There Are Just Some People Who Define Their Roles - Like Davy Jones, Batman And Snake

[Seil]

When I mention the three names in the thread title, I'm referring to the actors who play them:

Bill Nighy solidifying Davey Jones as a cursed squid-sailor
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lN2auTVavw&feature=related)Christian Bale learns his bat-skills (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFJiEPxwbg)
David Hayter watches his mentor die (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHK_pAw--E)

These are people - Nighy, Bale and Hayter who aren't just actors playing the part of their characters - they... become their characters. Their names become synonymous. People start referring to Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard. It also works the other way - Davey Jones isn't just a name anymore. Davey Jones is Bill Nighy.

What other people can you name?

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Isn't Kevin Conroy batman? Or maybe Keaton if you don't like the cartoons. Certinaly not Bale who overacts his way through both films- clearly playing an actor playing a character. What I'm saying is that lots of people have played Batman over the years and you can't really say anyof them has really defined the character. That is particularly hard to do with a character who was already hugely popular in a different medium- ie comics- befroehand because audience already has a firm impression of him.

I think the best example has to be Hamil who became Skywalker for a long time, they even had a simpsons episode on it. And we didn't have a Skywalker before hand so it was easy for him to become one.

[EVILNess]

I would seriously put Conroy over Bale and Hamil still does my favorite rendition of the Joker ever.

As for Snake, he has the most imitated voice ever. It seems like everyone can do his voice.

[Seil]

As for Snake, he has the most imitated voice ever. It seems like everyone can do his voice.

And the minute they replace Hayter, scores of fanboys will protest outside Konami.

[Bells]

Most of the voice actors on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon were spot on for me there. In that cartoon universe, Hammil is the best Joker. On live action, i have to give it to Ledger.

I don't really like Batman in the movies, because as pointed out, he is the least Organic character in the movie. Both in concept and execution.

[Yumil]

What, Batman isn't Adam West?

[krogothwolf]

Damn Straight Batman is Adam West! And the Joker, well, he'll always be Luke Skywalker.

[Dracorion]

How much cooler would Star Wars be if Luke Skywalker was the Joker?

Think about that for a second.

[Marc v4.0]

When I mention the three names in the thread title, I'm referring to the actors who play them:

Bill Nighy solidifying Davey Jones as a cursed squid-sailor
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lN2auTVavw&feature=related)Christian Bale learns his bat-skills (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFJiEPxwbg)
David Hayter watches his mentor die (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHK_pAw--E)

These are people - Nighy, Bale and Hayter who aren't just actors playing the part of their characters - they... become their characters. Their names become synonymous. People start referring to Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard. It also works the other way - Davey Jones isn't just a name anymore. Davey Jones is Bill Nighy.

What other people can you name?

Adam West is Batman, you pitiful half-man, and you should be thrown to the tracks for suggesting any different.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Adam West plays Adam west playing Batman.

[Marc v4.0]

Adam West plays Adam west playing Batman.

as Adam West

[Loyal]

Considering Snake pretty much does not speak in that scene, Seil, I'm not sure that's a good example to use for Hayter = Snake.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

I may be egged for this but I don't mind Bales Bruce Wayne.

[Seil]

I agree with Mac.

Then again, it might be a generation thing - I've never really seen the Batman TV show.

[synkr0nized]

Hayter's just a voice. His image sure doesn't make me think of Snake. Also, is he Solid Snake or Big Boss?

Likewise, Bale's voice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2yv8aT0UFc) may be what gets him the most attention as Batman (old link, I know, but still funny). I'm not sure he's much better than West or Keaton.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

When it comes down to the voice. Kevin Conroy hands down is the voice for Batman.

Real life Joker to me is Ledger. Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson have nothing on him. Granted I am not a Nicholson fan so that may be part of it.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Likewise, Bale's voice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2yv8aT0UFc) may be what gets him the most attention as Batman (old link, I know, but still funny). I'm not sure he's much better than West or Keaton.

I put Keaton in another league to Bale because Bale's performance has no subtlety whatsoever. Bale plays Bruce Wayne as on a knife-edge, wracked with pain and guilt- someone who would obviously be Batman. Keaton disguises it when he's in Wayne mode- you cann still see the hurt but it's hidden. Bale's performance is terrible.
West is out in crazy crazy town.

[krogothwolf]

I always thought the Ledger joker didn't really do Joker justice. His laugh was one of the worst for a Joker laugh. I thought, aside from Hamil as the best Joker Voice of all time.(He was The Trickster in that godawful Flash show though) that Nicholson caught the spirit of what the Joker is fairly well.

