Post by darcolover55 on Jun 4, 2009 19:35:09 GMT -5
I don't actually agree with Nelson and others about Jake's acting skills.
Everyone says Jake is a bad actor or has been a bad actor like it's a fact. I don't agree.
I think he's very talented, just understated. Luke is a very very dramatic character and yes Van has a lot of range but the writing for his character is also way more layered and developed.
For instance, when Jake first came on, before they went to Brandson, folks weren't saying he was a bad actor. They called him charming and sexy, etc.
It wasn't until Noah slept with Maddie and people got frustrated with the "character" that all this "Jake is a sucky actor" stuff started.
Even though Jake got a lot of sceen time, Noah got no exposition. He never got to talk to any other character about his motives for dating Maddie or his feelings about her or Luke or his history with being gay or his history with his father. It was all tidbits and him reacting to things and the viewers being confused and frustrated and HATING Noah and blaming Jake.
Meanwhile we say Maddie talking to Gwen, Henry, Vienna even Luke about her feelings about Casey and Noah, etc.
We got to see Luke talking to Jade and Aaron and Holden and even Lily about his feelings about Noah.
My point is, it's hard to act if the writers give you nothing but sound bites and nothing to actually do accept react to other people.
That pond scene was fabulous. The scene where Luke comes out to Noah was fabulous. Both actors were so in tune and connected that we all felt where Noah was coming from.
But the writers never went anywhere with it. Just like with the Ameera storyline and the NYC storyline and the Army storyline, the writers never allowed us to get inside Noah's head to see what he was thinking, what his motivations were. There wasn't even dialogue to give us a clue and most of the time we had to intuit and guess.
And Jake had to try to communicate volumes of emotions and motive and perspective with bascially just body language and a few well chosen responses to Luke's screaming at him.
I feel like of all the young folks, Jade and Noah get the least amount of meaty dialogue to chew on.
But I think Jake does a great job with what he has to work with. I just think that the kind of character Noah is meant to be isn't very exciting to watch (despite how well it may or may not be acted)
If you ask half the folks why they think Jake is a bad actor they will site stuff they don't like about NOAH (and sometimes stuff that never happened on the show)
Noah is supposed to be stilted and reserved and akward and unsure of himself and I think that's how Jake has always played him and as the circumstances in Noah's live have changed and he's loosened up and grown more confident, that's how Jake has played him.
I don't think any one HAS to like Jake's acting but I really feel he's gotten a bum wrap and undeserved criticism because folks had such different expectations of what Luke's first boyfriend would be like.
Anyway, sorry to go on and on. I just think sometimes theses ways of seeing characters become like urban myths that just get spread without any analysis.
Everyone says Jake is a bad actor or has been a bad actor like it's a fact. I don't agree.
I think he's very talented, just understated. Luke is a very very dramatic character and yes Van has a lot of range but the writing for his character is also way more layered and developed.
For instance, when Jake first came on, before they went to Brandson, folks weren't saying he was a bad actor. They called him charming and sexy, etc.
It wasn't until Noah slept with Maddie and people got frustrated with the "character" that all this "Jake is a sucky actor" stuff started.
Even though Jake got a lot of sceen time, Noah got no exposition. He never got to talk to any other character about his motives for dating Maddie or his feelings about her or Luke or his history with being gay or his history with his father. It was all tidbits and him reacting to things and the viewers being confused and frustrated and HATING Noah and blaming Jake.
Meanwhile we say Maddie talking to Gwen, Henry, Vienna even Luke about her feelings about Casey and Noah, etc.
We got to see Luke talking to Jade and Aaron and Holden and even Lily about his feelings about Noah.
My point is, it's hard to act if the writers give you nothing but sound bites and nothing to actually do accept react to other people.
That pond scene was fabulous. The scene where Luke comes out to Noah was fabulous. Both actors were so in tune and connected that we all felt where Noah was coming from.
But the writers never went anywhere with it. Just like with the Ameera storyline and the NYC storyline and the Army storyline, the writers never allowed us to get inside Noah's head to see what he was thinking, what his motivations were. There wasn't even dialogue to give us a clue and most of the time we had to intuit and guess.
And Jake had to try to communicate volumes of emotions and motive and perspective with bascially just body language and a few well chosen responses to Luke's screaming at him.
I feel like of all the young folks, Jade and Noah get the least amount of meaty dialogue to chew on.
But I think Jake does a great job with what he has to work with. I just think that the kind of character Noah is meant to be isn't very exciting to watch (despite how well it may or may not be acted)
If you ask half the folks why they think Jake is a bad actor they will site stuff they don't like about NOAH (and sometimes stuff that never happened on the show)
Noah is supposed to be stilted and reserved and akward and unsure of himself and I think that's how Jake has always played him and as the circumstances in Noah's live have changed and he's loosened up and grown more confident, that's how Jake has played him.
I don't think any one HAS to like Jake's acting but I really feel he's gotten a bum wrap and undeserved criticism because folks had such different expectations of what Luke's first boyfriend would be like.
Anyway, sorry to go on and on. I just think sometimes theses ways of seeing characters become like urban myths that just get spread without any analysis.