open/close all folders
Fiction
I may not be a hero, but I can act like one.
—Thunderbolt, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure
Finn: Let's keep the acting subtle. Less is more.
Lumpy Space Princess: NO. WAY.
Lumpy Space Princess: NO. WAY.
It pays to overact.
—Dot Warner, Animaniacs
I am not Toph! I AM MELON LORD! MUAHAHAHAHA!
—Toph during a training exercise, Avatar: The Last Airbender
For if knowledge is power, then a GOD AM *IIIIIII*! [pauses] Was that over the top? I can never tell.
— The Riddler, Batman Forever
Now, I personally watched your screen tests, and gentlemen, from the very bottom of my bowl, let me just say that I've never seen more... PATHETIC! LISTLESS! UNINSPIRED PERFORMANCES IN MY ENTIRE OVERRIPE LIFE!!!
— The Big Boss, Viva Piñata
Your think pan comes with two settings: "asleep" and "melodrama."
—The narrator on Eridan, Be the Sea Dweller Lowblood
BLACK, YOU SAY? I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU~ AHAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA
— Thundurus, Black Adventures
Jeff: Don't get too high on your own drama.
Britta: (Suddenly Shouting) HIGH on my own DRAMA?!
Britta: (Suddenly Shouting) HIGH on my own DRAMA?!
"We have always known it would come down to this. The final battle, the Ragnarok. If I am your Midgard Serpent, and you are my Thor, then we must fight. However, no one has yet prophecied which of us will be slain, and which be slayer."
— Kobra, Dance with the Demons
NAY! Your chrome-plated chariot does not frighten me! Now you shall know of the power of Nightflame! And of my flame-sword!
— Nightflame, Demon Spawn
(upon being summoned) "Didya caaaall me?"
(using Blockade) "BARBECUE TIME!"
(using Blockade) "MWAHAHAHA, FUCK YEAH!"
(using Double Check) "OPEN UP AND SAY AAAAAAAAA!"
(using Round Robin) "FRYYYYY, LITTLE PIGGY!"
(using Flank Attack) "COMIN' AT YA, BABY!"
(taunting Dante during their fight) "Close your eyes, and go to sleep — FOREVER!"
(using Blockade) "BARBECUE TIME!"
(using Blockade) "MWAHAHAHA, FUCK YEAH!"
(using Double Check) "OPEN UP AND SAY AAAAAAAAA!"
(using Round Robin) "FRYYYYY, LITTLE PIGGY!"
(using Flank Attack) "COMIN' AT YA, BABY!"
(taunting Dante during their fight) "Close your eyes, and go to sleep — FOREVER!"
Sorry, I get carried away.
—Magica DeSpell, DuckTales (1987)
"Mars is not tied to Earth. Mars is tied to war. And what better war than that of vast empires within the second Heaven? Where billions may die, billions more be enslaved, and the bloodflow which results nourishes my power with every drop. No. Earth is unnecessary. A canker in my being. When it is destroyed, only my pain will vanish. But it will not be destroyed yet."
— Mars, A Force of Four
"Stand aside, everyone! I take LARGE STEPS!"
Other choices I can plan ahead of time? SCREAMING ALL MY LINES because I’m really intense AND THE THINGS I’M FEELING are really intense ‘cause I’M AN INTENSE ACTOR!
— Cooper Anderson, Glee (who then proceeds to point out Nicolas Cage as an example).
Kermit: Piggy, you’re over-acting. You’re hamming it up.
Miss Piggy: I am not. I am trying to save this movie.
Kermit: Save your performance instead.
Miss Piggy: I am playing 800 different emotions.
Kermit: Try to play one of them right.
Miss Piggy: I am not. I am trying to save this movie.
Kermit: Save your performance instead.
Miss Piggy: I am playing 800 different emotions.
Kermit: Try to play one of them right.
Darkseid: "I have had three prior sons, boy. Two of my body, one of my charge. But you, my fourth son...you have had advantages your forebears never knew. I left their upbringing to others. I was busy. You, I have tended to with all my attention. With all my knowledge. Do you know why, boy?"
Nemesis: "Because I am the greatest of the four. Because I am the one who will break our enemies like pottery shards. Because I will avenge you, my father. Avenge you, and...my mother."
Darkseid: "Just so. Do you... remember who undid my plans, a thousand years ago, boy? And who, not so long ago... undid your mother?"
Nemesis: (whispering) "The Supergirl."
Nemesis: "Because I am the greatest of the four. Because I am the one who will break our enemies like pottery shards. Because I will avenge you, my father. Avenge you, and...my mother."
Darkseid: "Just so. Do you... remember who undid my plans, a thousand years ago, boy? And who, not so long ago... undid your mother?"
Nemesis: (whispering) "The Supergirl."
The Acrobat: "I'll kill you. I'm man enough, madman enough, to kill you all! Disc or no disc, I've got the power of ten men when the moon is out, and I ought to have enough strength here to do you all in!"[...] I'll destroy you all! One by one, I'll tear your heads off and make lamps out of them! I'll use your bodies for baseball equipment! I'll–"
Midnight Maid: "You've been reading too many comic books."
Midnight Maid: "You've been reading too many comic books."
Subtlety and restraint are... not among my fortes.
—Moondog, How the Tantabus Parses Sleep
ORDO DRAIGO PRESENT! WE WILL PROVIDE THE HAMS!
—Kaldor Draigo, If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device, "Special 2: Warp Hijinx"
"I know he's a little over the top sometimes. It's not entirely my fault. He has a tend... he's-he's a stage actor. They say his Lear was the toast of Croydon, wherever that is. Anyway, the point is, ever since that big dude with a hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety's kinda had its day."
—Aldrich Killian on Trevor Slattery, Iron Man 3
Tchang Zu: I will scorch this city to the ground while the sound of thunder RESONATES!
Finn: Heh. Guy's a regular Olivier.
Finn: Heh. Guy's a regular Olivier.
The extra "H" stands for Ham-azing!
— Thanatos in Kid Icarus: Uprising, explaining why he changed his name from Tanatos.
"Yes, my child. Let the universe bear witness to your pain. Grieve the life you knew."
— Reign, Last Daughter of Krypton
Fool, you'll NEVER find a cure for them! I know... because it was I who unleashed this doom of the crimson virus on them!
— Satan Girl, Legion of Super-Heroes
Oh, I could get sent to prison for the scenes I'm gonna steal!
—Daffy Duck, Looney Tunes short "A Star is Bored"
"Oh! Stealing through my body! Creeping though my veins! Pouring in my blood! Oh, DARTS OF FIRE IN MY BRAIN! STABBING ME! I CAN'T STAND IT! I WON'T!"
—Buckley, Maniac (1934)
Titan: This town isn't big enough for two supervillains.
Megamind: Oh, you're a villain alright. Just not a super one!
Titan: Yeah? What's the difference?
Megamind: PRESENTATION!
Megamind: Oh, you're a villain alright. Just not a super one!
Titan: Yeah? What's the difference?
Megamind: PRESENTATION!
— Megamind
Tim the Enchanter: Follow. But! Follow only if ye be men of valour! For the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel, that no man yet has fought with it... and lived! BONES of full fifty men lie strewn about its lair! So! Brave knights! If you do doubt your courage or your strength, come nae further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth... [makes biting motions with his hand]
King Arthur: [aside] What an eccentric performance.
King Arthur: [aside] What an eccentric performance.
"I am the MOST laughter-giving, fun-having, friend-making pony ever! YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME!"
— Pinkie Pie, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (IDW), issue #6
Perrish Cox: Oh WOE IS ME. I fear I have been MORTALLY WOUNDED by the viciousness of the shove I received when James Graham VIOLENTLY and ILLEGALLY threw me to the ground during our sporting endeavors which occurred just yesternoon.
Jimmy Graham: QUIT YOUR MELODRAMATIC BULLCRAP, COX. Everyone who saw that play knows you were FAKING.
Perrish Cox: James? Is... is that you? Good sir, I fear my injuries from the brutal pushing you gave me yesterday have worsened and I may be slipping away from this mortal coil. EVERYTHING IS GOING DARK. TELL MY FAMILY THAT I LOVE THEM.
William Shatner: Man, what a ham that guy is.
Jimmy Graham: QUIT YOUR MELODRAMATIC BULLCRAP, COX. Everyone who saw that play knows you were FAKING.
Perrish Cox: James? Is... is that you? Good sir, I fear my injuries from the brutal pushing you gave me yesterday have worsened and I may be slipping away from this mortal coil. EVERYTHING IS GOING DARK. TELL MY FAMILY THAT I LOVE THEM.
William Shatner: Man, what a ham that guy is.
— NFL Quarterbacks On Facebook: Adorable
I am Kairos Theodosian, Tyrant of Helike. And I say that my Rule extends even to the sky. Come servants of the heavens, the Age of Wonders is not dead yet. Not while I breathe.
-
I had something for this. This tower will be your grave? No, Anaxares said that was second-rate. This isn't over yet? Oh! I'll get you next time, heroes!
-
I had something for this. This tower will be your grave? No, Anaxares said that was second-rate. This isn't over yet? Oh! I'll get you next time, heroes!
— Kairos Theodosian, Tyrant of Helike, A Practical Guide to Evil
"Chocolate? Did you say "chocolate"?!"
"Chocolate?!! CHOCOLATE!!! CHOOOOCOLAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!!!!"
"Chocolate?!! CHOCOLATE!!! CHOOOOCOLAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!!!!"
FOOL! You think all there is to reality is what is seen? Yes – I appear young – and I may be younger still... or even be you, if I so desire!
— Black Starr, Supergirl (1982)
I'm the only sane inmate of Asylum Earth. I'm not eager to hand tomorrow over to an interplanetary extremist with laser eyes. There's only room on this world for one leader, Superman. When I'm finished with you, every last gibbon out there will know you for the menace you are... and they'll realize that Lex Luthor is their savior.
