't just pull focus - he electrifies us with barely-beneath-the-surface fire Watch him in Fences and then, just for fun, catch an episode of St. Elsewhere on Hulu to see him at the start of h.is career. You'll see the same passion, energy, and spark, like a volcano on the brink of exploding. Instead of lava, there's emotion held in check by a force of nature, and all we can do is wait for the moment he lets it loose.

What all this is telling me is that if you're looking for the best actor (and I don't mean Oscar's choice, I mean yours) -- then look for the person who's stealing your attention (and likely the movie as well). That's who the real winner is--hands down.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash