Movies about Struggling actor
Movies about acting are often fun to watch. That’s because they feature performers telling stories about a subject they know everything about. It’s often very apparent that these stories have a special meaning for the stars — a personal angle, so to speak. Consequently, there can be a lot of passion and creativity in them.
One particularly riveting subset of this type of film involves good actors playing struggling actors. Since no one achieves fame and acclaim overnight, all actors know what it feels like to struggle. Every single one of them has paid their dues in some way, shape, or form. The following stars have achieved the kind of success every aspiring thespian dreams of. They’ve also reached into their own pasts to find the inspiration needed to play characters who are trying to get to that same place or characters who were there once and lost it.
Philip Seymour Hoffman — ‘Along Came Polly’
Throughout his stellar but ultimately too short career, Philip Seymour Hoffman could seemingly do no wrong. Every single performance he gave, no matter the overall quality of the movie, was interesting and fully committed. That’s certainly true of his work in the comedy Along Came Polly . He plays Sandy Lyle, the best friend to Ben Stiller’s lead character. Sandy is a washed-up former child star continually plotting to make a comeback. Whereas many stars have empathy toward the struggling actors they portray, Hoffman went a different route, emphasizing how pathetic Sandy is. The guy is the worst imaginable stereotype of a child actor gone to seed. We’ve all seen real-life Sandy Lyles struggling to remain relevant after the kiddie cuteness has worn off and adulthood has taken over. Hoffman understands the particular type of denial that leads people like that to delude themselves into thinking the ride isn’t over. As a result, his hilarious performance steals Along Came Polly right out from under Stiller and co-star Jennifer Aniston.
Martin Landau — ‘Ed Wood’
Martin Landau had a long career that found him working continually. That said, there were a lot of ups and downs. Despite successes like the hit TV series Mission: Impossible and movies such as Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors , there were stretches of time when Landau couldn’t get an A-list gig, despite his massive talent. His filmography contains a fair amount of schlock as a result. Things improved dramatically when Tim Burton hired him for Ed Wood . Landau played Bela Lugosi, the horror icon whose final days were spent working for the titular director on his notoriously awful science fiction/horror film Plan 9 From Outer Space . To play the aging, past-his-prime Lugosi, Landau drew on his own memories of worrying that he was washed up. He told Entertainment Weekly , «Lugosi was fascinating to watch. He had a palpable intensity and a presence that you can’t buy. But this f**kin’ town s**t on him. And I can relate to that. I’ve seen it happen a lot. I’ve seen it happen to me.” Landau’s turn as a once-popular thespian desperate to prove himself again was so convincing and heartfelt that it earned him a best supporting actor Academy Award.
Kevin Kline — ‘Soapdish’
In Soapdish , Kevin Kline plays Jeffrey Anderson, an aspiring Shakespearean actor who yearns to play Hamlet. That isn’t happening, leaving him reduced to starring on a soap opera — a gig he feels is beneath him. Humor in the movie is mined from his anguish over having to act out material he thinks is beneath his talents. Kline brings to life Jeffrey’s defining characteristic, a weird mixture of egotism and frustration. No other actor could have played Jeffrey as well because Kline understood the scenario first-hand. He told Entertainment Weekly that as a young actor trained in Shakespeare, he «moved to New York and vowed never to do commercials or soaps.» He then ended up spending a full year on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow and appearing in an ad for Thom McAn shoe stores. Understanding the character’s experience personally allowed him to fill his performance with a sense of authenticity that’s hilarious and fun to watch.
Leonardo DiCaprio — ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood finds Leonardo DiCaprio playing Rick Dalton, a former television star whose career is on a downward trajectory thanks to his alcohol problem. He’s desperately trying to revitalize his career, but nervousness and over-thinking cause dumb mistakes, like forgetting his lines. Rick even takes a pep talk from a far less-experienced child performer at one point. Although DiCaprio’s career has been top-tier ever since he first broke out with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape , he understood the mindset of people like Rick Dalton, thanks to having been in the business since childhood. «I grew up in this town, tried a lot to get into this industry when I was younger. I know who these guys are,» he told Deadline. «I got my one lucky shot, and knock on wood, it went very well for me. But I know inherently the psychology because I am one of them.» Incidentally, a scene in which Rick gets so excited seeing himself on television that he points to the set has become a popular meme. That’s how potent DiCaprio’s work here is.
