July 21st 2024.
It's no secret that Daisy Edgar-Jones has been cast in some roles that just don't quite fit her. The talk of her performance in Twisters has sparked many heated debates among fans and critics alike. In the highly-anticipated sequel to the 1996 classic, the 26-year-old actress stars alongside Glen Powell, whose charming smile has earned him a reputation as a big movie star.
But while the film may have been tonally inconsistent, it was still an entertaining action flick with a trauma narrative thrown in. In the midst of all the chaos is Edgar-Jones as Kate Cooper, a scientist whose boyfriend and two best friends tragically perished in a tornado during a research experiment years before the events of the movie.
Many people have pointed out that something just didn't quite click with Edgar-Jones' performance, but they can't quite put their finger on what it is. As Vulture so aptly put it, both Edgar-Jones and director Lee Isaac Chung seemed to struggle with scaling their work to fit the grand scope and tone of a tornado-catching-on-fire type of movie.
Some fans have even gone so far as to say that the problem lies with Edgar-Jones' accent. On the other hand, there are those who argue that the issue is not with her acting abilities, but rather the film itself. While she effectively portrays her character's inner turmoil, she seems to be in a completely different movie from the rest of the cast.
This is especially evident when compared to Powell, who effortlessly shines in big-budget action blockbusters thanks to his natural charisma and larger-than-life acting style. In contrast, Edgar-Jones' subtlety and nuance seem out of place in a film of this scale.
But this is not the actress's fault. The makers of Twisters cast her as the human equivalent of a delicate porcelain teacup and then threw her into the midst of a raging tornado. It's no wonder she seemed out of place.
While she may not be a perfect fit for films of this magnitude, Edgar-Jones has shown her talents in roles that allow her to be more nuanced and restrained. Unfortunately, she is not being cast in these types of parts very often. Instead, she has been given roles like that of a semi-feral girl trying to survive in the swamps of North Carolina in Where the Crawdads Sing.
In their scathing one-star review of the film, The Guardian even noted that Edgar-Jones "deserved better." She gives her all in these roles, but there's just something missing. It's like trying to critique a fish for not being able to fly when it's been thrown into the air.
But it's not just Edgar-Jones who is facing this problem. In Hollywood, actresses are often put into neat little boxes or "types," making it difficult for them to break out of these stereotypes and play different types of characters. While this phenomenon is not exclusive to women, it is more prevalent for them to be typecast and limited in the types of roles they are offered.
On the other hand, men tend to have more flexibility in jumping between genres and types. Edgar-Jones, unfortunately, seems to have fallen into the trap of not fitting neatly into any of these boxes. She's not the bombshell, the ethereal star, the girl-next-door, the quirky vixen, the lovable sidekick, or the fierce powerhouse. She's just Daisy Edgar-Jones, a talented actress with a range of abilities that cannot be easily defined.
But her versatility and range should be seen as a strength, not a weakness. Instead of being pigeonholed into one type of role, she should be given the opportunity to showcase her talents in a variety of roles. This is especially true for an actress like Edgar-Jones, whose strengths lie in her ability to convey subtle subtext and bring depth to her characters.
In contrast to her scattered resume, her breakout role in the 2020 drama series Normal People perfectly showcased her talents. As Marianne, she simmered with emotion under a cold exterior, conveying more with a single eyebrow raise than most actors can with their entire bodies. But since then, she has not been given many opportunities to showcase this type of performance.
It's time for Hollywood to recognize the talent of actresses like Daisy Edgar-Jones and stop limiting them to one-dimensional roles. Instead of being cast in poorly written parts in big-budget movies, she should be given the chance to shine in well-crafted roles that truly showcase her abilities. Until then, we will continue to see promising actresses like Edgar-Jones being wasted in roles that just don't make sense.
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