What exactly makes a good actor/actress?

Why do we enjoy watching an actor ? What draws us and gets us attached to a person we see on a movie screen?  All these questions stumbled inside my mind as I was trying to find excuses why an actress I liked sucked big time at a new different role she was taking on for the first time. Was she really that bad or was it my mind that had problems differentiating the actress from the role I used to see her play? How could I know that she was a good actress, no matter what the critics said or that my mind was telling me?

When I watch an actor/actress, I immediately thought about “her”. My favorite actress that I like, adore and whose career I actually follow.   Vanessa Hudgens. Why do I like her so much? Does she have enough “work” under her belt for me to really say that I like her of her acting or just because of her beautiful face? If she ever plays something different from what she’s been doing so far, will I still like her? Or am I allowed to like her in one role and not the other? Will that make me a bad fan? I had to know.

So, inquisitive me,   I went online and read all the professional comments and reviews, bad or good I could find regarding all of her movies with one scheduled for next year and the other, still in production. Let me share my personal experience and findings with you, whether you’re a fan or not, if you are reading this, is because you have a slight interest in her professional (not so much private I hope) life and I think this should be a good find.

First, let me share my opinion. Vanessa Hudgens is now known for many things: her fashion/ style, her scandals, her personal dating life or is even hated for those same exact reasons. As for her movie career, many people seem to believe that it started with the HSM series. Although, these movies have truly contributed of her “coming out”, they were not what brought me into liking her. I had already fallen for her years before. I have not watched Thirteen, just a few clips, so I can’t really give my personal opinion on that. But if I were to judge her acting skills solely on those clips, I’d say that she seemed to have had fun playing the character and that she really took it seriously even though it was a small role and she was so young.

She first caught my eyes for good in Thunderbirds. I had no idea why, but she really got my attention. Was it her bubbly, vivacious little self? Her shiny eyes that expressed so much of the different emotions her character was going through? Her beauty, her smile? Did it really have anything to do with her acting at this point?

I quickly forgot about her, as some time went by without seeing her or even hearing anything about her from the industry. But the second my eyes fell on her again, in one of the many trailers for the HSM1 movie on Disney Channel, I recognized her and was happy to see her again. I watched the movie with a critical eye and found that her acting, although a little weak, was actually the best of all the HSM main stars.  I like musicals (blushing) so I kept on watching the next installments… and the rest is history when it comes to my love for Vanessa. I actually think that her acting improved considerably throughout the whole series to really shine in HMS3.

Her character was very badly written and not given any depth at all but Vanessa managed to give it so much likability, charm and credibility that we quickly forget about the frivolity of the character. She made Gabriella the silent, quiet force that changed East High and made the MVP, most-wanted guy fall crazy in love with her, up to following her where she decided to go (I know… I’m a helpless romantic). So, I really liked her in HSM because she brought her character from beyond what it was first written and actually gave it some depth.  Ortega (HSM director) appreciates Hudgens’ unique blend of talents. “She continues to amaze me in the way that she grows as an actress. This girl can dance. This girl can sing. This girl can act. She’s funny, she’s everything. She’s a real leading lady.”

Vanessa’s next movie is Bandslam where she played the supporting role, Sa5m.   Bandslam was critically acclaimed by many, many good movie critics and although was not a leading role for her, she had the hard task of carrying the movie.

“Hudgens has both the beauty and the brains to generate plenty of interest, a natural stillness that’s star material and a heart melting smile. She becomes the centre of our interest and remains at the emotional core of the film throughout.” – Urban Cinefile.

Many blame the studio for Bandslam’s failure at the box office and others, the movie in its entirety and mostly Vanessa, for it’s been compared to HSM so many countless times. I think that this movie, was just a channel for Vanessa to improve on her acting skills. A way to get a project under her teeth to be able to get some practice and therefore, perfect her craft. But what really got me again, is her professionalism as an actress. Despite her small screening time, I admired they way she nailed the character of Sa5m.   She shone in so many different ways by giving her all to the character.

I have not seen Beastly and Sucker Punch yet for they have not yet been released. As a matter of fact, Sucker Punch is still being filmed but with all the hype surrounding these two movies, I am actually scared. Not that Vanessa will do badly, we already have so many clips and reviews stating the fact that she will do brilliantly. Zack Snyder, the director of Sucker Punch already had so many nice comments about her, way before she even started shooting and her co-star Alex Pettyfer in Beastly, had nothing but nice words to describe her acting capabilities.

Alex Pettyfer:  ”She is very talented. She knows she still has to prove herself to the people who still see her as the actress in musicals. But I think she will impress everyone with her next projects. She is an actress to count on in the future.”

I am scared because in my personal experience, the highly anticipated movies are always the most challenging and difficult to fulfill.   The higher the expectations we have regarding a movie, the more reasons we find it to be disappointing. So, only the future will tell if they will contribute to her engraving her name alongside the best in the business or, contribute to her slowly fading in the shadows.

Now after reading all this, did I find my answer? What makes a good actor/actress? A good actor/actress is someone who:

•   Makes a performance seem, perfectly natural and becomes that character.
•   Truly understands their role and own it while being able to portray a specific personality type.
•   Makes the character memorable but don’t think too hard about acting, but just do it.
•   Versatility and the ability to play different roles: Be willing to try new things.
•   Work hard and never take their talents for granted.
•   Has a clear vision and, most of all, enjoys to act and live to act.

Now, I could go on and on about it, but I’ll just add that I have just proven to myself, and hopefully to you, why Vanessa Hudgens deserves my love and attention. She is a very good actress in the making because she has evolved throughout the years, is not scared to take on new challenges and actually makes her characters very believable with just a few movies under her belt. So I am very optimistic in her craft. If you are interested in knowing more about her whether it’s about her music, her style, her other business ventures or her philanthropic contributions, please visit our forum.

But I couldn’t leave without borrowing words from Vanessa Hudgens herself:

“You can’t win everyone over. Stay true to yourself, live life and love it!”.

For discussions, please visit the Team Hudgens forum