MovieChat Forums > W. (2008) Discussion > Thandie Newton was awful.

Thandie Newton was awful.

posted 16 years ago by nmescher
161 replies | jump to latest

I have never seen a movie where I was so aware of one of the actors actually acting. Everytime she spoke it brought me out of the whole movie. It has to be one of the worst pieces of acting in a long time. Why Oliver Stone didn't recast is beyond me. Perhaps due to the rushed shooting schedule. Everyone else did a fine job especially Brolin and Cromwell. Did anyone else cringe at Newton's performance? I'm glad her screen time, and even better her dialogue, were very limited.

[–] Benedict_Cumberbatch 16 years ago

Thandie Newton isn't awful. Condollleeeezzzza Riiiiice is.

"I did cramps the way Meryl Streep did accents" - Calliope (Middlesex)

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Dr_Hess 15 years ago

>I have never seen a movie where I was so aware of one of the actors actually acting. Everytime she spoke it brought me out of the whole movie. It has to be one of the worst pieces of acting in a long<

I had a thread up on this a while back. I like Thandie Newton but she deserved a Razzie for this performance.

>Why Oliver Stone didn't recast is beyond me<

She's a good actress. Maybe he just didn't give her the direction she needed.

>Everyone else did a fine job especially Brolin and Cromwell<

Or Cromwell and Brolin. Yeah, they were amazing!

>Did anyone else cringe at Newton's performance?<

Sure did, but I also laughed too, because she reminded me of an emu, and I don't like either emus OR Condoleeza Rice.

[–] DD-931 15 years ago

They should have gotten an American actress for that role. It's not like there aren't some damn good African-American actresses out there that could have pulled it off.

[–] CaseNASTY514 15 years ago

figures one of the onnly black ppl in a BUSH film..screw you dude

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] id247 15 years ago

I totally agree, just saw the film last night and it was an awful portryal, like an exagerrated caricature of Condi Rice. Hideous

[–] themill 15 years ago

Yeah, first thing I thought was "caricature" as well. I thought the rest of the movie was pretty well-cast, though.

[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I'm going to have to agree. A lot of moments in this film felt real and some rather phony, but her performance was the worst -- a cartoonish portrayal, seemingly done for laughs.

[–] simian_ninja 15 years ago

Definetly OTT.

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[–] can_ace_ian 15 years ago

Agree with OP. Movie was just awful, so therefor, being involved in an awful movie means that you being in it makes your performance also awful.

(K) eira

K (N) ightley

(O) rlando

(B) loom

Need I say more?

[–] becdonne 15 years ago

Ha I just finished watching this movie and I actually said to my housemate during that you can tell Newton is doing an imitation. It's soooo distracting!

[–] thefunkygecko 15 years ago

The only thing that went through my mind when she was talking was...

"Prejudice, wrote a song about it, like to hear it? Here it go...."

"FREE YOUR MIND!!"

Honestly though, love Thandie, up the Brits, but totally distracting.

Tfg x

[–] treach33 15 years ago

I agree with everyone else she was truly god awful in this movie. Her character was so out of place. How could Stone not notice this or was it intentional. Was he giving her feedback like "Great job Thandie you nailed it again! I mean seriously, was it meant to be comedic relief because it definitely seemed like it.

My favorite seen was the pretzel choking seen. It's one of those scenes where you know the outcome but you still find yourself rooting for the pretzel :)

~What if this is as good as it gets!~

[–] agsconnolly 15 years ago

I have to concur that she was absolutely atrocious whenever she was on screen and especially when speaking. One of the all-time appalling performances for me.

[–] Fusty_7 15 years ago

Thandie Newton is very, very pretty and can deliver a decent performance within a limited range, say in a standard romcom or action film. This role, however, took her well beyond that range and cruelly exposed her limitations as an actress. The fault was in the initial casting, imho.

Having said that, Jeffrey Wright was also abysmal. However, James Cromwell played James Cromwell very well.

[–] agsconnolly 15 years ago

I 100% agree Fusty. I think her inclusion was an attempt by Stone/the studio to make the film more appealing to younger audiences, as with the casting of Brolin (and Christian Bale initially).

[–] nasojf 15 years ago

She sounded like a cartoon character.

Awful tired now boss...dog tired