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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I think the best way to learn about this is to watch some bad acting. Take look at this clip from There’s Something About Mary.
https://youtu.be/rTluEVN3tHg
Brett Favre (not a professional actor) is noticeably worse at acting than everyone else in the scene. His stance is awkward, his delivery feels flat, he doesn’t do anything interesting with his face or body. The other actors are far more expressive, make interesting faces and movements, and sound natural when speaking.
You can certainly spend years studying acting or you can be naturally gifted with little training, but it’s absolutely a skill not everyone can easily get.
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