Quite an interesting topic I think, most bad actors have at least one film or series where they actually stepped up to the plate and delivered.
For me it’s Stephen Baldwin in The Usual Suspects, the guy is absolutely terrible in everything else he’s ever been in but for one film and one film only he delivered a great performance.
Tom Arnold in True Lies. Possibly the only time I've kinda liked Tom Arnold.
Also, love your pick. Really good example.
Arhnold was a great emotionaless robot in Terminator.
Perfect casting. The way he did NOT emote, right down his alley.
It was perfect casting, kinda like Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers, he’s a bad actor but it’s perfect for the role.
shareTHAT IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE...VAN DIEN WAS SOLID IN STARSHIP TROOPERS...WHERE HIS HAMMY NATURE WORKS FOR THE CHARACTER...THEN THEY TRIED TO MAKE HIM A LEAD ACTOR...AND WE GOT THAT TARZAN MOVIE AND DOZENS OF FORGOTTEN DUDS.
shareProbably helped that his dad was in the military and he went to military school. He looks like a classic movie version of a marine.
shareYeah Tom Arnold is annoying as hell in everything else he’s done but he’s a lot of fun in that movie
shareWHILE I ENJOY SOME OF HIS COMEDY ROLES LIKE CARPOOL AND BIG BULLY...TOM ARNOLD IS A SOLID ANSWER...HE WAS PRETTY SCARY AND EFFECTIVE IN ANIMAL FACTORY(2000) THOUGH.
sharejohn ritter in sling blade
shareGood shout, saw him in “IT” and North and the guy was terrible, but he was great in Sling Blade.
shareI thought he was good in problem child. He basically carried the movie.
sharePROBLEM CHILD...PROBLEM CHILD 2...STAY TUNED.
THOSE AND HIS WORK ON THREE'S COMPANY I THINK ARE STRONG.
IF YOU DON'T APPRECIATE THAT FORM OF COMEDY THOUGH...JOHN RITTER IS A SOLID ANSWER.
I wouldn't put Ritter in the bad actor category. He did do a lot of bad movies and TV, but he was usually one of the best things about them.
shareWhat?! John Ritter was a great actor, don't know what you all are on about.
shareRitter was also great in 'Bad Santa'!
shareIs George Lazenby considered a bad actor? I thought he did a quite respectable job in OHMSS, especially considering his inexperience and lack of training.
shareI THOUGHT BALDWIN WAS SOLID IN POSSE(1993).
shareKim Novak in "Vertigo" owns this thread! She's absolutely perfect in that one role, she nails every moment of a role so complex you can't really appreciate what she's doing until you've seen the film several times.
And in every other film, she ranges between... godawful and okay. Okay, maybe she was decent in "Picnic", but damn, two good performances in a whole career? At least Charlize Theron started out that uneven, but she buckled down and actually learned to act consistently, but Novak never did.