more from Lance Mannion: Studio 60: In the cold, clear light of day In the cold, clear, light of day, I still don't believe that Sarah Paulson could have made the bear roaring joke work. But I don't believe her character could make any joke work. right, me too. Sarah Paulson's a serious liability. yeah. It's not all her fault.
...there's nothing about Paulson that suggests that comedic and musical talents that Harriet supposedly possses in spades. yep yep. Our belief in her star quality right - star quality - that's what we don't see is going to be based on what the other characters tell us about her. So she presents Sorkin with another kind of temptation he has trouble resisting---the temptation to tell us everything. He doesn't write for actors, which may be why all his characters sound alike. huh, that's interesting.
Deadwood creator David Milch learned something else from Shakespeare besides how to sell blank verse and how to structure a scene. He learned to give his actors characters that suited their strengths and allowed them to use their idiosyncratic bodies and voices. Sorkin's thinking seems to go: Sarah Paulson is a good actress; I give her good lines; therefore, Harriet will be a good character.
Paulson, though, doesn't give off any body heat. She doesn't seem heartbroken, jealous, or even perversely titilated by the fact that her ex-boyfriend and best friend are fooling around. What she seems is disapproving, as if what bothers her most is that they aren't serious. huh, nicely said, I think this is spot on. that is how she seems.
Last night I got to wishing that he had cast Amanda Peet as Harriet. Peet has a comedic face. She looks like she can be funny, and she can be funny. She has sex appeal to bottle and sell. With her in the part, Harriet's Christianity would be a problem for Harriet. oh boy yeah this is interesting, interesting to me in the same way voice-and-facial-expression-resemblance (below, notes re Brothers&Sisters) is interesting to me. it's to do with idiosyncrasy, isn't it, with personalities, distinctiveness of persons, esp in how they are expressive.