Aside from crying on command which seems difficult, and remembering the lines to long monologues, couldn’t anyone be a good actor/actress with a little practice and some direction? How hard is it to read some lines with certain inflection that, in most cases, would be obvious to the performer, and if not, easily conveyed unto them by the director.
From an outsider’s perspective it seems like your appearance is 95% responsible for whether or not you’d be suitable for a specific role. Anyone with acting theory knowledge able to explain why I’m wrong? One example that made me think of this is Mark Margolis in Better Call Saul. All he did was ring a bell and make facial gestures, which anyone could do, but it’s his distinct appearance that sells the part.
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It’s those subtle attributes an actor has that they can give to the performance. Have you ever had someone lie to your face and you thought “they’re a terrible liar?” And have you had someone else come up to you and you took it hook line, and sinker?
It’s all in the delivery. They can make you believe what they say and do because it looks natural and sounds natural. To the point about Mark Margolis (RIP), When I go listen to a symphony, yeah, anyone can hit a bell or strike a triangle. But they know when to do it, how to do it, how hard to do it, what else is coming next in the score. I couldn’t just go up on stage, read the music, see where to hit it, and just do it. In some way, it would be wrong and unconvincing. That’s why people study music and acting, so they can be convincing. Facial expressions, subtle body movements, tone of voice — knowing how the other actors are going to react — all of this goes into delivering a superb, convincing performance. Any little thing that’s missing can make it unconvincing. Can you learn to do all this? Absolutely. Does it take time and study? Absolutely.
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