Mashmyre Cello: This power welling up inside me... Is this the joy that comes from finding a new reason d'etre? I, Mashmyre Cello, will put my life on the line and fight to defend all those I find dear!
Anya Alstreim: What a ham...
Jeremiah Gottwald: No. If anyone knows the meaning of chivalry... It's him.
Anya Alstreim: What a ham...
Jeremiah Gottwald: No. If anyone knows the meaning of chivalry... It's him.
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!"
—Kamina, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
"How could somebody MIS-file something? What could be easier? It's all alphabetical. You just PUT it IN the RIGHT FILE! According to ALPHABETICAL ORDER! You know - A, B, C, D, E, F, G! H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P! Q, R, S, T, U, V! W, X, Y, Z! HUH? THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO!"
—Peter Loew, Vampire's Kiss
"MY LOVE! Say it isn't so! To have such a lovely flower plucked from this earth...! What cruel fate this world has bestown on you! I curse it! Curse you, foul fate!!"
— Chai, Clever Fox Moxie
Real Life
A man will not reach eloquence if he is afraid of bombast just as a man will not jump a hedge if he is afraid of falling in a ditch.
“When in doubt, shout—that’s the motto.”
— Cedric Hardwicke, recalling the advice of a 19th century stage manager.
"Why, when I was your age I would spend what little idle time I had with an instructive book not that racing form I see that you're now trying to hide. Of course I was not given to late-night dissipation in the fleshpots of the District of Columbia! Oh, you can't hide your ruinous habits from me! I can see by the trembling of your hands what demon rum is doing to you…" The poor clerk was indeed trembling-with terror-as the great voice thundered in his ears and Huey, particularly if an audience had now filled the lobby, would become prayerful as he invoked the lad's aged mother back in Butte, Montana. "I know how each night she prays for your success-on her knees, little suspecting that all those hours that should be golden with study are scarlet with vice…"Tears would fill Huey's eyes on cue as he contemplated that little old lady who had mothered a son so reprobate.
—Gore Vidal on Huey Long, Point to Point Navigation
Bruce Boxleitner: There's Peter. I miss him. He's in North Carolina now.
Jerry Doyle: I think he was jailed for over-acting. (You're not here to defend yourself. Tough.)
Jerry Doyle: I think he was jailed for over-acting. (You're not here to defend yourself. Tough.)
—Babylon 5 commentary track, "The Geometry of Shadows"
You need look no further than Randy Orton, who is a walking sleeping pill. That guy, he's going for "intense", but he's just so static. He's boring. he talks in a monotone. "josh matthews. at wrestlemania. i will be. the wee champion."
YAWN. Fucking YAWN! Ric Flair would get in front of that camera, he's like, "I'M GONNA WIN AT WRESTLEMANIA! I WILL BE THE WORLD CHAMPION WOOOOO!!" That's what that guy brings. You know, watching Ric Flair, that Ric Flair will die for your sins in that ring.
YAWN. Fucking YAWN! Ric Flair would get in front of that camera, he's like, "I'M GONNA WIN AT WRESTLEMANIA! I WILL BE THE WORLD CHAMPION WOOOOO!!" That's what that guy brings. You know, watching Ric Flair, that Ric Flair will die for your sins in that ring.
This is a note to future writes of Sylvester McCoy stories…do not give him the chance to overact under any circumstances. ‘Oh to feel the hard radiation! The solar winds brushing across me!’ he croons like some science fiction porn star.
—Joe Ford
on Big Finish Doctor Who (Unregenerate!)
on Big Finish Doctor Who (Unregenerate!)There are three main types of movie nerds. One is an academic stereotype who doesn't talk much. The second is a hilarious weirdo who would be totally popular if he wasn't in a movie script. In Weird Science, Anthony Michael Hall perfected the third: the nerd whose sexual frustration has driven him insane. Hall performs in Weird Science like his captured family will be killed if he's not funny. He packs more manic desperation into his lines than a dry-humping seventh grader. He delivers lines in ways that would make Christopher Walken say, "What a strange WAY to deliver your lines.
I take back everything I said about (Kelsey) Grammar not being the best choice for Beast, because the way he delivers 'ORORO! CHARLES!' like a pirate captain calling for rum is the second-best thing about this movie so far.
—Chris Sims on X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last StandImagine if you will, that Gary Busey was still getting the big roles; all Stonehenge-teeth and bellowed acronyms that make no sense; and in movies that got trailed on TV and opened big at the box office. That’s what’s happening here.
Nicolas Cage approaches every role the same way — how wouldn't a real person tackle this situation? This is often executed on camera by a series of facial spasms to shame even Jim Carrey or a Tex Avery cartoon, as Cage contorts and tics his way through a serious of either unrestrained emotion or unpleasant bowel turmoil.
"This guy would overact a fart."
— The Cinema Snob on Ricky in Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
Not for nothing, but it has to be said that Mark Hamill plays grief more subtly and effectively than Hayden Christensen. Come to think of it, so does Nicolas Cage.
