Worst Acting Performance

[Jan]

Personally, I never really liked Byron. (ooh! my first post!) How did he get his hair to look so great in Down Below?

Happy first post!

Why shouldn't his hair look fine? And all the rest of them? They're not wealthy but they're obviously not destitute since they were able to make interstellar flights to get to B5. And we know there's plenty of water since we've seen it dripping so many times. Remember, Lyta was stealing vitamins and medical supplies for them, not shampoo.

Jan

 

[freshair3]

With this being your first post, I'm going to remember you as Fres Hair 3.

How did he get his hair to look so great in Down Below?

Well, that's a remarkably personal question. Usually when you're grooming "down below" you go for an all or nothing approach. I'm not sure which way he went.

Ha Ha!

 

[freshair3]

Personally, I never really liked Byron. (ooh! my first post!) How did he get his hair to look so great in Down Below?

Happy first post!

Why shouldn't his hair look fine? And all the rest of them? They're not wealthy but they're obviously not destitute since they were able to make interstellar flights to get to B5. And we know there's plenty of water since we've seen it dripping so many times. Remember, Lyta was stealing vitamins and medical supplies for them, not shampoo.

Jan

Hmmm (bit of a threadnap here) Is there plenty of water if it all has to be recycled? Not all quarters have showers with water. Is there a hairdresser on B5?

 

[Jan]

Hmmm (bit of a threadnap here) Is there plenty of water if it all has to be recycled? Not all quarters have showers with water. Is there a hairdresser on B5?

Water showers would be wasteful, true. But even now we've got waterless shampoos that are often used in care centers. I've used one once and it actually worked really well.

I'm sure there are hairdressers. Plenty of permanent staff who'd need one. But the teeps might trim each other's hair, too.

Jan

 

[Looney]

Absolutely positively the telepath girl from "Legacies." Just terrible. Allegedly just hitting puberty, the actress was like 20 or more, and utterly unbelievable as a confused kid. And her attempts to act kid-like were cringingly awful

Okay so I discovered this thread by accident, but I think I will be having some fun as I go through it. First I agree that there are many cringe worthy moments with Alisa Beldon (Grace Una), but here is a question I have.

At the end of Legacies, 1.17, there is a scene where Alisa Beldon is saying goodbye to Talia Winters and Ivanova. The most important part of this scene is that it is a real spark in Winters and Ivanova's relationship, however, we are discussing the impression of Grace Una's acting so my question is whether or not people think this moment is brilliant? Okay so I always thought this scene was ridiculous. Alisa Beldon seems way too emotional about saying goodbye to these two. On the one hand they are the first two adults, we know of, whom have taken an interest in her safety and well being since her father died and orphaned her so maybe it is supposed to be genuine emotion. On the other hand, and in a manner that I think makes the scene play better, she also acknowledges that she isn't exactly happy about the way they fought over her. So maybe this overly emotional goodbye is just her way of placating them. I don't know it just feels that maybe the moment comes off so bad because it is supposed to be obvious how fake she is being. I know I am over thinking it and the answer leans more toward the angle of her performance lacking, but if I were right and she was just hamming it up to get away from those two it seems brilliant. I am thinking especially of the way she stops them and says she wants to go on alone. Of course we know she has to do that because Sinclair is waiting through the next door, but her character isn't supposed to know he is there so my theory seems plausible. As to the rest of the episode, I don't know what to tell you. My guess is that it has to do with a young actress being told she needs to play an even younger role of a fourteen year old.

 

[BrianGault]

Well, I can't agree with you. It was my favourite moment, the most touching in the episode.

 

[Looney]

Well I think it is brilliant if we are indeed supposed to believe the insincerity of the moment. I guess I just don't feel there is really enough of an emotional connection in the episode to warrant the goodbyes she delivers to everyone.

But kuddos for speaking up with a post that seems relevant despite placing a link in your first post.

 

[Jan]

That's what's known as a spammer, Looney. No more. No less.

 

[KoshFan]

I'm thinking bots are getting smarter.

 

[Looney]

That's what's known as a spammer, Looney. No more. No less.

I know. That is why I wrote what I wrote and added "" at the end. . . . .

Normally I would just have flagged the post, but they tried to be so subtle about it.

I'm thinking bots are getting smarter.

OMG I hope that isn't true. But yes I have noticed a few posts here recently have tried to sound somewhat relevant. I hate it so much that they can invade our little sanctuary.

So Jan how long do you think it will be before they are able to get through the JMS News screening?

 

[Jan]

Well, right now they can't register at all because the Captcha system is down. But with our 'honey trap', it would take something pretty convincing for me to request DougO to upgrade them.

 

[Looney]

Well, right now they can't register at all because the Captcha system is down. But with our 'honey trap', it would take something pretty convincing for me to request DougO to upgrade them.

