That is, pretending to be drunk, rather than simply performing in a role whilst inebriated. It's not easy, is it? Or at least, that's the impression I get, having watched decent actors in everything from sitcoms to heavyweight dramas attempting to do it convincingly. It seems to be an area of acting that hasn't really been refined in decades, one that's still bogged down in the caricaturish mannerisms of the 1950's. It's still apparently enough to practice the classic school of acting drunk's two S's - shudder and slur - which I don't think is how the majority of people act when they're under the influence of alcohol. There are more subtle nuances to take notice of - many people can imbibe large amounts of alcohol without losing control of their composure and speech, and an unsophisticted aprroach such as this doesn't take into account the peaks and troughs of emotional extremes displayed when drunk.
Yet still, great actors fall into the trap. I was watching episode four of Granada's Brideshead Revisited the other night and whilst it's undeniable that Anthony Andrews delivers an imperious performance as Sebastion, in the scene where he gatecrashes the family reading having been drinking all day, he goes straight for the shuddering and slurring technique, to a degree that's Steve Coogan would later adopt for comedy purposes when appearing as Paul Calf. In fact, Coogan is one of the few actors I can think of who's nailed a convincing drunk performance, in the episode of Alan Partridge where he drinks to excess with the canal promotion film company team. There are sudden, rather than continuous, convulsions; and it's as much about the inertia of being drunk as it is the concomitant tics and exclamations.
Anyway, feel free to use the miracle of YouTube to highlight any convincing or horribly cliched examples of acting drunk.
Yet still, great actors fall into the trap. I was watching episode four of Granada's Brideshead Revisited the other night and whilst it's undeniable that Anthony Andrews delivers an imperious performance as Sebastion, in the scene where he gatecrashes the family reading having been drinking all day, he goes straight for the shuddering and slurring technique, to a degree that's Steve Coogan would later adopt for comedy purposes when appearing as Paul Calf. In fact, Coogan is one of the few actors I can think of who's nailed a convincing drunk performance, in the episode of Alan Partridge where he drinks to excess with the canal promotion film company team. There are sudden, rather than continuous, convulsions; and it's as much about the inertia of being drunk as it is the concomitant tics and exclamations.
Anyway, feel free to use the miracle of YouTube to highlight any convincing or horribly cliched examples of acting drunk.
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