MovieChat Forums > Gracepoint (2014) Discussion > Michael Peña's expressionless face

Michael Peña's expressionless face


His acting annoys me sooo much. In every scene he remains expressionless and dead in the eyes. Is he this horrible of an actor in everything?

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I really liked him in End of Watch.

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He's not very good here.

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No he's not. To be honest he's not really a good actor, and this role demanded more.

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Now if Michael Pena was playing a tree he would get an EMMY for it. I am afraid he is not right for the role. Too late. We are stuck with him.

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He's amazing, but I love the intensity and subtlety in his expressions.

Like I said, go watch his reaction to the news about their son when he's on the couch, it's amazing emoting without doing the expected screaming and yelling and yelling "No!"

He's great!

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He is terrible in this role. And frankly I cannot see him and jemma having an affair. gmab.

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Agreed. He is horribly miscast, he's also not a good actor at all.

"Light Up, Light up, as if you had a choice"

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Thank you!
He is so wooden.
Rewatch when the family is told...he is laughable.

Real LOSERS spell 'loser' looser!

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He's a good actor, just not right for this type of role.

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The acting by him is just so.....not good. Especially against the mom, who is doing a pretty good job at acting. I kinda wish the dad would disappear already.

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Agreed. He's not a good actor but next to the mom who is really great, it just spotlights how bored he looks in his scenes.

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I thought he was brilliant in that scene. Just amazing, really, but different strokes for different folks.

He didn't do the predictable throw a glass and scream thing.

He made a clear acting choice and I loved it! And I especially loved the boiling intensity in him that he couldn't vocalize.

I also saw an interview with Clint Eastwood where he said that Michael Pena is one of the best actors he's seen in years, so that says a lot.

He really deserved a Best Supporting Oscar nod for Crash.

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They should have Antonio Banderas as the father.

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Totally agree with you but it's the direction not the actors that are at fault. You owe it to yourself to see Broadchurch and see how good this story can be. I know a lot has been said about Broadchurch and I almost hesitated to add my 2¢ but Gracepoint is like a highschool production, in comparison...
Watch Michael Peña in End of Watch and you will see that with proper direction he can be good...



PS For God sake Anna eat something!

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I can't remember specifically, but he's nevwer impressed me as a particularly good actor and I think that the nuanced material of this show is way beyond his abilities.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.

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I thought he was good in the first scene he was shown walking through the town talking to everyone, but the scene where the cops tell the family the son is dead was just bad. The expressionless face he was giving didn't seem "natural." I'm sure it's hard to do but there must have been a better way to express what the character was feeling at the time, whether it was trying to hold it together for the family, shock, guilt, etc. Other than that the acting has seemed fine but overall nothing has really stuck out as memorable in the story, except maybe when the mother was running between the cars to get the beach, that left an impression to me.

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Yeah. He can probably do some broad emotions well, but not the subtle stuff.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.

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I think he's doing great.

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i agree, it actually works in comedies though somehow. in Observe & Report and Eastbound Down i couldn't stop laughing at at those 2 odd characters.

Plot hole - Aspect of a film that is misunderstood or missed while using your smart phone.

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