Movies: Actor: Most Charismatic? Most Talent Proven?

Osprey

Registered User
Feb 18, 2005
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Screen presence is a huge part of charisma, it's not just about being likable/charming. For my money I think Hardy's got the best screen presence of any actor today.

An actor with charisma can have great screen presence, but that doesn't mean that an actor with screen presence has great charisma.

Here are the definitions of charisma:
Merriam Webster said:
1: a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (as a political leader)
2: a special magnetic charm or appeal
dictionary.com said:
1. Theology. a divinely conferred gift or power.
2. a spiritual power or personal quality that gives an individual influence or authority over large numbers of people.
3. the special virtue of an office, function, position, etc., that confers or is thought to confer on the person holding it an unusual ability for leadership, worthiness of veneration, or the like.

In other words, charisma is the power to get people to follow you by being charming, likable and respected. That doesn't describe Hardy, IMO, particularly because he tends to play unlikable characters (often the villain or, like in Mad Max, an anti-hero). He might have screen presence--I won't argue with you there--but that's just not the same thing as charisma.

I don't know why a very talented actor has to have proven success in a multitude of difficult/different roles. I think there's a good argument that DiCaprio is one of the greatest actors ever, and he plays similar roles in most movies. A specialist who does one type of role extremely well is just as impressive as an actor who is really good in lot's of different roles.

I disagree. If you're simply playing yourself, you're not acting so much. When actors pull off roles that are outside of their comfort zones (like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump) is when you really see their acting chops.
 

tacogeoff

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Jul 18, 2011
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Jake Gyllenhaal's talent in acting is quite good imo. He has played a wide variety of characters successfully, although not a ton of them are at the blockbuster Hollywood level.

the actors I would consider charismatic have been listed. Sean Connery, Idris Elba and I would also add Robert Downey and Freeman.
 

Power Man

Grrrr
Sep 30, 2008
31,074
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221B Baker Street
Liam Neeson is very charismatic

Yul Brynner, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Omar Sharif were also super charismatic

Guy Williams (Zorro) had some charisma

Also Hopkins, RDJ, Freeman, Elba (good call, poster above me)
 

Tasty Biscuits

with fancy sauce
Aug 8, 2011
12,161
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Pittsburgh
Charismatic: Paul Newman had tons of charisma.

Newman is a great call.

As far as current working actors go, Sam Rockwell is a name that immediately came to mind.

In other words, charisma is the power to get people to follow you by being charming, likable and respected. That doesn't describe Hardy, IMO, particularly because he tends to play unlikable characters (often the villain or, like in Mad Max, an anti-hero). He might have screen presence--I won't argue with you there--but that's just not the same thing as charisma.

On the other hand, if you find yourself drawn to an actor even when they're playing the villain, a strong charisma is usually the answer. Again, I come back to Rockwell, specifically him being the best thing about Iron Man 2 due solely to that.
 

Spring in Fialta

A malign star kept him
Apr 1, 2007
25,087
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Montreal, QC
Newman is a great call.

As far as current working actors go, Sam Rockwell is a name that immediately came to mind.



On the other hand, if you find yourself drawn to an actor even when they're playing the villain, a strong charisma is usually the answer. Again, I come back to Rockwell, specifically him being the best thing about Iron Man 2 due solely to that.

Yeah, Rockwell is a good choice.
 

HanSolo

DJ Crazy Times
Apr 7, 2008
96,406
30,657
Las Vegas
An actor with charisma can have great screen presence, but that doesn't mean that an actor with screen presence has great charisma.

Here are the definitions of charisma:


In other words, charisma is the power to get people to follow you by being charming, likable and respected. That doesn't describe Hardy, IMO, particularly because he tends to play unlikable characters (often the villain or, like in Mad Max, an anti-hero). He might have screen presence--I won't argue with you there--but that's just not the same thing as charisma.



I disagree. If you're simply playing yourself, you're not acting so much. When actors pull off roles that are outside of their comfort zones (like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump) is when you really see their acting chops.

I think Hardy CAN do charisma (Legend, Inception, and to a lesser extent...that crappy spy movie with Chris Pine) but he doesn't do it nearly enough to be some shining example of charisma.
 

Neutrinos

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Sep 23, 2016
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He seems to always play the same character, to me. I don't see much difference between his characters in, for example, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lone Ranger, Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow, From Hell and so on. Aside from Edward Scissorhands, has he ever played a character who isn't aloof, zany and dry in his sense of humor? He plays that character very well, but range isn't a talent that I associate with him.

Agreed. It's the same effeminate cartoonish-like character in just about every role
 

kihei

McEnroe: The older I get, the better I used to be.
Jun 14, 2006
42,538
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Toronto
Max Von Sydow deserves a mention for being a very great actor but without a single ounce of charisma in his whole being--which seems absolutely fine with him.
 

Trap Jesus

Registered User
Feb 13, 2012
28,686
13,456
I love movies and really appreciate well-made films, but I don't have the best grasp on acting. I feel like a lot of the time when I see people talk about classically-trained actors like Meryl Streep that sweep awards I definitely acknowledge them as good actors but I don't see all that much that differentiates them from others.

I also think so much is dependent on the director and the overall quality of the movie. Like how can Eddie Redmayne be an Oscar winner and then literally give one of the worst performances of all time in Jupiter Ascending in the same year? And then someone like Leonardo DiCaprio I think isn't really all that talented but he is always in good movies in good roles.

I'm always most impressed by naturalistic acting from people that aren't classically trained and have maybe never even acted before, which is usually a huge credit to the director. I think that lack of awareness of treating it like it's an "acting role" can be beneficial a lot of the time.
 

Jack Straw

Moving much too slow.
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He seems to always play the same character, to me. I don't see much difference between his characters in, for example, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lone Ranger, Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow, From Hell and so on. Aside from Edward Scissorhands, has he ever played a character who isn't aloof, zany and dry in his sense of humor? He plays that character very well, but range isn't a talent that I associate with him.

He can if the role calls for it. He was fantastic in Donnie Brasco. Also his character in Murder on the Orient Express was not like any of those that you mention. He did a great job with that character although he got killed off early on.
 

Raging Bull

Present
Jan 25, 2004
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Actors that have that "it" factor for me, where you are just drawn into then every moment they are on the screen are few and far between. Bogart and Brando. Michael Caine. Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet for recent actresses.
 

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