Sunday, June 27, 2010

A Case of Mistaken Identity

By Pam

“Actors are willing to give their entire lives to a moment--to that line, that laugh, that gesture, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul.” David Ackert (Actor/Producer/Writer)


Of all the characters Alex has portrayed, I have to say that Vincent Rowlings (Criminal Minds: The Big Wheel) has got to be the one that impressed me the most. I believe Vincent is so far removed from who Alex is in real life. So much so that his portrayal was probably at the far end of his acting spectrum. I would love to see him in more roles like this. Ones that are at least as complex. 

“I want to do work that’s meaningful to me and touches people, [Alex] insists. I don’t care about being a heartthrob or any of that crap. I care about having somebody come up to me on the street and say, ‘That meant a lot to me.’”

Is it a compliment to call him gorgeous* and sexy*? Maybe, if we got Alex in all his characters. If that was the case he wouldn't need to act. He doesn't give himself in his roles. We may see pieces of him, but we're not getting Alex. Even in interviews, we’re getting Alex O’Loughlin, the actor, not the “real” man. 

Alex builds his characters from the ground up as if building a house, to put it simply. I admire the finished product. When I think a character is beautifully done, I need to thank “the builder" for his fine work. I appreciate the whole new person that has been created. The builder isn't gorgeous, his creation is.

The point is we need not get confused between Alex, the person we think he is, and his creations. Compliment his work. Just watch his reaction when he is fawned all over for his good looks, it’s almost painful. He’s much more comfortable hearing that we loved his portrayal of “Mick” or “Stan”, and that he made them gorgeous and sexy. 


*gor•geous –adjective - splendid or sumptuous in appearance, coloring, etc.; magnificent

*sex•y –adjective - sexually interesting or exciting; radiating sexuality


Gorgeous and sexy are relative terms. I find Alex good looking at times and not so much at other times. Some of his characters are gorgeous and/or sexy. I don’t profess to know Alex at all in real life. I admire him for his philanthropy, devotion to family and his work ethic. I don’t categorize these attributes as gorgeous or sexy.

2 comments:

  1. I don't disagree that it's the creation that's gorgeous or sexy, rather than the builder - although the builder can be gorgeous or sexy on his/her own and I concede that the only Alex I know is the one he projects publicly. And quite simply, there's the rub.

    Alex O'Loughlin has allowed himself to be portrayed in photo shoot after silly photo shoot as a prime example of beefcake, and as Marshall McLuhan once put it "The medium is the message." So...in my opinion...it's disingenuous, at best, for him to refute the beefcake, hunk, heart throb designations with which he's been labeled. If he doesn't like what he's getting, he should change what he doing.

    He can't have it both ways. Beefcake photos, zany interviews referring to his own body parts which have not been captured on film (and they have been actually), iconoclastic wardrobe choices, all of these publicly project who he is, and those who follow him have gotten that message whether or not he's intended that to be the message.

    It's quite simple. If he wants to be known as a serious actor, he needs to act more seriously, and project a consistent visual image of Alex O'Loughlin, the brand. Until then, he will continue to get what he doesn't want - from fans, the press and the industry.

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  2. I see every photo shoot(and interview) as a mini play - the magazine provides the script of what they want portrayed, the photographer as the director tells the model/actor what to project, then hundreds of photo's are taken and then a few chosen/edited by the person responsable for the article (the least input from the model).Just as with a real show the actor can only "act" his part but all the others involved decides what will sell and what they will portray - and hunky,sexy sell. Can we then blame the actor for all that, while he is just trying to earn a living! All the "real life" pictures I've seen of Alex (mostly with fans) is very far from a hunking, sexy image - he sometimes even look dorky & nerdy. So what is the REAL Alex portraying?

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