David's lack of energy on rewatch

telperion66

telperion66

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During the magic of youth, I was caught up in the 'story' of Angel the show in a big way.

On rewatch now however, I can't help but notice the way in which David's performance is extremely lacking in energy and variation.

You get glimpses of it in the later seasons, but overall he is very dour and downbeat.

It's disheartening when I used to love the show so much.

Thoughts? Comments?
 
Honestly I just feel bad for him. I get that the actors are very lucky and blessed to be in the Buffyverse, but the hours they had to work...

He just seems tired. 5 seasons of Angel and several on Buffy. You can tell SMJ was tired in certain episodes as well.
 
Yes, you have to remember, long shooting schedules with the fight choreography falling heavily on David/Sarah, in addition to a training and diet regimen. Like, not just cardio and weight training, but martial arts training and conditioning.
 
I continue to be quite impressed by his performance, as Angel is quite the exact opposite to the personality David seems to have himself.

It is understated but subtle, and believable. So I think that is a good performance.

That said, as others have mentioned, the schedules were really rough and especially for the lead.

I remember an old interview where SMG said that she sat down with David before he accepted the spin off and talked hin through the scheduling etc and how demanding it was. I mean there is even an old anecdote where SMG drove into work in her underwear one morning because she was so tired that she forgot to get dressed.*

So I imagine phoning it in occasionally is quite understandable. Though overall I can’t say I noticed

*and Joss paraded her in front of the team like that, if I recall correctly, which seems quite problematic when you think about it
 
AlphaFoxtrot
AlphaFoxtrot
Eh, that does straddle the line between public humiliation and good natured ribbing between close colleagues who have grown desensitized to half naked Sarah. Also, SHAME!
Taake said:
I continue to be quite impressed by his performance, as Angel is quite the exact opposite to the personality David seems to have himself.

It is understated but subtle, and believable. So I think that is a good performance.
Click to expand...
Yes, Angel was supposed to be very world-weary. I am remembering the contrast to how he was when he was briefly human, and exuberant.
 
Stake fodder said:
Yes, Angel was supposed to be very world-weary. I am remembering the contrast to how he was when he was briefly human, and exuberant.
Click to expand...

And then there is his reaction to being out in the sun in Pylea...

 
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Angel can still find joy in small things.
Angel is supposed to be a centuries old, world weary cursed misery-guts, so that should, occasionally, come out during the performance. I rarely found DB's performance one-note.
In the first season of Buffy he is a little ropey but he's great in 'his' episode and he's great by S2, despite what his critics claim.
 
NotASlayer
NotASlayer
S2 showed that yes, he could act.
I was never a huge Angel fan. He seemed to be coasting in the earlier seasons of Buffy on his looks, doing a lot of posing. I think his chops improved by the time he returned in later episodes, like in 5 after Joyce died, and even in 7. I never got into the show Angel that much although I tried. Didn't captivate me like Buffy did, found it too depressing. He seemed more in command on that show and more like a fully realized character. I don't think he's as talented as Marsters, who is effortless and genius in my book. But I think he did have something beyond surface looks, at times he brought it.
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
James is an incredible actor, a trained Shakespeare actor who went to Julliard actually. There's no comparison I agree.
Well, Angel had to be moody and brooding...

That being said, I remember David saying that his favorite seasons of the show were season 1 and season 5, so the stand alone episodes pushed his energy level, where he was able to play different things week to week. On the opposite end were the longer story arcs from season 2 to 4, where Angel was consistently miserable and where the show gets later flooded with lots of exposition scenes where they have to explain again and again that the beast is blocking out the sun.
 
Firstly, David's acting skills improved greatly as he gained more experience, and he shows definite signs of improvement throughout the series. I agree with others here that his acting was very much in character for Angel, who is by nature stoic and bitter. He finds joy in small things occasionally, but is overall miserable.

Also, remember, at least around the time of the filming of the last season, he was suffering from a knee injury, which is why he is chair-bound for so many scenes, and gains some obvious weight as a result, because he was unable to be active. As someone who has dealt with pain like this, it's hard to be energetic, even if you're a professional actor.
 
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hoponlilmama
hoponlilmama
I believe DB also had surgery on his knee, which limited his movement.
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