There is a video version of this article HERE
The Art of Acting – Eden Sher
I decided to start this series of articles/videos where I point out a
single moment or an entire scene on which I think an actor absolutely excels.
Be it in a film or television show. I think actors can make or break a good
script sometimes and I’m a sucker for a good performance. Because I teach
acting and work with actors professionally I tend to notice subtleties that
can, sometimes, go unnoticed and my goal is to point those out and try and
dissect a performance so people can start appreciating and understanding even
more why a performance is good.
For no particular reason other than that I saw this scene a
few days ago, I decided to kick start the series with the actress Eden Sher
mostly known for her work in the ABC family sitcom “The Middle”. She portrays
Sue Heck the middle child in the Heck family characterized by her unending hope
in life and unbeatable spirit. Always finding ways to see things from a
positive point of view even when it seems impossible to do so.
Even though I think “The Middle” is an average show when it
comes to its writing and general direction I still watch it with pleasure and
the main reason for that is Eden Sher’s work. Her Sue Heck is, in my opinion,
the heart and soul of the show and it’s definitely what keeps me going back to it.
Not that the remaining cast doesn’t bring anything, they do and a lot but Eden
Sher’s work just sparkles with finesse that can sometimes go easily unnoticed
and taken for granted. I think it’s safe to say that like so many other
examples in television history Eden Sher made her character much larger and
successful than it was probably foreseeable by the show’s creators and writers.
At least in my opinion.
So, to cut to the chase, I decided to pin point a single scene
from “The Middle” on which I think Eden Sher shines as an actress. I love to
see drama in a comedy show. I absolutely love it. This show does it sometimes
but they always seem to chicken out and take a step back before it gets too
serious. But that is a whole other issue for another time.
To give you some context this scene is at the end of the
second episode called “The Loneliest Locker” from the 6th season on
which the main storyline focuses on Sue Heck deciding which college she wants
to go to when she graduates and also a play she’s performing at school. Faced
with such high hopes on her future, Mike and Frankie, Sue’s parents, are unable
to disappoint her by telling her the hard truth that they probably cannot
afford to pay for college. So they decide to get extra jobs to try and raise
money. The majority of the episode focuses on this and especially on Frankie
that is working very hard from home providing customer service for a local
airline. The episode climaxes with Sue’s play being awful and inherently funny
of course and with Frankie having to miss her daughter’s play because of the
second job.
The scene in question is when Sue gets back home and
confronts her mother about missing her play and how she’s missing out on her
senior year in high school and so on. Of course poor Sue Heck is unaware of the
sacrifice in motion by her parents and her mother in particular to get her to
college. To highlight is the way Eden Sher handles the moment Frankie blows up
on Sue and tells her the truth about the lack of money. Sue’s subtle shift from
anger to guilt and compassion is masterfully done by Eden Sher and is not
within the reach of many actors. The way you kind of feel Sue is lying with a
smile because she has too. The disappointment sinking in like a giant bulldozer
dragging her to the bottom of the ocean. You sink right along with her. This is
a tremendous performance in an otherwise typical television show. This type of
scene is extremely demanding to work as effectively as it does here. I’ve seen it
done well and I’ve seen it done perfectly and Eden Sher does it perfectly. It’s
so hard to make these emotional transitions effectively without it being too
sudden or overacted and she makes it seem effortless. It’s the kind of work
that is impossible to go unnoticed in my eyes and it’s one of the many examples
that make “The Middle” above average from time to time. Patricia Heaton who
plays Frankie is also extremely effective and certainly enhances Eden’s work.
It’s a great scene with two great performances in it. I honestly think Eden She
has a great career ahead of her and I hope to see her in bigger and more
challenging roles in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment