By By Hope-Elena Sardella
- Kyle MacLachlan – Kyle MacLachlan plays the role of “Jeffrey” the main protagonist and character of the film. We would consider Kyle MacLachlan as the “star” (or most well-known actor) of Blue Velvet (1986). MacLachlan represent’s the detective character indicative of film noir genre, as well as an individual being “caught up in a dangerous world beyond their control” (Goodkoontz & Jacobs, section. 4.2, para. 22). MacLachlan becomes trapped in the dangerous underworld of Dorthy’s life when trying to solve a mystery. Jeffrey’s transition into the duality of a dangerous underworld can be seen in the scene “Joy Ride With Frank”:
A protagonist in a film noir is morally ambiguous, which means that the character strives to solve an issue of moral concerning but does so in a way that defies one’s sense of morals. Maclachlan’s character Jeffrey is an innocent young man, who wants to save the character Dorthy but uses risky tactics to help her. We can see this in the scene “Are You Crazy”; where he discusses breaking into the home of Dorthy, in an attempt to solve the mystery of the severed ear;
Although MacLachlan has played the role of a detective in several films but isn’t typecast due to the variety of characters he played throughout his career. I believe MacLachlan’s acting is realism acting form of acting in regards to the nature of Jeffrey. Jeffrey is just a regular college kid that’s overly curious and has good intentions. - Isabella Rossellini – Isabella Rossellini plays the role of “Dorthy” in Blue Velvet (1986). Her character represents the femme fatal, a significant persona relevant to the film noir genre. I believe Rossellini is an interpreter actor. She put her connection to the character she is currently in by adding method acting. Isabella Rossellini can also be considered a star actor due to her being the child of Ingrid Bergman (famous Swedish actress) and Roberto Rossellini (Italian director) (Isabella Rossellini, n/d). Rossellini has had a diversified career as an actor, and model for Lancome as well as being married to the famous Martin Scorsese and being in a relationship with David Lynch for six years. Rossellini used method acting to “embody the disoriented Dorothy” (Winer, 1986).
Dennis Hopper – Dennis Hopper is also a “star” actor, and could be considered a “wild card” actor as well. Hopper is categorized as a character actor, playing the role of Frank Booth (main Villain, and gangster), as well as being classified as a personality actor. Personality acting is the use of a specific strong personality (Goodkoontz & Jacobs, 2014). The personality Booth exhibits is a villainous, violent, drug-addicted individual. The character of Frank Booth is essential to the film’s genre of Film Noir. Film noir is an evolution of Gangster Crime genre, making the use of gangster character’s an important element to solidify the genre as a film noir. Dennis Hopper was a very talented actor and director that is considered a Method Actor. Method Acting is described by Goodykoontz and Jacobs as “Method requires that actors draw on their memories and experiences to reach the heart of a character, so that they more genuinely feel the emotions they’re portraying instead of just pretending to” (section. 5.4, para. 8). Up until the 1960s, Dennis Hopper was often typed cast in “usually as a villain in westerns such” (Dennis Hopper, n/d). Hopper’s has over five decades in the film industry, which it’s fair to say he is a “wild card.” He has shown he can play a multitude of roles, despite his initial typecast in his early career.
References
Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2018, from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000454/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm (Links to an external site.)
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing(2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu (Links to an external site.)
Isabella Rossellini. (2018, March 12). Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Rossellini
Winer, L. (1986, November 23). ISABELLA ROSSELLINI ASSESSES THE ROLE THAT HAUNTED HER. Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/23/movies/isabella-rossellini-assesses-the-role-that-haunted-her.html