Mannered, bad voice, too-slow delivery, brittle -
WHY does she get the work and awards?
WORST British accent, right there with Keanu.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 82 | July 9, 2022 5:20 PM |
She’s good in First Lady
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | July 2, 2022 1:19 PM |
I liked her in Streetcar Named Desire. It was such an original take on the character.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | July 2, 2022 1:21 PM |
I thought she was good in Hannibal and The Fall. She sucked ass in The Crown.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | July 2, 2022 1:26 PM |
I half agree with you, OP, but it works for some parts. She was terrible as Thatcher, a mere caricature. But in minor parts such as Hannibal or Crooked House i enjoyed her hamminess . She did surprised me with Sex Education, she seemed a different person. On the other hand hated her stilted Lily Bart in The House of Mirth (i know a lot of people here admire her on this though).
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | July 2, 2022 1:31 PM |
House of Mirth -- if you find the fucking film anywhere!!!!!!
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | July 2, 2022 1:44 PM |
Whatever you might think of her acting, saying her British accent sucks is just plain crazy.
I echo The House of Mirth recommendation. She also saved A Streetcar Named Desire for me, what with Vanessa Kirby abandoning her American accent and going full Irish halfway through, and Ben Foster being his nasal self.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | July 2, 2022 2:07 PM |
I don't love her but I respect her and for the most part she's a pair of safe hands. Her work is consistent and sometimes excellent. Everybody gets miscast from time to time.
She's kind of a slightly more likeable Glenn Close.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | July 2, 2022 2:13 PM |
Her finger can act you out of this thread. Slay away.
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | July 2, 2022 2:19 PM |
OP is an idiot. Especially for criticizing her English accent.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | July 2, 2022 2:44 PM |
Yes. Someone said it out loud. She was ridiculous in The Fall. So haughty and detached. I didn’t buy her as a detective for a minute with that ice queen delivery and luxury hotel suites.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | July 2, 2022 2:48 PM |
I remember really liking her in a PBS or BBC production, Bleak House?
While not high art, she also had some good moments on the X-files.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | July 2, 2022 2:53 PM |
[quote]She was ridiculous in The Fall.
The first season was very good. I remember there was a scene in the final show of the first season where she was at a press conference and her blouse was unbuttoned almost completely, and there was so much focus on that, that I expected it to be a plot point, like the press was going to criticize her for being an attention whore or something, but nothing came of it. That's when I realized the show was about to turn ridiculous, which it did.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 14 | July 2, 2022 3:12 PM |
R14
It was a plot point, as it were. She wore the blouse that way so the character Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) would see it.
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | July 2, 2022 3:18 PM |
It was so sad about her son Louie.
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | July 2, 2022 3:20 PM |
I don't remember that at all, r16. Was the payoff for that in season 2?
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | July 2, 2022 3:23 PM |
^^^ Elder gays - aw their memories lapse from time to time. Thanks for the reminder, R16. LOL!
Well I loved her character on The Fall. She is exactly what someone who makes it high in the ranks of the police would need to be as a woman. Detached, cool, highly organized and insightful, hiding her emotions until they betray her, maybe some benign sociopathic tendencies. I loved that she used these men as her toy boys. It was a great character study and she made it work.
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | July 2, 2022 3:28 PM |
I think the point was made in that episode but I'd have to go back and watch them. But I think it was subtle. Was she in a hallway and someone (maybe ACC Jim Burns?) commented about the open blouse and she has a look on her face I interpreted as knowing exactly what she was doing? Which was a character trait all through the series. Knowing exactly what she was doing and using to her advantage her femininity. Or just being a smart woman that knew what she wanted and went after it.
But I could be wrong. I've seen 'The Fall' three times but I may have to go back and re-watch this.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | July 2, 2022 3:30 PM |
I rewatched Bleak House a while ago. She is very good in it, as is Charles Dance.
