CHARACTER

Tonight I was supposed to have an improv class focusing on developing characters. The class was cancelled, I assume because of low interest.

Instead of becoming despondent and suffering through improv class withdrawal, I've decided on something a little more interactive and exploratory.

If I were ever to seriously pursue acting, I would probably do well to pursue the life of a character actor. These are the people you see in movies over and over again, but never as the lead--they generally "don't look like movie stars," and they give such natural, nuanced performances that sometimes you don't even notice they're there. But they are. They play doctors, and best friends, and geeks, and army personnel. They don't get the magazine covers, or the product endorsements, but they are actors through and through.

Who's your favorite character actor, and why?

I offer several of my favorites for your consideration:

William H. Macy (he is good in every film)

Philip Seymour Hoffmann (often creepy, but often heartbreaking)

Kevin Pollak (hilarious, sarcastic, Jewish, love him!)

J.T. Walsh (deceased, I believe, but again, good in every film)

Judy Greer (she's played the best friend a jillion times opposite everyone from Jennifer Garner to Jennifer Lopez and even for other people who aren't named Jennifer, but is consistently good; her most heartbreaking role was in What Women Want, and look for her in M. Night Shyamalan's latest this summer...)

Stanley Tucci (the UWS neighborhood dad who manages sexy and smart simultaneously--from assassin to airport manager and everywhere in between)

Adam Goldberg (if you only know him as Chandler's crazy roommate Eddie, you're missing something)

Liev Schreiber (Liev has heard me sing at karaoke, I saw him walking in front of Essentials, and he's a good actor)

Joan Allen (most wouldn't consider Joan a character actress, but I think she has remarkable power as an actor that's not given its due...)

And of course, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and the cast of regulars employed by Christopher Guest in his movies.

Not a complete list, of course. Any additional thoughts?

CHARACTER

Tonight I was supposed to have an improv class focusing on developing characters. The class was cancelled, I assume because of low interest.

Instead of becoming despondent and suffering through improv class withdrawal, I've decided on something a little more interactive and exploratory.

If I were ever to seriously pursue acting, I would probably do well to pursue the life of a character actor. These are the people you see in movies over and over again, but never as the lead--they generally "don't look like movie stars," and they give such natural, nuanced performances that sometimes you don't even notice they're there. But they are. They play doctors, and best friends, and geeks, and army personnel. They don't get the magazine covers, or the product endorsements, but they are actors through and through.

Who's your favorite character actor, and why?

I offer several of my favorites for your consideration:

William H. Macy (he is good in every film)

Philip Seymour Hoffmann (often creepy, but often heartbreaking)

Kevin Pollak (hilarious, sarcastic, Jewish, love him!)

J.T. Walsh (deceased, I believe, but again, good in every film)

Judy Greer (she's played the best friend a jillion times opposite everyone from Jennifer Garner to Jennifer Lopez and even for other people who aren't named Jennifer, but is consistently good; her most heartbreaking role was in What Women Want, and look for her in M. Night Shyamalan's latest this summer...)

Stanley Tucci (the UWS neighborhood dad who manages sexy and smart simultaneously--from assassin to airport manager and everywhere in between)

Adam Goldberg (if you only know him as Chandler's crazy roommate Eddie, you're missing something)

Liev Schreiber (Liev has heard me sing at karaoke, I saw him walking in front of Essentials, and he's a good actor)

Joan Allen (most wouldn't consider Joan a character actress, but I think she has remarkable power as an actor that's not given its due...)

And of course, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and the cast of regulars employed by Christopher Guest in his movies.

Not a complete list, of course. Any additional thoughts?