Where does Will Smith fall

[bigwillq]

as far as Top Actors is concerned?

Based on acting ability----not box office clout, how much we like his characters----but based on pure acting.

Is he Top 5? Top 10? Top 20? Top 100?

I know there are a lot of variables but I would like to hear your opinion.

Thanks!

:)

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Well. I will answer you. Even though you divorced me without

any provocation.

I think he's probably well into the top 5. Personally, he is one of my favorites and if he is the star in a movie, I will either go see it or buy the DVD.

I can't say that about many others.

[bigwillq]

3. Thanks for your contribution!

:)

I only divorced you because I didn't know we had gotten married. I think you put something in my drink! :P ;) :) It was a crazy night......

[Aristus]

2. He's very likeable, but I find him a little limited as an actor.

No slam, so no flames.

He has his "Will Smith" schtick, lots of charm, engagingly attitudinal, appealingly au courant. And he uses it in every role. It works. It brings people into the theaters. But he could stretch a little.

Anyway, I've liked him in every film of his that I've seen. B-)

[bigwillq]

5. There is truth in your statement.

Thanks for sharing. :)

I know this is such a bizarre topic. A friend and I are just having a bit of a discussion and I wanted to get some opinions.

[astonamous]

31. Totally agree! Smith is too worried about his image to take on...

a role that any other male, black actor would die for. But because it is a dark character that used drugs and abused women, Smith wouldn't even consider doing the movie.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. I haven't seen any of his sappier movies

But I think he does well in the "action" genre. I'd say he made the transition from rapper to actor far more believably than some others.

[bigwillq]

8. I agree.

He does very well in the action roles.

[keroro gunsou]

6. he seems

like a good egg, but he does need to stretch his range a bit.

like chris rock said, "new jack city's a LONG time ago."

will smith could do with some different, off the beaten path roles.

[bigwillq]

10. Thanks for your input.

:)

[sniffa]

7. Men In Black was the start with Wild West the final blow

Technically, Independence Day show signs of bad actor. Lots of bad actor.

[bigwillq]

9. Thank you for your glowing review.

:eyes:


:P


:)

;)

[Mudoria]

11. He's a terrible actor to be honest...

I've yet to figure out why he's become such a big draw considering how much he sucks as an actor.

[bigwillq]

12. Thanks for your assessment.

;)

[ghostsofgiants]

13. He was pretty good in Ali, and I love Fresh Prince of Bel Air...

But other than that, he's not someone I follow religiously or anything, ahah.

[bigwillq]

14. Hi primate1!

How is your O Day doing? :hi:

[ghostsofgiants]

15. Not too shabby. It was a lazy day for me, haha.

I've just been working on a little web design and anticipating tomorrow night.

[bigwillq]

17. Cool.

Question: What is tomorrow night? Should I know what it is? :shrug:

[ghostsofgiants]

23. Season premier of LOST!

It's like Christmas for me, haha.

[bigwillq]

24. Well enjoy it!

I've never watched that show. I heard it's good, though.

I work second shift so I never tend to get into those types of shows. I don't have TIVO or DVR, and even if I did, I don't have much time to watch past episodes.

:)

[ghostsofgiants]

27. It's pretty much my favourite show ever.

I will thoroughly enjoy it.

If you ever find the time to check it out, watch it from the very beginning.

[RadiationTherapy]

33. What we know so far is:

It happened because Jack left.

Everything else is up in the air; including the thing that happened. Because Jack left.

[yurbud]

16. Is this Will Smith looking for some love?

[bigwillq]

18. Just looking for some honest answers.

Positive or negative.

:)

[charlie and algernon]

19. one of the better Action stars of all time

but isn't close to the top of the cream of serious actors.

[bigwillq]

20. I agree with your statement.

Thanks! :) :hi:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

21. He was good playing that con-man.

Says something.

[Deja Q]

22. He was superb in "Enemy of the State"

Definitely more than just a comedian, to be certain.

And considering how I define an actor, he's top 20 for me... but as most people put Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves in their top 20, I am looking for acting ability and the types of roles they do. Not how good they look or if they can make the gossip news. I mean real actors. Not mannequins and other empty dummies.

Note: Julian Glover is in my top 5. Betcha you've never heard of him before...


I also appreciated Jerry O'Connell, until he did that grotesque pop-culture pablum "Tomcats" movie. (I'm a big fan of "Sliders" and he played the role of Quinn Mallory well... he seemed to be above slop like "Tomcats". Then again, an acting job is a job and what society wants often makes baby kittens cry...)

[Deep13]

25. Hopefully not on his face. That would hurt.

I think he's at least okay.

[Fire Walk With Me]

26. He falls

wherever you push him?

But don't be gentle, he's over 6' tall.

I kid, I like some of his movies. Not so much the recent ones, but I didn't get to see (and wanted to see) Hancock.

[harmonicon]

28. all Hollywood actors - maybe all actors - simply suck

The last great one was Buster Keaton. Ok, I take that back. It was Klaus Kinski.

[bigwillq]

29. Really?

You're free to say who you think the last "great one" is, but not all actors nowadays suck, imo. I guess we just have different opinions! :)

[harmonicon]

30. I think most of them do

I just don't buy it... the performances, I mean. I have no suspension of disbelief. I just see these out of touch, over-paid celebrities spouting lines. Klaus Kinski really makes me feel something when I see him in films... there's something there that he brings forth that couldn't exist without him. Just watch Cobra Verde - I can't imagine an actor today giving that kind of performance.

[jobycom]

35. I'm assuming this is clever and subtle sarcasm, so

:thumbsup:

If you are serious (and it's a nod to your skills that I can't tell), then what?

[harmonicon]

46. I'm serious

No "then what". Just go have a drink, I guess, and think about girls.... I don't know. That's what I do instead of watching movies.

[jobycom]

48. Sounds more like you don't like theatrical fiction, then.

With a couple of exceptions, of course.

[harmonicon]

49. you're entirely correct

[jobycom]

50. Wow. No one's ever said that to me before.

:rofl:

[cemaphonic]

43. Insanity?

I wouldn't go so far as to say he was the last good actor, but I just saw "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" for the first time a couple of months ago. He really was pretty awesome.

[Drunken Girlfriend]

32. Will Smith's acting ability

Personally,I don't think Will Smith is a great actor.

But he definitely has star quality,and draws in big
numbers at the box office.

However,I think I am slightly jaded by the fact that
Will Smith and his wife Jada are such good friends with the
alien that is Tom Cruise.

Scientologists freak me out,and anyone who has an affiliation
with TomKat simply don't peak my interest.

[bigwillq]

36. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[jobycom]

34. Good actor. Works hard for some roles and transcends his stock character.

Other times he just turns on the Q and makes some money. A lot like his buddy Tom. Both can turn out solid performances (Ali, Rain Man, Collatoral), both can do somewhat sophisticated versions of their main staple (Hancock, Mission Impossible), and both can just show up and be what the Box Office wants them to be, without working too hard (Men in Black II, Mission Impossible II).

Will Smith (and Cruise) follow a long line of popular actors, from James Cagney to Humphrey Bogart to Harrison Ford in that regard. Some people like to remember their bad roles, others their good roles, but they don't stay that successful (and border on Academy acclaim) without having some talent and work ethic.

One thing I give Smith credit for over Cruise--he started with less respect and less acting ability, and has progressively gotten better. Cruise started out with a lot of serious potential, and met it better than the pseudo-iconoclast bashers give him credit for, but he hasn't improved as much as Smith.

So, good actor, trying at times to be a better actor, and succeeding sometimes. That's my take. I wouldn't put him in the top 10, because he isn't consistent enough nor does he take risks--like taking interesting supporting roles now and then. If you stick to box office draws, I'd probably have him in top 25 (meaning, he's one of the top 25 box office actors who can actually act). But there are a ton of excellent actors who don't get lead roles, so I couldn't say he is one of the top 25, or 50, actors in Hollywood without sticking to leading men. Too many Philip Seymour Hoffmans, Frank Langellas, and John C Reillys out there.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

38. What did you think of his performance in "Six Degrees of Separation" ?

and/or "Happyness" :shrug:

[jobycom]

41. Never saw "Six Degrees." I thought he was very good in "Happyness."

Not Oscar good, but above average acting. Oscar-nomination good (and now that I've looked it up, I see that's what he got). Skilled, solid performance, not much Will Smith-ness visible in the character, and always accurate with his emotions and degree of response. That's the role that made me think he had become a good actor.

The only thing he lacks to be a great actor is a little sublety or complexity. He's got both, but not enough to add a new dimension to a script, like Tom Hanks or Paul Newman would, or Forest Whitaker did when he beat Smith for the Oscar. I think he's working on that, and it may just depend on the script and the director whether he ever fully achieves it. But that's the difference between the best actors--to me, that's people like Hanks, Washington, DeNiro, DiCaprio, Russel Crowe at times, and the others who get nominations every time they walk on screen. He's close, just not there.

I think about stuff way too much, don't I? :) So what did you think of Will Smith in Happyness and Six Degrees of Separation?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

44. I thought he had come a long way between the two roles.

He was raw in 6 degrees and better developed in Happyness. He is honing his skills and growing as an actor. He is not great but, he is adequate. With the right script and cast he could surprise us.

[NJmaverick]

37. Natural charm and screen presence, is not the same thing as good acting

in my opinion.

[bigwillq]

39. I agree, 100 percent.

:)

[jobycom]

52. A generic statement that can apply to anyone anyone dislikes.

:shrug:

[NJmaverick]

53. I don't think so. Acting is the ability to portray emotion

the other traits have more to do with likeability. Will Smith is a very likeable actor. Which is different from being a good actor.

[jobycom]

54. Will Smith portrays emotion well. Johnny Depp less well. Yet who is generally

labeled a better actor? There are different styles of acting, and each fits a different style of movie or director. Will Smith is good at feeling like an average guy, so he is usually best in roles with a straightforward script and directing, whereas Depp is good at outwardly transforming into a different character. That limits his emotional impact, so he is best in roles that rely on a strong script or strong directing to tell the story, like Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood. (Depp is a bad example, because he's also good at playing straightforward emotional roles, too, like in Finding Neverland).

The goal of fiction, or any art, isn't to portray emotions, it is to create emotions in the audience. Some people respond better to a Will Smith type character, some to a Geoffrey Rush, etc. It doesn't mean one style of acting is better, it means that different actors do different things. Will Smith is very good at what he does, and has range, so that he can take on different types of roles, from "I Am Legend" to "The Pursuit of Happyness," which require different skills. To me, that means he's a good actor. He's good at his craft, he takes it seriously, and he succeeds at what he tries to do.

[Swede]

40. I've read that he is always well prepared.

First to arrive,last to leave,knows the other actors lines,etc. This hardwork is paying off ala:10,000 hours to mastery.

[MilesColtrane]

42. I've never seen the few movies that he actually had to stretch in, so I can't objectively rate him.

After "Fresh Prince" became a hit and he started getting movie offers, he analyzed the common factor in all of the top box office hits of all time.

He concluded that he would take roles based on the quantity of special effects called for in the script.

This was a shrewd business move, but it has lead to him only doing a few roles in which he has to work outside of his comfort zone.

When I think of a "top actor" I consider not only their abilities, but also their role choices.

[rrneck]

45. Top 100

He does good work, but I put him in the top 100 mostly because there a LOT of good actors out there. He is as good a careerist as actor.

[Iggo]

47. He's played Will Smith in every movie but one.

Ali.

And to be fair, that was more of an impersonation than a characterization.

[no name no slogan]

51. Will falls directly underneath wherever he is dropped

Behold, physics in all its glory!