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | July 2, 2022 3:39 PM |
I've only seen her on Hannibal. She barely moved her face and spoke like she was hypnotized. I don't know if that was an acting choice or she couldn't move her face due to botox.
| by Anonymous | reply 22 | July 2, 2022 3:45 PM |
She is the mistress of the histrionic deadpan, r22, it’s on purpose.
| by Anonymous | reply 23 | July 2, 2022 3:54 PM |
I love that she's now enjoying her second act of popularity after the long Dana Scully years . Few actress in their 50s had that opportunity.
| by Anonymous | reply 24 | July 2, 2022 4:13 PM |
R2, tell us about the interpretation. I haven't seen it, and can't find a copy to watch.
| by Anonymous | reply 25 | July 2, 2022 4:15 PM |
Fabulous on Hannibal as the therapist.
| by Anonymous | reply 26 | July 2, 2022 4:16 PM |
Thank you r20, I don't remember anyone mentioning the blouse to her, but I'll take your word for it. It was a few years ago when I watched it, and I'm certain I could have forgotten a few things.
| by Anonymous | reply 27 | July 2, 2022 4:40 PM |
She always looks like she's sucking her mouth in. I always though this was something she did on the X-Files to make Dana Scully look thoughtful and intelligent, but it's become worse as she's gotten older.
| by Anonymous | reply 28 | July 2, 2022 9:29 PM |
R29 She isn’t truly British. She is American but spent basically ages 2-11 in London and then they moved to Michigan but would return to London every summer. So her accent was still naturally acquired.
| by Anonymous | reply 30 | July 3, 2022 12:13 AM |
She is certainly limited, but has presence, beauty, and enough technical ability. Her emotional range is narrow, which is unfortunate for an actress, but it can work in certain roles. She was offered the role of Cersei in Game of Thrones, and i think she would have been interesting, if perhaps too chilly/restrained. Her public artsy/feminist persona is total bullshit, but I can't blame an actress for that.
| by Anonymous | reply 31 | July 3, 2022 8:26 PM |
Does anyone else fondly remember the bit on Martin Short's Jiminy Glick series in which "Gillian Anderson" played Jiminy's wife Dixie in the George Wendt-starring film of his life story? I seem to remember the voiceover's describing her as a "tough, if low-key, nurse."
| by Anonymous | reply 32 | July 3, 2022 8:36 PM |
I didn't like her Blanche. She played her like a white trash floozy. It WAS an interesting portrayal , I'll give you that, and she gave it her all, but her Blanche muffled some of the plays messages, especially those about class. That said, I think that was more about the direction than her particular talent.
| by Anonymous | reply 33 | July 3, 2022 10:37 PM |
I agree with your take on that STREETCAR, R33. Anderson certainly committed to the concept 110%, but what a hideous concept. And while I'm not automatically opposed to plays/operas/whatever being transplanted from their original settings, STREETCAR seems to me one that's particular resistant to any such alteration.
| by Anonymous | reply 34 | July 3, 2022 10:41 PM |
One of the few actresses who started in television- in her era -that 'made it' to the full feature level.
| by Anonymous | reply 35 | July 3, 2022 10:43 PM |
I haven't seen her in much, but when The Crown S4 came out someone here said she played Thatcher as a stroke survivor and now I can't unsee that. I don't get why she took the angle she did with MT.
| by Anonymous | reply 36 | July 3, 2022 11:51 PM |
As The Fall progressed her voice was barely a whisper, drove me nuts.
| by Anonymous | reply 37 | July 4, 2022 3:13 AM |
I detest her as an actress and find her being considered by many to be an actually acclaimed actress laughable.
| by Anonymous | reply 38 | July 4, 2022 3:17 AM |
She seems very limited and has a monotone way of speaking. Has she ever done comedy? Duchovny has comedic chops but I can’t remember ever laughing at anything by Gillian.
| by Anonymous | reply 39 | July 4, 2022 3:24 AM |
It was strange to see her praised for her horrific Thatcher. Her Blanche lacked nuance and vulnerability. I can't tell if her face as become frozen though surgery or lack of use. Her voice becomes weaker and slower with each passing role.
| by Anonymous | reply 40 | July 4, 2022 1:44 PM |
Her former husband was creator of The Crown and got her work. She’s a lousy actress.
| by Anonymous | reply 41 | July 4, 2022 1:57 PM |
She isn't any more "limited" than most male actors.
