But I always thought I was deep?

[merelyn]

Happy Monday, flist! Merlin 1.12 was pretty and I enjoyed it and am flailing about next week like everyone else. :)

That aside, I have a very serious question for you all. Someone over on merlinxarthur linked to this article on AfterElton.com about Merlin airing on NBC in the U.S. It’s nice that AfterElton has also picked up on the gay (and sad that NBC won’t be airing the episodes anytime soon), but what really jumped out at me was this:


The weakest link in the cast is probably Katie McGrath who plays Morgana. She's almost a perfect clone of Keira Knightley, and like her big screen doppelganger she pouts and poses rather than actually acts.


I was shocked- shocked!- by that. She may not be the best actor on the show (that would probably be Colin I think? YMMV), but I’ve always thought that Katie has done a good job. And to be fair, the author admits that he hasn’t seen all the episodes, so I’m assuming he must have missed out on the ones where Morgana is AWESOME.

Even I have to say that I didn’t really like Morgana in the first episode. The scene with her twirling about in front of her mirror talking to Gwen about dresses has always felt off to me, especially as an introduction to her character. Don’t get me wrong, I love Morgana’s wardrobe (ridiculous fur shrugs, even more ridiculous heels and all). It just made her seem a lot more vapid than the she is, especially since she had nothing much to do that first episode other than wear pretty clothes and have the boys stare at her. (Also, the sleeveless number she ends up wearing was one of those whopping historical inaccuracies that hit me back when I was still bothered by those things. :) Still, she got better and better as the show went on, and by this point I would watch a show that’s just Katie McGrath fiercing her way around Camelot.

The reason why this really bothered me is that (confession!) I don’t like Keira Knightley- sorry sovietkitsch- I know she’s your girlcrush to end all girlcrushes. I’ve seen a lot of her movies actually (also somewhat thanks to sovietkitsch, because there would be no other person who could have convinced me to see Domino in theatres, which was for the record pretty hilarious). She was cute in Bend in Like Beckham, and surprisingly good in Pride and Prejudice, but I really really don’t think she can act. Or rather, maybe she can but her range is…not big.

Anyway, what I’m saying is, that when it comes to actors- Keira in particular, unfortunately- pretty people who can’t act but are inexplicably famous movie stars is one of my BIGGEST PET PEEVES ever. I don’t care how hot you are, if you can’t act your way out of a paper bag you should not be stinking up legitimate movies (obviously craptastic things like HSM and the Flan don’t fall into this category).

It’s been pointed out that I’m an opinionated person, but I really do make an effort not to be snobby. However this is one of those instances where I get disgusted with how shallow Hollywood is- and society by extension for laying out their money to see movies starring Channing Tatum and the like.

SO. The point of this rambling ramble is that I had noted the similarity between Katie and Keira, but I’d personally thought of Katie as the prettier, more talented though less famous one.

HAVE I BEEN WRONG THE WHOLE TIME? HAVE I BEEN LIVING A LIE? DOES KATIE MCGRATH ACTUALLY SUCK AND I WAS TOO BLINDED BY THE PRETTY TO NOTICE? THIS IS VERY DISTRESSING TO ME. D:

PLEASE WEIGH IN FLIST AND TELL ME IF I ACTUALLY AM AS SHALLOW AS AN INFLATABLE KIDDIE POOL.

Comments

[circa-eve.livejournal.com]

Morgana definitely had to grow on me. I remember the first thing I thought about her was that she looked like KK. And also that the dress she was wearing went over my I can handwave this historical anachronism away line. BUT I now I think she's awesome, and I think she has a really great handle on her character and where she wants her to go. I feel like she'll only continue to get better (as long as they continue to have stuff for her to do).

As for her compared to KK, I actually don't think KK is a bad actress. Or rather, I think she has the potential to be a not bad actress, but that she's too lazy to actually take some challenging roles, and instead just does stuff in a small range, that plays to her strengths (one major one being of course, her attractiveness). Which is not exactly bad, but it's not all that exciting after a while. I think KK seems like she is more invested in acting as acting, and just plans to look good doing whereas KK seems to be riding on her looks a little too much. /Over psychoanalyzing

And finally, me weighing in on KK's attractiveness: To be fair, although, yes, KM is not as skinny as KK, they are still both pretty skinny. I think KK is attractive, but in a too intentional away that is off-putting. For instance I don't ever see KM doing a photoshoot like that one with the chair.

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Lookit you actually commenting on my lj! :)

I agree, it did take me a while to warm up to Morgana, at least a few episodes. (Moment of love: when everyone draws their swords at dinner in 1.04 she's all WTH LET ME GET ME KNIFE BITCHES.) I don't think she really had much to do until 1.07, and then in 1.08 she hit the ground running and has been awesome ever since.

I feel like she'll only continue to get better (as long as they continue to have stuff for her to do). Yes! And let's hope this goes for Gwen too. :)

Yeah, as I said, I'm not sure if KK is a bad actress or just plays the same part over and over again for whatever reason. What I do know is that I didn't give a crap about her character in Atonement, and every time I saw her yelling about her freedom in the trailer for The Duchess I made a face of UGH. Something bothers me about her.

Also, you're right, both of them are not normal-person skinny.