Yes, "honey trap". That is a good word for it. :thumbsup:

 

[Talvitar]

I have no idea what I thought during the first two rounds of watching B5 since they were quite a few years ago.
However, when I started the third round a few months ago, I thought I'd die during the first season. Luckily I knew that Boxleitner was going to come to the second season, and there were Ivanova, Garibaldi, Londo, Vir, G'Kar etc. to save the day, and of course the story was excellent but oh. my. god. how much I cringed every time Michael O'Hare showed on the screen. Is he a stage actor? It was all I could think of as a reason. His ponderous way of saying the lines, exaggerated expressions... Ease and natural speech rhythm were nowhere in sight... the only explanation I had (as I tried to be kind) was that he did most of his work on stage and wasn't able to adapt to the small screen but what do I know... maybe everyone else thinks he's wonderful

Someone said somewhere here that CC isn't great at creating the scenes but she's really good at reacting. After I read that (in some episode thread), I haven't been able to forget it and now I see evidence of it in most every episode. It's true! CC is excellent in reacting to others / situations. Not so much when it's up to her to "build" a scene from scratch.

Am I the only one to think that the guy who played Ironheart was painful and awkward to watch?

 

[KoshFan]

I have no idea what I thought during the first two rounds of watching B5 since they were quite a few years ago.
However, when I started the third round a few months ago, I thought I'd die during the first season. Luckily I knew that Boxleitner was going to come to the second season, and there were Ivanova, Garibaldi, Londo, Vir, G'Kar etc. to save the day, and of course the story was excellent but oh. my. god. how much I cringed every time Michael O'Hare showed on the screen. Is he a stage actor? It was all I could think of as a reason. His ponderous way of saying the lines, exaggerated expressions... Ease and natural speech rhythm were nowhere in sight... the only explanation I had (as I tried to be kind) was that he did most of his work on stage and wasn't able to adapt to the small screen but what do I know... maybe everyone else thinks he's wonderful

O'Hare was indeed a stage actor. I used to think as you do... my friends and I used to laugh at how he would always be smiling slightly, even in dark/dramatic scenes. And yes, he could be ponderous.

But you may have missed the news: a) he died some years ago and b) after his death, JMS revealed that O'Hare was struggling with a serious illness throughout the first season. JMS was ready to shut down the show so O'Hare could get treatment; it was that bad. But O'Hare refused, on the grounds that everyone else would lose their jobs, and pushed himself through to the end of the first season.

It's a remarkable story, and it really makes O'Hare's performance vastly more poignant. Think about it this way: without that acting (strained and rough as it was), the rest of the show simply would not exist.

Edit: here's the thread where we talked about it. http://www.b5tv.com/showthread.php?t=42275.

Am I the only one to think that the guy who played Ironheart was painful and awkward to watch?

Yeah, I'm with you there. He was pretty clunky. And I've never known if he was whispering "Be still" or "Be steel" to himself. And every single time I watch the episode, he mispronounces "Serotonin!"

 

[Kraig]

Am I the only one to think that the guy who played Ironheart was painful and awkward to watch?

Yeah, I'm with you there. He was pretty clunky. And I've never known if he was whispering "Be still" or "Be steel" to himself. And every single time I watch the episode, he mispronounces "Serotonin!"

Now William Allen Young plays a doctor on the CBS series "Code Black." Maybe he will get an opportunity to get the pronunciation right this time.

 

[Looney]

O'Hare's performance has grown on me over the years. He definitely has some bad scenes, but just about every cast member had those. He also has some outstanding scenes. Before his illness came to light I had developed a great love for what he did with the character. I started to think that this was just how Sinclair was; he had quirks. I started to think Sinclair had more realism than Sheridan. As much as I love Sheridan you can kind of telegraph what he will do. Anyway, like I said, O'Hare definitely had some outstanding moments and some stinkers.

 

[Talvitar]

b) after his death, JMS revealed that O'Hare was struggling with a serious illness throughout the first season. JMS was ready to shut down the show so O'Hare could get treatment; it was that bad. But O'Hare refused, on the grounds that everyone else would lose their jobs, and pushed himself through to the end of the first season.

That was very interesting. Doesn't make me like his way of acting, though. However, it makes me really respect his thorough professionalism and dedication.

He did have a weird way with humour which I occasionally liked. Very deadpan and out-of-the-blue. To compare with Sheridan (who I adore), with him you can sort of see the funny stuff coming, but Sinclair sometimes got a surprised giggle out of me. In Babylon Squared, the short "I'll notify your next of kin" still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

 

[KoshFan]

That was very interesting. Doesn't make me like his way of acting, though.

Fair enough.

However, it makes me really respect his thorough professionalism and dedication.

Yep.

He did have a weird way with humour which I occasionally liked. Very deadpan and out-of-the-blue. To compare with Sheridan (who I adore), with him you can sort of see the funny stuff coming, but Sinclair sometimes got a surprised giggle out of me. In Babylon Squared, the short "I'll notify your next of kin" still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

That whole scene is still a delight after all these years.

 

[Jan]

Where others call O'Hare's acting 'wooden', I call it subtle. And given that he was surrounded by scenery-chewers, I'm not surprised that people don't quite get it. But he played his part *exactly* as written. The character was promoted to a post he wasn't yet qualified for by rank and he was suffering from PTSD after the Battle of the Line. His career had been stalled due to suspicion over his missing time and many folks in Earthforce would have killed to have his job so he was under intense and unfriendly scrutiny. I loved the way he played it.