| by Anonymous | reply 42 | July 4, 2022 2:15 PM |
She's aged well at least. I preferred her as a dykey hot mess
| by Anonymous | reply 43 | July 6, 2022 12:15 PM |
she's a delightful Eleanor
| by Anonymous | reply 45 | July 6, 2022 12:27 PM |
Like Pauline Kael said of Our Lady Streep, Anderson seems to have made a career out of being miscast. She wasn't bad in House of Mirth, just wrong for the role; Laura Linney and Dan Aykroyd (of all people) stole the movie from her.
| by Anonymous | reply 46 | July 6, 2022 12:29 PM |
Sex Education is a comedy.
| by Anonymous | reply 47 | July 6, 2022 12:29 PM |
She is much narrower in range than Cate Blanchett. I mention Cate because both of these ladies have folie de grandeur and a kind of hammy grande dame act - in their acting and when on press tours - that sticks in my craw finally, after I am amused by it for awhile.
| by Anonymous | reply 51 | July 6, 2022 12:38 PM |
she does subtle well
but we live in an era where everyone is autistic and requires everything to be exaggerated to the extremes.
| by Anonymous | reply 52 | July 6, 2022 12:43 PM |
She used to do subtle well, R52, but she's gotten much worse, as seen in her Thatcher.
| by Anonymous | reply 53 | July 6, 2022 12:59 PM |
I am 100% with you, OP, from The X-Files to today. I mean, nobody HAD to be any good in The X-Files, but she was supposed to act in the National Theatre plays, and if she did I must've blinked.
| by Anonymous | reply 54 | July 6, 2022 3:16 PM |
[quote]Like Pauline Kael said of Our Lady Streep, Anderson seems to have made a career out of being miscast.
A slight correction: Kael said Streep made a career out of *seeming to overcome* being miscast. I like Streep's work more than Kael did, but it's not a bad observation. I can see what she meant. She was writing about Postcards from the Edge in that instance.
[quote]She wasn't bad in House of Mirth, just wrong for the role
Terence Davies recently said that working with her was the most miserable time he had ever had. He said everyone else on that film was perfectly lovely, but Anderson was an ordeal he would never put himself through again.
Not that he ever works with any actor in a movie a second time. He's strange about that. He says once they've been in one of his, they need to go off and do other things.
| by Anonymous | reply 55 | July 6, 2022 3:25 PM |
Thanks for the correction, R55. I hadn’t read Davies’ comments, that’s too bad.
| by Anonymous | reply 56 | July 6, 2022 3:27 PM |
I wish Pfeiffer would have got Postcards.
| by Anonymous | reply 57 | July 6, 2022 3:29 PM |
She only became interesting as an actress once she "became" British though the way she speaks and carries herself it's like she's doing an impersonation of some great English thespian. Everything seems fake. It's why she comes off quite camp including when she played Thatcher in The Crown. I'm surprised Olivia Colman was able to keep a straight face watching Gillian "act" opposite her in their scenes.
| by Anonymous | reply 58 | July 6, 2022 3:30 PM |
Her English accent isn't Grand.
| by Anonymous | reply 59 | July 6, 2022 3:33 PM |
Every word in OP's post is a lie - even "and" and "the."
| by Anonymous | reply 60 | July 6, 2022 3:38 PM |
R60 Quoting a woman who had wit and substance won't give any to Gillian
| by Anonymous | reply 61 | July 6, 2022 3:40 PM |
Some of you bitches are harsh. I have enjoyed her work over the years. Hannibal, The Fall, The X-Files, House of Mirth, Sex Ed.
RE: Her Thatcher. I think she was playing it right. A female PM, the first, couldn't risk emotionalism or diffidence. The line deliveries did verge on camp. Don't forget the scenes with her family.
| by Anonymous | reply 62 | July 6, 2022 3:47 PM |
R62 I agree with the other projects you listed and think she is gifted in the right role, but found her Thatcher indefensible. It wasn't the lack of emotion, but the complete lack of resemblance to the real Thatcher, the caricature-like flatness, and the weak, stilted voice.
| by Anonymous | reply 63 | July 6, 2022 4:06 PM |
Wasn't Thatcher criticised for her voice?
| by Anonymous | reply 64 | July 6, 2022 4:09 PM |
R60 Every word Gillian speaks is a lie, including "and" and "the." Which would be forgivable for an actress, if she had actual talent.
| by Anonymous | reply 65 | July 6, 2022 4:09 PM |
You can't criticize someone for their British accent when they grew up in the UK. You can say she has a weird way of talking, but her accent has to be correct.
