Tom's acting in Thirst

[gloria]

Originally posted by djpnutz
I wonder if this is going to turn into the "fold" post from Mortal.

[BeepBeep]

I think TW's performances since S3 (Transference aside) have ranged from poor to mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised with the job he did in Thirst. It was a bit inconsistent, but overall I think he did a good job, much to my surprise.

[tw190]

You know I rewatched the episode today and was very happy with his expressions and embarrassed grin when Lana said, "God, you smell amazing!"

[sunshine1973]

oh yes! Tom did well with this one .. but seeming to enjoy it as well if you ask me, he does really well with these type of scenes, I can imagine just how amazing he smelt!! LOL

[NathalieSoares]

Actually, I remember reading Kristin saying that usually when Tom and her do "love" scenes its on a close set with just a handful of people.

So it's not always that awkward for them to do them.

Also Tom's married, not dead.

I agree with Chris. My brother is a theater actor and he told me once he never became aroused during a kissing scene, because it is indeed difficult to get into the right frame of mind for real arousal to happen. That's why he says he believes when actors say they don't get aroused when most people think they're lying.

And get this: my brother met his current girlfriend during a play in which they were a couple and he said not even then he got aroused, despite how hot the scene was. But he says when they are alone in real life, it's a WHOLE different story.

Tom may not be dead, but he comes across to me as very professional and respecful and I doubt he'd allow himself to become truly aroused. Specially with Kristin, who was a guest in his wedding. The two of them would have to be real disrespectful to Tom's wife to allow themselves to really get into the moment for real knowing that somewhere there's someone who trusts in them together for those those types of scenes.

If you listen to Crusade's comments with Annette O. and Erica D., Annette even jokes about how they "hate" Tom for always being so professional. I don't believe Tom became an actor just so he could get some "freebies" from the pretty actresses.

And given how loving and respectful Mr. Welling comes across in relation to Jaime, I very much doubt he would do such a thing; say one thing to his wife at home (such as that she has nothing to worry about, it is only acting) and then do something completely different while on set with Kristin or any of the other girls. Chances are he focuses much more on the scene then on how it felt to do the kissing.

Tom himself said in an interview that love scenes bothers him a lot, because he considers kissing to be an intimate gesture he'd like to share with his wife only, and that he feels as if he'd cheated on her.

In my opinion the actor's mind is so focused on what they have to do, how to do it, and when to do it and also their lines, trust me the last Tom was thinking of was how good(or bad) Kristin's kissing felt.

In real life ours minds are 100% focused on the kiss and the kiss only, so it feels very different from kissing someone in acting. What feels good in real life doesn't always looks good on camera and what looks good on camera doesn's always feels good for those kissing.

Also guys, scenes like that are NEVER left to chance. Like fighting scenes they choreograph every second of what's going to be done so it looks real to the maximum. They don't just walk up to the actors and say: "Okay Kristin you kiss and bite Tom's neck and you Tom just find a way to react and make it look real."

They (actors and director) most likely go over the whole scene and decide how the actors are supposed to react and what looks best. A clear proof of this fact is when Lana kisses Clark's jaw-line and he just rolls his eyes and when she bites his neck Clark's reaction differs from merely closing his eyes like he did at first. The reason for that is because Tom needed to show the viewer that there was a clear difference between Lana's two actions. Tom was more likely thinking of when to display the proper reactions and when to do that then whether it felt good or not.

In my honest opinion Tom's or Clark's reactions look real because that's Tom's job as an actor; to make it look real. He does the same great job when he's playing evil Clark, it sure looks real but we know better than to say Tom actually felt that murderous rage.

In real life our responses to certain situations aren't always that much visible, as most people tend to keep things inside.

But in acting you have to make it obvious what the character is feeling, and make it look "bigger" and more apparent.

Tom does that perfectly. Maybe in real life he would not display his reaction like he did in the scene. But then again the scene was all about Clark unwillingly giving in to Lana's seduction, and so Tom did it in a way that showed us that he was unwilling enjoying.

I can only wonder how many people were stading around them, and Tom actually displaying real arousal would look bad for him since everyone knows he's married.

In fact you'd think male actors would their best NOT to focus on how pleasurable something might feel, after all we all know what happens to men when they are aroused. Now, of course that for us girls (and some guys) the idea of Tom displaying and h***-o* on set might sound hot, but for Tom himself it would be probably too embarrassing. As it, most likely, would to the majority of men. So my guess is that when the scene is too strong they place their minds away from the things which could make them aroused.

Once again I agree with Chris, being in front of many people is not the same as being alone with someone in real life. In my opinion it's just good acting from Tom's behalf.

Here's a quote from Henry Cavill (a.k.a. the new Superman):

JJ: Is it completely unsexy to film romantic/kissing scenes with everyone watching you, the lights and the cameras?

HC: This is tough to explain. As an actor and when you’re working and doing kissing/romantic scenes, you try and get your feelings there as much as you can so that you can give off the right energy to the audience and into the camera. But at the same time, it is acting. There are other things going through your mind where, normally in those kinds of situations, the only thing that’s on your mind is the person that you’re with.