EDIT: The debate is...

Plastic Passion - a large majority of the acting community that is seen by millions on TV and in films (whether they be American or otherwise, though this jockey's view is that the main offenders are the American ilk) are 'pretty' in a plastic way. Rather than natural beauty, in both conventional and unconventional terms, the prettyness is faked by way of make-up, 'photoshopping', and even plastic surgery in extreme circumstances.

Discuss.

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Possibly...

To me, most American actresses seem... plasticy. I might be generalising terribly here, but there seems to be, in America, a feeling that only the 'pretty' people should appear on screen. A classic example is The Office. From what I heard and read, the producers of the American version of The Office recast the entire show because the English cast weren't 'pretty' enough.

The same goes for American film - I can't instantly think of an American actress, or even an actor, who isn't 'pretty' in some way, or plasticy.

.....

Have you seen the American cast of The Office? http://www.tv.com/the-office/show/22343/cast.html

Look again..

Jack Black

http://l.yimg.com/img.tv.yahoo.com/t...0919015544.jpg

http://www.mevproductions.co.uk/TV/Office3.jpg

IMO, far less 'pretty' actors in the English version.

I'm going to posts not relating to Alba and Biel into an O&D thread.

They're all ugly.

Lenny, you just like Americans too much :(.

Which lot?

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And for people who have just joined us here on 125.9 FM, Radio Zelaron, todays subject of discussion is titled Plastic Passion - a large majority of the acting community that is seen by millions on TV and in films (whether they be American or otherwise, though this jockey's view is that the main offenders are the American ilk) are 'pretty' in a plastic way. Rather than natural beauty, in both conventional and unconventional terms, the prettyness is faked by way of make-up, 'photoshopping', and even plastic surgery in extreme circumstances.

Discuss.

Both groups. I don't see a standout in either of them.

Lenny. Look, first off the casting for The Office here stateside has had much more funding and money for casting, compared to it's Eastern counterpart, which had hired lower class actors (no offense) and even still, the Office cast over here isn't that plasticy. Maybe you've been watching too much of 'The OC'..

The only programmes I watch are Top Gear, Have I Got News For You, Torchwood, and Doctor Who. Four completely English (well, British - TW can be considered Welsh) series.

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What I read and the people who I heard it from were obviously wrong.

But The OC is a classic example of plastic, I take it. Yes?

Well, you decide



http://pirate.shu.edu/~fellandi/OC.jpg

It's basically a fake reality show with failed models living under their parents wealth. I see what your point is Lenny, but I feel really that it can hold true with about anything, any show atleast. And yes, we do have an obsession with the plastic look, and good teeth.

http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_...Mike_Myers.jpg

If you notice the difference between first season 'not-so popular' shows and later seasons in same shows, you can see how they got 'hollywoodized'. Examples would be Scrubs and House. Lol, both doctor shows.

Good teeth, eh?

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10...nd_450x300.jpg

Richard Hammond - probably the best looking presenter on BBC.

And this is who he works with:

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/200...ar_700x700.jpg

And Stiggy:

http://f1net.smartlivin.net/sigs/ite...ig-208x208.jpg

Talking about teeth, though, Hamster is always teased about his teeth by Clarkson and May - at the end of a series he had bad, yellow teeth, he came back the next one and they were white.

Your British actors look too much like people.

Seriously. And they look like Brits.

That's why they recast the American Office.

If I wanted to look at real people I'd go outside, not watch a show. And people think that acting is hard. It's not, anyone can do it. Hence, all the pretty people who have no real skills or intelligence because they've been pageanted by mommy and daddy all their lives become actors.

Now that's a good point, and might have been better for me to make about the English Office compared with the American version - real people versus actors.

Which is another point to throw into the discussion topic - a large majority of the acting community seen in films and on television, as well as having 'prettiness' don't look like people you'd meet in the street.

The Michael in the American Office is more womanly, and is a more typical American metrosexual. Gay jokes ensue.

It's just localization.

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To adress your second point, I think that may be because of what I said earlier. "If I wanted to look at real people I'd go outside, not watch a show."

That's what the people who cast the actors think we want, I suppose. Except I see prettier people in real life every day. It's all variable.

I'd honestly prefer to see people I'd see in real life in dramas, rather than pretty people I'd see face to face once a millenia. It just adds to the realism of it.

Take the English soaps Eastenders and Coronation Street, for example. Both are about a small neighbourhood in London and Manchester respectively, and it's easily believable that I might bump into any of the characters if I go walking around either city:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/char...rs/index.shtml

http://www.itv.com/Soaps/coronations...s/default.html

EDIT: Well, five years ago they were definitely a rough lot that I'd expect to meet in the street.

There's a lot of hot chicks in the first cast.

Agreed. I think what Lenny is trying to say, though, is that they aren't plastic. Pretty =/= Plastic. In the Who would you rather thread I don't find either woman attractive. Honestly, Talented Hamster is more attractive than either of them. Women publicized in the US aren't really... Realistic. And that takes away a lot of the attraction.

While I do agree with Lenny for the most part, I do see a number of shows that tend to break the "abnormally attractive people" mold.

The Wire and Deadwood are two that come to mind.