Bill Murray — ‘Lost in Translation’
Bill Murray received an Oscar nomination as best actor for Lost in Translation . He plays Bob Harris, a faded movie star in Tokyo shooting a series of liquor advertisements. The whole experience is humiliating for him, given that he used to be a big deal. Life begins to look up after he forms a connection to a young woman also visiting the city, played by Scarlett Johansson. There is a profound sadness to Murray’s performance. He makes Bob a guy who has become depressed by how much his fame has fallen. He misses working on big productions, as well as the satisfaction that comes from doing work that is meaningful. He’s reached a phase where he has to take whatever he can get — and what he can get is real bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. Thanks to Murray’s emotionally precise interpretation of the character, Lost in Translation hits home for anyone who feels past their prime, regardless of their profession.
Dustin Hoffman — ‘Tootsie’
In a career full of superb performances, Dustin Hoffman’s turn in Tootsie ranks near the top. He’s Michael Dorsey, a frustrated New York actor whose most recent job was playing a literal vegetable. Even though it’s a gig, Michael complains to his manager about it. After being confronted with the reality of his «difficult» reputation, he decides to pose as a woman named Dorothy and start auditioning for roles. The gambit works, and Michael soon finds himself starring on a soap opera. He just can’t tell anyone his secret, even as he plays the greatest role of his life. What’s distinct and impressive about Hoffman’s work here is that he makes the character actively angry about his lack of success — a different note than most actors hit in similar roles. It’s an emotion he could relate to, having struggled for years before getting his big break in The Graduate . Getting someone to take a chance on him was difficult due to his ethnicity. As Hoffman explained to The Guardian , «There were two papers, Backstage and Showbiz, you got to try to get a job. It would list the parts available, and they would say: ‘Leading men, leading women, leading juveniles, leading ingénues; character leading men, character ingénues, character juveniles’ — that was the funny-looking Semitic guy. That meant you weren’t good-looking, and good-looking meant white Anglo-Saxon protestant.»
‘Birdman’ and 5 other movies about struggling actors
In “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” Michael Keaton plays Riggan, a washed-up actor who once played a superhero who fought for the right of films to have absurdly long titles. Which sets him apart from these other struggling thespians in film.
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Aidan Bloom
In this year’s “Wish I Was Here,” Zach Braff played a dad who’s been in the business for, oh, 20 years or so. Though usually “in the business” means “getting paid,” and that’s not the case here.
Michael Dorsey
In “Tootsie,” Dustin Hoffman plays a man who can’t get a gig so he decides to make it easier on himself by dressing up as a woman, which immediately results in success. And a VERY strict no-nudity clause.
Dítě Jane Hudson
Going by a name that starts with “Baby” might not be the best idea if you’re looking for a long career. But “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” proves it’s definitely a good choice if you want to grow up to be a complete psycho.
Neil Patrick Harris
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NPH played himself in all the “Harold and Kumar” movies. Except that in the films he’s a violent, sex-addicted, drug-fueled weirdo, which is not the case. We hope.
Jeffrey Anderson
In “Soapdish,” Kevin Kline played a former soap actor who’s now doing “Death of a Salesman” at a Florida dinner theater, which on his résumé he lists as an Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Off Broadway production.
Short film on the sorry state of struggling actors creates a buzz
Thousands of aspiring actors land up in the entertainment industry every day to chase their dreams while thousands go back without realising them.
For an outsider, the dream of becoming a successful actor, both commercially and critically, is next to attaining nirvana. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people, making a place for yourself in the film industry is highly tough, if not impossible. Thousands of aspiring actors land up in the entertainment industry every day to chase their dreams while thousands go back without realising them.
That’s what Puspendu Roy’s short film ‘An Actor’ talks about.
The film is all about the complex journey of a struggling actor Lalit. Struggle which helps us to embrace the pillars of success often can be frustrating enough, and can take quite unexpected turns! So, what consequence Lalit will face in his journey? That’s what the film depicts in the utmost cinematic manner.
Starring Payel Mukherjee, Victor Saibal Raja and Puspendu himself in pivotal roles, story and screenplay of the short film are by the director himself. Camera has been handled by Bharat Middya, while Satabdi has done the makeup, edit and color correction of the film has been done by Ashok and the background music is by Subhadee(P) Priyanko.
The short film has already garnered a lot of attention among cine buffs since its release.
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