Do you consider Avery Brooks a good actor?
- Thread starter Wolfslice
- Start date
On Ds9 I wouldn't say he was great, just good. The War seasons were better for him.
A real show off of his acting is the movie American History X, his role is minor but important.
A real show off of his acting is the movie American History X, his role is minor but important.
Avery Brooks had so many better onscreen moments than anything he did in American History X.
Seems this is a topic someone must start every few months. My opinion is that Avery was never a weak link, particularly after season 2 when he got more to do. Yeah he has his moments of over-the-top performance. But he also had so many great moments on screen in which he displayed such a wide range of emotion. The show was strong in part because of him and his presence. He wasn't at patrick stewart's levell and he was not the most consistent brilliant performer on the show (DS9). Nonetheless he was/is a true talent and I can't see anyone else as Sisko.
Seems this is a topic someone must start every few months. My opinion is that Avery was never a weak link, particularly after season 2 when he got more to do. Yeah he has his moments of over-the-top performance. But he also had so many great moments on screen in which he displayed such a wide range of emotion. The show was strong in part because of him and his presence. He wasn't at patrick stewart's levell and he was not the most consistent brilliant performer on the show (DS9). Nonetheless he was/is a true talent and I can't see anyone else as Sisko.
He has many great roles. American History X just was the firts that came to mind since i just watched it.
I always enjoyed his performances. As others have said, he has certainly had his moments of overacting, but which lead hasn't? I like his work.
I think once I found out that Brooks has done a lot of his acting on the stage rather than on camera, I could understand where the overacting came from, even if I think on occasion it blew what could've been really good moments (yes, "Rapture", and "Far Beyond the Stars," I'm looking at you!). When you're on stage and you have to project your voice and gestures all the way to the back of the theater, you end up having to act in a far more dramatic way, something that would appear overacted in any other medium.
When Mr. Brooks goes all-out (for example, For the Uniform and the aforementioned Rapture and Far Beyond The Stars) I am cheering! Really, a very fine actor, but then I generally prefer the bold and theatrical style of a man like Avery Brooks over an actor who tends to understate.
Brooks has a theatrical background, and this is very evident in his DS9 performance. But then, I like that. I'm a big fan of the theatre. Most of the Trek actors have a theatrical background, and Trek itself sometimes feels like a play which takes place onscreen.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
Perhaps...but Stewart had those moments too. Enounter at Farpoint? Naked Time? Heck, that entire first season I thought I was watching a over-rated B class english actor..and I was. But TNG fans love to forget those two first seasons as if they never happened..well..they did.
Rob
'Naked Time?'
Yes, I take your point. But Picard as a character was very crusty and unlikable in season 1. And yes, the court scenes in EaF did stick out a bit.
Part of the reason I watched Deep Space 9 is because of Sisko and a big part of that is the way Avery Brooks delivers the character.
Prior to that I had not seen Brooks in anything else, in fact apart from DS9 I've only seen him in minor roles in 15 Minutes and American History X, though I have The Big Hit in our DVD shelf.
Prior to that I had not seen Brooks in anything else, in fact apart from DS9 I've only seen him in minor roles in 15 Minutes and American History X, though I have The Big Hit in our DVD shelf.
Yes.
Brooks is good at acting in general but any time he has to cry or 'flip out', then his acting becomes very bad and unconvincing instantly (although there are times when he flips out effectively, like at Eddington).
Nana Visitor also has the exact same acting problems on DS9 IMO. I'd say they are two of the three weakest links in the DS9 cast, but far behind Terry Farrell who unquestionably takes the cake for that one.
Nana Visitor also has the exact same acting problems on DS9 IMO. I'd say they are two of the three weakest links in the DS9 cast, but far behind Terry Farrell who unquestionably takes the cake for that one.
Oh man, Spiner and Stewart are in a whole 'nother league!
What sparked this thread was that I was watching a scene between Gul Dukat (Alaimo is in my opinion the best guest actor to ever appear Star Trek), Dukat's performance was full of nuance, and brilliant natural delivery whereas Sisko seemed like He. Was. Putting. A. Period. After. Every. Word. There's something so textbook about that. He's just not one for "subtle" acting I guess.
But at the same time, I probably wouldn't recast the part. 90% of the time his acting is passable enough that I'm not taken out of the story. His best scenes are easily the father-son conversations with Jake, that's where I think he feels most at home.
What sparked this thread was that I was watching a scene between Gul Dukat (Alaimo is in my opinion the best guest actor to ever appear Star Trek), Dukat's performance was full of nuance, and brilliant natural delivery whereas Sisko seemed like He. Was. Putting. A. Period. After. Every. Word. There's something so textbook about that. He's just not one for "subtle" acting I guess.
But at the same time, I probably wouldn't recast the part. 90% of the time his acting is passable enough that I'm not taken out of the story. His best scenes are easily the father-son conversations with Jake, that's where I think he feels most at home.
ANYBODY's acting, almost, is going to look weak next to Marc Alaimo. That man is just unbelievable, and can bring even the most outlandish plotlines to life in such a way that you end up not only believing it, but getting a chill down your spine. I don't understand why he doesn't get more lead roles than he does.
(BTW, random Alaimo fact from Wikipedia: "His two children were both born on May 5, which is also Alaimo's birthday." Can you imagine THAT birthday party?!)
And Wolfslice--I agree that the father/son scenes come off quite well for Brooks.
(BTW, random Alaimo fact from Wikipedia: "His two children were both born on May 5, which is also Alaimo's birthday." Can you imagine THAT birthday party?!)
And Wolfslice--I agree that the father/son scenes come off quite well for Brooks.
I think it's an issue of the character of Benjamin Sisko itself. There's Sisko the Starfleet officer and Sisko the family man, and the two are different and Brooks plays them differently and very well, IMO.Wolfslice said:
As the commander of DS9, Sisko is guarded, reserved, and doesn't let anyone past his shields. But when he does lose his cool--for whatever reason--it's not a pretty sight because he doesn't hold anything back.
As the father of Jake Sisko, friend to Dax, etc., he can be more at ease, more natural, and come across with more warmth and empathy.
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