| by Anonymous | reply 66 | July 6, 2022 4:11 PM |
R64 Thatcher worked on her voice before becoming Prime Minister, to be deeper, less shrill, and slower.
| by Anonymous | reply 67 | July 6, 2022 4:12 PM |
Well I think she's tremendous!
| by Anonymous | reply 69 | July 6, 2022 4:36 PM |
She’s trying to be Tracey Ullman, and no one can match that kind of talent. Look, Gillian is a working actor. That’s what matters.
| by Anonymous | reply 70 | July 6, 2022 4:37 PM |
Unforgettable in Bleak House.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 71 | July 6, 2022 4:38 PM |
Bullshit. I think she’s great in everything she’s done.
| by Anonymous | reply 72 | July 6, 2022 4:39 PM |
Now I'm imagining Linda Grainger as Blanche DuBois.
| by Anonymous | reply 73 | July 6, 2022 4:40 PM |
Is her named pronounced Jillian or Gillian?
| by Anonymous | reply 74 | July 6, 2022 7:08 PM |
Does she still act this way on sets?
"Let’s talk about X-FILES because you did an episode. I love X-FILES, but I honestly only consistently watched the first 4 seasons and then after that, I’d catch random episodes. So, you were in “Trevor”, which was a Season 6 episode. What was that experience like? I hear David Duchovny is a prankster on set? Is that true?
Uh, he is, and he is wonderful. But the woman is a nightmare!
Gillian Anderson?
Yes. She was the nastiest woman I’ve ever worked with on anything. I almost walked off, and the reason I didn’t was because of David, because he was such a doll. And of course the money. They were giving me good money to do it. Gillian was like, “Oh, you’re the guest star this week? Oh, I don’t sit with guest stars. No, I’ll only talk to children guest stars.”
I mean, unbelievable. I’m in a scene with her, and we’re walking out the door and it was really cold where we were. So, I just say, “God, it’s really quite chilly.” And she looks at me and goes, “I have no idea what you think is chilly or what you’re talking about. Or any concept of you.” And I just looked at her, nodded and said, “…Great. Ok.”
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 75 | July 6, 2022 9:53 PM |
R75 If Mia is Bitch, Gillian is Cunt.
| by Anonymous | reply 76 | July 6, 2022 10:35 PM |
I found the production of Streetcar she was in interesting because, whether directorial choice or as a result of casting or some confluence thereof, Stanley came off as the delusional narcissist and Blanche as the domineering taskmaster. It was really strange to realize however far into the play that they'd basically flipped the roles, but I thought it did make the production more compelling than just another rote interpretation of it ever is.
| by Anonymous | reply 77 | July 7, 2022 5:01 AM |
Stanley has always been a delusional narcissist to me. One thing I did like about that Streetcar though is that Blanche and Stanley were both really strong powerhouses...like they both had this monster energy which made the power dynamic between them far more balanced, for better or worse. There's a moment where they purposedly show Stanley passed out in the bathtub, bathed in green light , like an exhausted animal after a huge fight...and then a few scenes later had Blanche in that same exact position as the same exact image with that same energy. It wasn't the fragile flower at the mercy of the beast as is usually the energy with Blanche and Stanley, but 2 very strong animals doing the best battle they could against each other. You do see them more as equals which is an interesting take. That said, I think what the play has to say about class is incredibly important and taking it in this direction sacrifices it.
| by Anonymous | reply 78 | July 7, 2022 5:46 AM |
I'm curious if she will continue to decline or perhaps find a decent niche for herself. Her next movie does not look promising. She has good stage presence, but I'm not sure if her voice will carry past the first row these days.
| by Anonymous | reply 79 | July 9, 2022 3:44 PM |
R9 = Gillian's twat waxer
I hope she does a better job than Gillian the Pretentious Hack does for her roles.
| by Anonymous | reply 80 | July 9, 2022 5:13 PM |
Stanley is terrible, one of the worst. He makes her look almost humble and natural. That's not easy.
| by Anonymous | reply 81 | July 9, 2022 5:16 PM |
I thought she's great in The Fall. And quite verstatile - I also enjoyed her in Sex Education.
| by Anonymous | reply 82 | July 9, 2022 5:20 PM |
