The Big Man

Hey Everyone,

If you know me well you probably know that I watch a lot of television and movies. There is a huge number of actors I despise (I tend to be very cynical), but only a few actors I truly respect. I want to write about them all eventually, but it's harder to articulate why I appreciate and respect an actor than I thought it would be (I have a blog about Paul Giamatti that's been in draft forever, it was supposed to be my second blog ever, but I'm still working on it). I'll probably write about most of them eventually, but for now it's John Goodman.


Most people know John Goodman from Roseanne, where he played the blue-collar working class dad. This is where I first came to love his acting.


I guess in a lot of ways it's impossible to explain what it is about John Goodman that I like so much, but I know that part of it is how he is able to act naturally upset, happy, confused, or angry. He does simple things that make his acting powerful, things you would never even notice unless you took the time to sit back and actually think about what he is doing.

There are plenty of episodes of Roseanne where Dan is supposed to be yelling at the kids, or angry with Roseanne, or for some other reason, agitated. The difference between the way Goodman acts angry and the way most actors do it, is that he acts honestly angry. When you're angry, you don't think about what you're saying before you say it. John realizes this, that's why, when he's yelling, he stumbles over his words, and says simple stuff like "oh come on!". Sounds obvious right? It's not. Most actors actually do the opposite, if you think about it. When they get angry, they seem to have a speech prepared, they miraculously come up with well crafted argues and insults, and deliver their lines like they are delivering a public service announcement. I'll admit that a large part of this is probably the way the dialogue was written, but still, he delivers well crafted lines better than most other actors.

Another reason Goodman is one of the best is the way he effectively acts confused. And this isn't like Paris Hilton acting confused, for her it's probably not hard, but John Goodman, believe it or not, is actually extremely intelligent. Most people don't realize that Goodman has a B.A. in drama from Southwest Missouri State. Anyways, he does simple things that sell him as being confused, like darting his eyes around the room, or shifting in his chair, or rubbing his face, instead of just saying, "duh, I'm confused".

He has a wide range of work. This is a double-edged sword, on one hand, he has done some great work, but on the other hand, he has made some really stupid decisions (like leaving the Roseanne to pursue other project). The good part though, is that he is not content to be type cast and he is willing to be take a role where he is not the lead actor.

John Goodman has hosted Saturday Night Live 11 times, more than any other host besides Steve Martin. He has worked in television, movies, music, and even on Broadway.

He has tried just about every role you can think of; a blue-collar worker, Babe Ruth, the King of England, a gay construction worker, a Mafioso, the President of the USA, Fred Flinstone, and even voice-over work, including his work on Monsters, Inc., and Father of the Pride. He was also the yellow m&m in the commercials.

If you haven't seen much of John Goodman's work, you should definitely check it out, you will be blown away when you realize how talented an actor he actually is.

- Rob