Also, Billy Dee Williams is Lando Calrissian, he can't be nothin else!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I also much preferred Nicholson's joker to Ledger's- Ledger's joker wasn't as charismatic as I've always seen the Joker.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

Errol Flynn is Robin Hood and there's no getting around that. And Neil Patrick Harris is Dr. Horrible.

And this is probably a generational thing because I've never seen a classic Doctor Who episode before, but David Tennant is The Doctor and nothing will ever change that for me.

[Mike McC]

Isn't Hayter just doing an impersonation of Snake Plissken (from Escape From New York)?

[Krylo]

Those are all terrible "This actor is the character" choices.

No one sees Nighy or Hayter through ten pounds of make up and latex prosthetics and CGI/being a game character, so no one is going to immediately think "Ho Shit, Davy Jones/Snake!" Especially considering that's not even Hayter's natural voice.

While Bale, in the mean time, has been in all kinds of shit, way too much to lock him into being Batman.

[Eldezar]

Quacky Duck is Batman.

http://www.megamink.co.uk/RS.2006.02.06.Batduck.jpg

[Seil]

No one sees Nighy or Hayter through ten pounds of make up and latex prosthetics

No prosthetics were harmed in the making of POTC. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHRfjbmR4J8)

And I guess what I'm saying is that it's less of Bill Nighy's performance - which is damned good - but more about how Davy Jones is now this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/DavyJones400px.jpg

And that's what people see when they envision Jones, rather than the Flying Dutchman legends.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Well considering Davy Jones wasn't really a character in anything else(Davy jones being a reference to the seas/god of the seas) I don't know what lese you would think of in relations to Jones.

[Archbio]

We know that Bill Nighy portrayed Davy Jones as playing his own instrument.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Isn't Hayter just doing an impersonation of Snake Plissken (from Escape From New York)?

^^This. Which means if anything, Kurt Russel is the real Snake.

[krogothwolf]

When I see Superman, I think Christopher Reeves. I still do even after all these years.

[CelesJessa]

And the minute they replace Hayter, scores of fangirls will protest outside Konami.
Honestly I would be more afraid of the fangirls.

Hayter's just a voice. His image sure doesn't make me think of Snake. Also, is he Solid Snake or Big Boss?

He plays both, but I think most fans recognize him as being Snake. When it was released that Dayter David Hayter was voicing Big Boss in upcoming Peace Walker instead of Richard Doyle who voiced him in MGS4 there seemed to be mixed feelings.

But yeah I do think Seil is right as far as David Hayter becoming his character. Sometimes when chatting with the other crazy MGS fans when talking about cutscenes or something, I've seen people go "and you'll hear Dayter say such and such" instead of Snake

[Osterbaum]

But yeah I do think Seil is right as far as David Hayter becoming his character.
Only for crazy MGS fans.

[POS Industries]

David Tennant is The Doctor
You seem to have misspelled "Tom Baker." Easy mistake.

Quacky Duck is Batman.
I believe you mean Plucky Duck.

Well considering Davy Jones wasn't really a character in anything else(Davy jones being a reference to the seas/god of the seas) I don't know what lese you would think of in relations to Jones.
Well.... (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xo9pi_the-monkees-daydream-believer_music)

[Professor Smarmiarty]

You seem to have misspelled "Tom Baker." Easy mistake.
It's so easy that you also misspelled "Jon Pertwee".


Well.... (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xo9pi_the-monkees-daydream-believer_music)

You could have also gone here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL7jjt-xDIk

[CelesJessa]

Only for crazy MGS fans.

Shush you.

It's not like anyone ever remembers Hayter for any of his other roles.

One thing that I always think is interesting is when voice actors/actors really get into their role. Like Vic Mignogna wrote songs inspired by the series he's in (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyyCK3Yykw8&feature=related), and David Hayter is a huge dork. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Um0yhDx5ok)

[POS Industries]

It's so easy that you also misspelled "Jon Pertwee".
I'm perfectly willing to believe that both are acceptable spellings.

You could have also gone here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL7jjt-xDIk
I suppose I could have but I no idea what I'm looking at here.

[krogothwolf]

It's so easy that you also misspelled "Jon Pertwee".


Really SMB, Really? You need your polarities reversed! Tom Baker is Doctor Who!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I suppose I could have but I no idea what I'm looking at here.

Davy Jones was the original stagename of Bowie. But I can't think Bowie without thinking Bowie's in Space.

[tacticslion]

When I see Superman, I think Christopher Reeves. I still do even after all these years.

Oh, heck yes. I mean, Reeves is really the high-mark of Superman anyone would have to successfully overcome to be Superman on the silver screen. They tried it with Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, and it didn't work out that well, although I thought Kevin Spacey did a great job with Luthor. It doesn't matter that the last two were absolute garbage - Reeves was magnificant in all of the movies as Superman. He truly defined the role.

