Art is subjective and will always be, and so is one of the most essential yet crucial art forms called ‘acting’. There have been various aspects of acting and an incessant debate on good acting vs bad acting amongst filmmakers and audiences since the invention of cinema. The question arises is if acting is subjective. How to be good at acting? What are the signs of a good actor? The knowledge and experience of veteran filmmakers and actors suggest that there are certain norms that differentiate between good and bad acting. They also shed light on types of acting and define a subjective point of view of flawless acting. Thus, the following points can help us understand the difference between good acting vs bad acting:

1. Invisible:  They say, “Good actors are invisible” but bad actors would desperately attract the attention of the audience. They would push themselves to enact a particular character or live a specific moment. They believe in the loudness of body language and emotions as they believe that the audience won’t understand what they are feeling unless they force bad acting on them. However, good actors just live in the moment. They don’t try to emote but pursue the goal of becoming one with the character. They are someone else during their performance without realizing the duality between them and the character they are playing. 

2. Confidently Vulnerable: Good actors are confidently vulnerable while bad actors are overconfident. A good actor will always be vulnerable and will be on the edge of his emotional and psychological state while acting. Even when good actors make mistakes, they know how to recover from them. However, the bad actors simply don’t know how bad they are. Their overconfident attitude never lets them learn and become vulnerable during the performance. Being confidently vulnerable is tough and requires a lot of understanding about oneself and what the character demands.  Hence, when good actors live their characters with confidence and vulnerability, the audience is bound to root for them.  

3. Emotional Protection: The quality of good actors is that they allow themselves to be emotionally naked in front of the audience. This is extremely hard because as we grow up, we spend a lifetime learning how not to do it. But good actors are beyond this confined thought process and are always ready to break the emotional wall to live the character on screen. A recent example is Anthony Hopkins in The Father [2021]. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for his immaculate yet natural performance. On the other hand, bad actors come with preconceived notions about themselves and the world around them. They are not ready to explore the hidden terrains of human emotions because they just want to emotionally protect themselves.

4. Comfortable: The bad actors will have a lot of discomfort with their bodies, voice, diction and looks. They will try hard to be the character on the outer front by practicing everything the character demands. But good actors will adapt a character’s persona, both internally and externally without’ trying too hard. Good actors work more on the internal traits of the character they are playing rather than preparing on a surface level. Their silence speaks a thousand words when they are in a character but bad actors will push themselves too conveniently to adapt the character’s outer persona with their over-trained speeches and uncomfortable body language. A good actor will always be comfortable with him/her and will not overdo anything to attract the audience’s attention or to prove his skills.  

5. Good Listener:  An actor should be a good listener because listening is really important. Good actors know that speaking is just 50% of the job. A good actor is friendly and humble; he/she not just carefully listens to the director and co-actors but also the other people on the movie set. The humble and friendly approach makes good actors and their performances memorable. Whereas the bad actors don’t listen. They deliver a line, pause for the other actor to speak, and then deliver their next line. Apart from being a good listeners, good actors are smart, have great cinematic taste, love meeting new people, are extremely hard-working and punctual, are inventive, are playful and have a sense of timing while bad actors lack one or more of those traits.

Conclusion: 

Good acting vs bad acting is subjective because what one likes may be hated by another person. Therefore, an actor should focus on living the character rather than emoting it. There are certain norms that differentiate between good and bad actors. A good actor is very well aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses. Good actors constantly learn to evolve as humans as well as an actor by staying humble and friendly.