I can't believe people are defending an actor hitting an actress. Even if she 'liked it'. Its ridiculous.
Would Hoffman or Shatner have slapped a male actor in the same situation?
After THE NAKED TIME, probably not.
Since none of us witnessed either incident, I'm not comfortable declaring decades after the fact that one was all right and the other one was not.Just to be clear, Shatner did NOT abuse Whitney. He gave her a sudden but light, careful slap on the check because he knew the surprise, the little dose of adrenaline, was something she would be able to use in her performance. In other words, Shatner read the situation perfectly and helped a less-skilled actor.
The thing with Hoffman was that he blindly or arrogantly misread what his co-star needed, and he acted like a jerk. It's a whole different thing. It's the difference between a great teacher and a bully.
Since none of us witnessed either incident, I'm not comfortable declaring decades after the fact that one was all right and the other one was not.
I've done a bit of acting, and if one of my costars hit me for real in the middle of a scene without any warning, under any circumstances, I'd be pissed. Talk to me like an adult and as a professional and tell me what you need that you're not getting. Then I can adjust my performance accordingly.
It's not supposed to be real, it's just supposed to look real.
Wait, Bradshaw was really hitting Nimoy there?I can't help but compare this to Booker Bradshaw's story of him whaling Nimoy so hard during "A Private Little War" that he knocked his ears off. True or not, it's a great story.
Not in the aired episode. They did a stage slap for that. Assuming his tale is truth...Wait, Bradshaw was really hitting Nimoy there?
Did he ever have a similar scene with Majel? If so, was Majel having trouble acting?Horse hockey.
Did he ever attempt this approach with Majel Barrett?
Doing unexpected things in a scene is fine. Intentionally hitting someone without warning is not.I'm not an actor, nor do I play one on TV, but I have a friend who does off-broadway, and he delights in doing unexpected things on stage to bring out his costars' reactions. In service to the scene, of course.
Leonard Nimoy said that the actress who played the ditzy Whale lover in Star Trek IV really slapped the actor who played Bob. He took it in good sport and it probably helped his performance.
"ditzy Whale lover"? You mean, the respected and caring marine biologist? I don't remember Gillian being portrayed as particularly ditzy.
Not NOW, Madeline!Also very good: the office manager who sold Plexiglass to Scotty.
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