Tuesday
Apr182017
Is Charlize a Chameleon?
Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 9:00PM Check out this hot video from Fandor
The Chameleonic Charlize Theron from Fandor on Vimeo.
Fun video. We lurve us some Charlize Theron but, honestly, aren't almost all modern actresses chameleons in this subtle way (different wigs & haircuts in every movie?)
Who would you define as a chameleon when it comes to acting?
Reader Comments (16)
Chameleon? Hmm....Well Tilda's a no brainier, she can literally transform into anything. Vera Farmiga uses her voice in ways all budding actors should study. She always manages to sound like a different person from film to film. Plus she's terrific in everything. Ditto on Viola Davis. Anne Heche should be in every film as far as I'm concerned. She's the most emotionally versatile and subtley expressive in her performances without resorting to attention grabby affects. I could stay on this subject all day 😁😁
Well, Tatiana Maslany of course.
On the more unexpected side, I suggest Alfred Molina who has played just about every nationality under the sun since he began in Raiders of the Lost Ark, screaming iiiieeee as he suffered a South American native extra death. French, Russian, Mexican, Cuban, English, Italian, American, he's your go-to guy. He's great (again) in "Feud".
Sam Rockwell
Melissa Leo
Jeffrey Wright
Lesley Manville
Ben Foster
Charlize Theron as a chameleon actor? I never thought of that. That videos makes a very strong case. What about Scar-Jo 3:16?
Sarah Paulson.
Tilda Swinton and Emma Stone because they can become Asian.
Streep and Day-Lewis. Swinton and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I like her but Charlize is not so much a chameleon to me. Apart from Monster, she is pretty consistent in tone besides using different makeup.
Andrea Riseborough
Cate Blanchett
Meryl Streep
Tilda Swinton
I've not only never thought of Charlize Theron as a chameleon, I've found myself thinking she's not experimenting enough with her voice / accents / face.
Nicole Kidman could also do more on the chameleon front.
Viola Davis a chameleon? How and where?
For me, Tilda Swinton is the epitome of a chameleon. Even when she's not caked in makeup like in Snowpiercer or Grand Budapest Hotel, she can still melt into a role.
I like that Theron like Pfieffer before her doesn't let her beauty define her
or her film persona.
Andrea Riseborough and Lesley Manville are outstanding answers to this question.
Christian Bale and Sean Penn are straight-up chameleons...and I think Chastain and Carey Mulligan are (successfully) trying to establish themselves as chameleonic character actors.
Haha on the Viola comment...I wouldn't classify her as a chameleon, but, unfortunately, she has been presented with the opportunities to flex her chameleonic muscles...Suicide Squad was step in that direction though.
Oops...she hasn't been presented with opportunities...my bad.
Robin Wright is a total chameleon. She's worked for decades and she's still an unknown quantity. I watched White Oleander recently and couldn't wrap my head around the fact that the same face/body plays Claire Underwood. It's like observing a completely different human. And it's so effortless. Draws no attention to itself whatsoever. Her short films in Nine Lives and New York I Love You are two more bewilderingly singular, specific, dissimilar creations.
The irony is that how thoroughly (and effortlessly) she disappears into characters probably hurt her career. There has never been a Robin Wright persona to plug into star vehicles. She's a disarmingly blank slate for characterization. Sometimes I fell like I don't even know what she looks like. Before her signature HoC haircut became so identifiable, looking at various pictures of her is a trip.
I believe Jodie Foster said she could've been the greatest actress of her generation if she wanted to be.
Same with @Yavor - Tilda, Cate and Meryl. Viola? Not at all! And I'm not referring to makeup and wigs. It's the voice, facial expression, accent and the mystique & aura one creates.