Also, although he's a great actor who I could see in many other roles, Robert Downy Jr. is probably the only Tony Stark for me from now on. Seriously, he's a great Stark. It's not just the first person to play the part, either: MacGuire's a good spiderman, but I think it could be done better by someone else, in a different film series. I would not, however, want the same continuity. That would be awful.

Two actors who are defined by their roles are Spock Leonard Nemoy and Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe (the latter who, I'm embarrassed to admit, I actually had to look up just now because I momentarily forgot his real name). Nemoy spent years trying to get people to think of him as anything other than "Spock", even writing the book "I Am Not Spock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Not_Spock)". Eventually he had to give up and wrote "I Am Spock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Spock)" (among others that self-identified him with Spock). Daniel Radcliffe is undergoing a similar situation, attempting to seperate himself from the Harry Potter character while mantaining his bond with the Rowling mythos. It's sad: a few months back, while perusing Barnes and Noble, I came across a kids book that explained why Daniel Radcliffe was not the same person as Harry Potter ("he has his own, unique style"). Shortly thereafter at the grocery store, I saw a magazine (maybe People?) while checking out that listed reviews of stars (across the top, with pictures): Miley Cirus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miley_Cirus) (in Hannah Montanna garb), Robin Kenny (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhianna) (with an image from a music video), two or three other actors and singers with roles they were famous for, and... Harry Potter. Not Daniel Radcliffe. I had to look up who the heck Robin Kenny was, but they listed Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with no mention of his real name. I understand any drive or need he may feel to seperate himself.

It's not just the first person to

As far as Batman: Kevin Conroy. No. Way. Around. It. He looks nothing like Batman (meeting him was really cool), but his voice is too iconic for my wife and I for anyone else to come close. Keaton just never looked the part for me, while Bale just seems... I dunno either too much or too little. And Adam West never played anyone other than Adam West playing X as Adam West.

Similarly to Conroy, Hammil is forever the Joker's voice (and Luke Skywalker). That said, I was impressed both by Nicholson's live Joker and Ledgers'. I've heard the arguments for both, but ultimately, they're very different Jokers. Nicholson makes a Joker that fits in with the comics a bit more, visually and vocally, but his personality divurged in odd ways from the apparent tone of the film. Ledger seems to have been the better actor of the two, and his personality fit far better into the Nolanverse.

Speaking of Star Wars: Ford is Han Solo. No one could ever play Han Solo after Ford. Really, it's that simple. Ford is also Indiana Jones. No one could ever play Indiana Jones after Ford. Also that simple. Ford managed to define both roles - two very iconic, very different roles (one is a semi-womanizing action-hero rogue-smuggler who settled down with a tough brunette after a lifetime of adventures, while the other is a semi-womanizing action-hero ranger-scholar who settled down with a tough brunette after a lifetime of adventures! Totally different!) while managing to hold his own career very seperate from either.

Really, I think it comes down to, "is X-as-Y iconic enough for a large population to instantly think of X when they think of Y" and that happens with different people in different times. Enter the Doctor Who discussion...

[Seil]

It's not like anyone ever remembers Hayter for any of his other roles.

Part Human, Part Alien, All Hero. (http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/guyver-dark-hero-trailer/320553)

[Nikose Tyris]

I'm perfectly willing to believe that both are acceptable spellings.

Really, cause neither of those look like Sylvester McCoy, or Ecclestone.

I'm actually quite torn. McCoy is the better Doctor but doesn't have the sex factor of Ecclestone.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Mccoy is pretty good but I never really got Ecclestone.

[POS Industries]

Really, cause neither of those look like Sylvester McCoy, or Ecclestone.
Your bizarre spellings are unfamiliar to me. Have you been drinking?

[Seil]

None of you guys are mentioning Paul McGann!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

None of you guys are mentioning Paul McGann!

:(

[krogothwolf]

Yeah, Ecclestone was just gone to quickly to really think of him as Doctor Who. He's now Destro in a god awful GI Joe movie.

[Tev]

He's now Destro in a god awful GI Joe movie.
Hey, that GI Joe movie was everything it promised and more. The only thing missing was a cheesy PSA after the credits.

[Seil]

Hey, that GI Joe movie was everything it promised and more. The only thing missing was a cheesy PSA after the credits.

And a good solid "COOOBRAAAA!"

[Archbio]

Well....

And they didn't play their own instruments! Get it? get it?!

[Mike McC]

I'm perfectly willing to believe that both are acceptable spellings.Yeah. "Peter Davison" and "Patrick Troughton" are also good spellings.

I've seen some fools spell it as "Colin Baker" though. And that is just silly.

(Also, it's Eccleston. I mean, come on)

[The Sevenshot Kid]

So never mention Doctor Who outside of the fan threads? Got it.