Michael Shannon: 'Acting's a Total Mystery'

Michael Shannon takes some of the sting of anxiety out of acting on camera. Some people will find your performance interesting, other people won't. Don't let that ruin the moment between you and another actor.

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[cosmosablues]

"You can't win, and you can't lose" - Best life advice.

That may be simple, but I'm still struggling with it.

[DarthRelkew]

Everytime I see him act, he seems to have this old school acting vibe. Like I think of people like Paul Newman or Kirk Douglas when I see him act. He always put so much into his roles.

[phonix-]

He's kind of like Bill Hader's older, more cynical brother who has seen some shit.

[missbasma]

I love a man that looks like he has people in his walls 😍

[FixFilmsLtd]

Michael Shannon is one of my favourite actors. How HE can find it a mystery is beyond me - he is SO good at it.

[robr.]

A quick reality check is always appreciated.... especially now.

[mactastic]

People would rather live other people's life through their eyes than living their own life through their own eyes.

[ia]

I would LOVE to see Michael as the new JAWS in James Bond opposite Daniel Craig - I think he could bring a great deal of humor and menace to the character. I just always pictured him as the perfect modern actor for that classic role, as campy as it was back in the day, it would be so cool to see a gritty version.

[beckarcese]

Amazing job on Nocturnal Creatures. So good. I love watching you in anything you do.

[seeingimages]

I really like Michael Shannon's performances in Twelve Strong and Marauders. He's pretty convincing. And I am so glad that he is a down-to-Earth person who isn't full of himself. Cool guy. Humble.

[JohnORourke.]

I consider Michael Shannon to be a mystery

[natechenry]

He was great In 8 mile, Mud I think he was a genuine uncle in that film, Great in MoS he was an amazing Zod imo, Knives out he was just funny to me, But I remember him most from kangaroo Jack. Idk how many of people remember that movie but its nostalgic for me and pretty funny.

[dryherbvoter]

Michael Shannon is almost the same as me. Everything he says or acts I understand.

[RodCornholio]

True. Took me an embarrassing amount of years just to figure out what good acting was (simply that the audience believes the character is REAL for the moment/story/etc.) The metric isn't what the ACTOR believes or feels (although that is, no doubt, a method)...it is what the audience member believes. Obviously there are numerous ways/tools to HELP an actor achieve this goal...but none are guaranteed to work. The bottom line is this: you can get a PhD in (Drama, Performing Arts...whatever), you can have 20 years of experience...and you can still suck at acting. Mystery? Absofrickinlutely.

[strangelove]

Liked the video but @Michael we know exactly why we watch movies. We love stories, we love drama. It's why we watch sports too. This might seem a dull answer to a deep question, but it simply is the answer.

[Covid--tscw]

He's so great. I don't like him as a person but such a phenomenal actor. Pretty sure he's randomly been in 30 of the last 50 movies I watched. Waco was the last thing I watched of his, Iceman was the siht.
Happy Monday, everybody. Avoid the plague.

[davecharette]

its a for of art that is beautiful thats why people watch it just like listening to music

[avidodd]

"we spend so much time watching people pretend to do something that actually isn't happening." Society of The Spectacle in a nutshell.

[KGrizzly]

lol 0 down votes. That says a lot nowadays.

[Speckhuggarn]

He looks like he comes from a classic punkband from the late 70's. And I'm talking about his face.