How do you feel about Majel Barrett?
- Thread starter EnriqueH
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^Your post reminded of something. I think people ragging on Majel's acting skills need to keep in mind that the series lead character was/is himself an average actor at best and has been parodied countless times for his abrupt and halting way of delivering his lines, as... though... every... word... deserves... its... own... sentence.
I can name any number of supporting/recurring actors (Michael Ansara, John Colicos, Mark Lenard, Christopher Lloyd, Ricardo Montalban, Diana Muldaur, Paul Winfield, etc.) who were/are better actors than Shatner, so it seems pointless to pick on anyone else affiliated with the franchise because his or her acting skills are suspect, particularly someone who had only guest roles following the TV series.
I agree with those of you who think that Majel carried the banner of Star Trek well. I don't know too many people who envision themselves becoming one of the faces/spokespersons of a cultural phenomenon; she seemed to embrace the role, which others in her position may not have done. For that alone she deserves a great deal of credit as opposed to criticism.
Edit: I just looked back at the list of actors' names I typed, and realized belatedly how many are gone. It makes me feel sad.
--Sran
I can name any number of supporting/recurring actors (Michael Ansara, John Colicos, Mark Lenard, Christopher Lloyd, Ricardo Montalban, Diana Muldaur, Paul Winfield, etc.) who were/are better actors than Shatner, so it seems pointless to pick on anyone else affiliated with the franchise because his or her acting skills are suspect, particularly someone who had only guest roles following the TV series.
I agree with those of you who think that Majel carried the banner of Star Trek well. I don't know too many people who envision themselves becoming one of the faces/spokespersons of a cultural phenomenon; she seemed to embrace the role, which others in her position may not have done. For that alone she deserves a great deal of credit as opposed to criticism.
Edit: I just looked back at the list of actors' names I typed, and realized belatedly how many are gone. It makes me feel sad.
--Sran
I liked Majel in TNG, not so much in DS9. As an actress, I think she has two sides. She's great for humor, and I absolutely enjoy that kind of episodes in TNG. However, I don't think she's very good with serious, strong emotions. I think someone said she was great in "Half a Life." I actually think she was not at all convincing in that episode. Her crying was not convincing, romantic scenes not convincing, ... It's especially visible because you can compare her performance with the performance of her romantic partner, the actor who played the scientist.
But in general, my opinion of her is positive. She is absolutely irreplaceable as wacky Lwaxana.
But in general, my opinion of her is positive. She is absolutely irreplaceable as wacky Lwaxana.
IrishNero
Commodore
Thanks for that insight. I will add too that sometimes, no matter how great an actor is, they just aren't suited for the role. Take Scott Bakula. I have enjoyed some of his other roles, but I never really saw him as being appropriate for the role of Captain Archer. His delivery seemed stilted and odd at times. It's not necessarily that he's a bad actor. It just never seemed to fit to me (and it's probably just me). I think the network may have thought that he would bring long-time sci-fi fans in with his previous work on Quantum Leap. Anyway, my point is that Majel seemed to fit some of the roles, but not others that she was given.
One....moment he's HALTing..............and then-- he's RUSHINGLIKEARIVERINATORRENT...........unTIL---he.....calms down again.
But he's not just similar to Christopher Walken, who generally doesn't rush. BUFFY's Allison Hannigan is also a serial pauser.
I say we put the three of them together in an actor's workshop.
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Never mind the fact that Shatner had a pretty successful acting career when he was cast as the lead in Star Trek. Make fun of the man's technique all you want, but he continued to work in a wide variety of roles after Trek--one of the few to do so. He'll be 84 in a few days, he's still working, and looking better than most people 20 years his junior.
I can only hope that people talk that kind of crap about me when I'm his age.
For me it comes down to the character / portrayal of Lwaxana Troi. She's one-dimensional. Strong female characters? Great! But self-centered, loud, bossy, indifferent to the needs of others, etc etc -- if you have a character like that, she'd better have some kind of redeeming qualities, or else be relegated to the background. I have a really hard time watching her. And the hammy, cliche characterizations, the way she expresses herself... I half expect her to spread her fingers out and start singing Mammy.
Aaaaah! Zombie thread!
First, welcome to the board.
Second, please take some time to review the rules for posting here, pinned at the top of this forum.
This thread has been dead for 6 years. Let's let it rest in peace, shall we?
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