MovieChat Forums > Michael Collins (1996) Discussion > Actors Performances + Roles

Actors Performances + Roles

posted 17 years ago by Mike-Fitz-97
11 replies | jump to latest

Liam Neeson - Excellent performance, great Irish accent, fits in well.

Julia Roberts - Horrible performance, bad accent, does not fit in movie.

Aidan Quinn - Decent performance, decent accent, okay with story .. not great.

Alan Rickman - Excellent performance, great American/Irish accent, fits in well.

I believe that Julia Roberts did not fit into the film at all, and her performance was horrible. Rickman and Neeson fit in very well with the film and they did an excellent job at making their character believable. Quinn was okay, but he didn't really show me much.

I thought the movie as a whole was a great retelling of the story of Michael Collins, but certainly whoever casted Roberts and even Quinn for this film did not do a great job.

[–] DirtyGrainius 17 years ago

I think this was around that time when Quinn was at his (lukewarm) highpoint in hollywood, so that could have had something to do with his casting. I didn't think he was really THAT bad, I mean, his performance didn't throw me off or anything, but I agree that his was a middling performance.

Roberts on the other hand was dreadful and her part added nothing but fodder to the movie. It actually was a distraction, and made it hard to take the movie and it's subject matter as seriously as I might have been able to without the role.

jaustin035, on Sun Dec 16 2007 18:50:29, wrote something that made me laugh.

[–] samanthaseaotter 17 years ago

Still think that Julia Roberts can't act - no matter what she does (short of taking her clothes off, which the boys seem to enjoy). If they were really pressing for a tall, pretty American actress, they could have secured Daryl Hannah. I'm sure they could have easily found a tall, lovely Irish actress as well - one who really could act.

Samantha
"Nobody's perfect."

[–] Romarth 17 years ago

I agree, but as awful as her performance was, it's evident that her acting skills weren't really a factor; they needed a high-profile actress to be in it so it would receive recognition. It's unfortunate, but nessecary...

"How do you like me? How do you like me? Joe, Joe, Joe!"

[–] krisluvkev 17 years ago

It's amusing how it's become almost cool to shoot down Julias role in this film. Her character was just that a character. She wasn't Michael Collins or Eamon de Valera, she was just a love interest and nothing more. Her acting was fine for the role she played, her accent was fine and no better or worst than anyone else in the film.

[–] reservoirdog1986 15 years ago

i thought she was better than aidan quinn. it seemed like he was whining whenever he spoke, just listen to his voice and he sounds either like he's depressed or bitching (grant it, towards the end boland actually was very depressed)

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mikeyg24 15 years ago

I'm inclined to agree. I think peoples criticism of Roberts performance is almost a placebo. Their brain is telling them that there is no way Julia Roberts can do anything but bomb in such a role so that's how they see her. I think compared to dozens of other 'prop department' accents we've seen through the years hers is not that bad. As an actress I wouldn't rush to see her movies but I wouldn't throw her out of the bed for eating crisps either.

Awe Skinny you got blood all over my trousers! Jeez I'm real sorry sorry Frank

[–] chrismahon2005 15 years ago

Totaly agree, the guys for the most part were great, but roberts annoyed me, not her thought shes not a bad actress, but it just slowed the films story down and got in the way. I do believe because the film had a lot of american money they decided to put in a well known american actor/actress and thus thats why she was cast and had a lot of screen time. Any way it did not ruin a great movie, but it sure did come close, now days when i watch it i fast foward her bits

[–] annathedub 15 years ago

I didn't think Julia Roberts was all that bad really. Her accent was a bit iffy at times, but overall, for the small part she had, she was ok. Aidan Quinn's accent sounded nothing like a Dubliner at all, but once you overlooked that, he was ok. Neeson was good too. The real standouts for me, though, were Alan Rickman and Ian Hart. I could totally believe that Rickman was DeValera, he really had the part nailed, a superb performance. And as for Ian Hart, before this film I had never heard of him, and I genuinely thought that he was Irish (I am Irish), he was perfect in the role.

[–] Judger 15 years ago

I've seen a lot of Alan Rickman lately and think very highly of him.
I was a little surprised that he was cast in the role, but thought he was great.

I was even more surprised when I saw photos of the real DeValera and discovered they really looked a lot alike!

I was born in the house my father built

[–] goddessnemesis234 15 years ago

I do not think what a lot of you get is that Kitty Kiernan who Julia Roberts plays was a real person. She was a member of Cumann na mBan (the female organisation like the Irish Volunteers who later became the IRA), a spy for Michael Collins who stole British and Dublin Castle documents being sent on ships to and from Ireland so the IRA would know first, risking her life in the process. She was also the woman who prophecised that signing the Treaty would kill her fiancee Michael Collins.

She went onto marry someone else and has descendants today so she is not just a character but a real life woman who put life and soul into freeing her country.

Julia Roberts should have respected that and researched her properly instead of just doing as she was told and not caring who she was insulting. She was the only bad acting in this movie and does not deserve a high flying career if that is how she is going to treat the memory of someone very dear to Michael Collins and someone whose family would have watched the movie.