Let's talk about Linda Evans' acting

[Snarky Oracle!]

They crucified their savior character -- the key thing that made DYNASTY New Testament (to DALLAS' Old Testament). How much of this shift was Linda's fault is up for debate.

But, acting aside, the show itself, after Season 2, almost never had Alexis & Krystle facing-off in any scenes anymore -- even though they were supposedly each other's counterbalance.

Which is why, for the character to be redeemed and reach her natural height and given an organic exit, Krystle had to become clairvoyant healer during Season 8, shifting from empathic psychic to crazed gunwoman (I'd have her and not Sean try to shoot Alexis in the season finale) based on which lobe in her brain the blood is active at the moment, and how fluid her corpus collosum.

And it's all Alexis' fault!

 

[Retired Member 5]

What‘s the static acting directive?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

What‘s the static acting directive?

Welcome to the site @Ben.

It's in this thread (and other threads). I can only elaborate on S.A.D. when the mood and impulse strike me (you probably won't have to wait very long).

 

[Laura Avery-Sumner]

The constant whisper and whine. I don’t know how people could stand her.

Hey, YOU try acting while wearing a Rejuvenique mask. It's no picnic! lol

 

[Retired Member 5]

Ok so that‘s why Dynasty had become a bunch of crap after Season 2.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Ok so that‘s why Dynasty had become a bunch of crap after Season 2.

Let's just say the overall effect was compromised.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

This is my pre-concussion Krystle:

Where is that "Rapunzel/JohnD.Rockefeller'sBirthday" scene??

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

This is how I want Krystle to talk to Alexis (especially in hospital when Blake has been poisoned in Season 6). At around 1: 21: 30 (thru 1: 23: 40 )...

Too ambitious? Just act it out for her -- Linda can do it...!

 

[Mustard]

What‘s the static acting directive?

Basically what happened from Seasons 4-7 in particular, where any independent creativity by the actors was seemingly stamped out. On Dynasty, for whatever reason, the brass seemed to get suspicious of the actors themselves, perhaps because of what happened with Al Corley and Pamela Sue Martin. Corley was basically saying that Steven's trajectory in Season 2 was not what he had been told originally, that Steven had "no fun", so he wanted out. PSM started feeling similar about Fallon in Season 4, openly voicing that she was not enjoying the role any more, and that she wanted out. John James tried to persuade her to stay, but to no avail.

The brass then seemed to act like "Okay, you do as we tell you. Or else! Any of you actors can be replaced easily".

On Dallas, even before "Who Shot J.R.?" when Larry Hagman took the brass on, I don't think the brass were ever that suspicious of the actors. There was definitely a lot more control freakery going on with the Dynasty brass. Maybe what Hagman did in 1980 with CBS, which would have been around the time that Dynasty was just starting recording with ABC, might have spooked the Dynasty brass into not wanting that on their set. Remember also that George Peppard was cast as Blake Carrington originally, and that Peppard actually recorded two thirds of Oil, before he was fired, and replaced with John Forsythe, with all the scenes that Peppard had done being reshot with Forsythe.

Blake Carrington in Season 1 of Dynasty is a bigger villain than any of the Ewings ever were on Dallas. That was toned down a lot afterwards. In Season 2, there was a pretty big cat fight between Krystle and Alexis in Alexis' studio, where Krystle beat Alexis up. I doubt that such a scene would have ever happened by Seasons 4-7, being considered "unbecoming" of "good girl" Krystle.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

s a pretty big cat fight between Krystle and Alexis in Alexis' studio, where Krystle beat Alexis up. I doubt that such a scene would have ever happened by Seasons 4-7, being considered "unbecoming" of "good girl" Krystle.

Yes, although there were other moments of physical violence between Krystle and Alexis (the lily pond, the mud-slinging in the boutique, et al) they never had their organic origin like the first fight in the art studio.

Krystle was, originally, the key character which kept the show grounded. Then, due to writing issues, the static acting directive, and other things, she became the most vapid character at times, Linda no longer being sure of how to act it, and the writers no longer being interested in a character who was "nice" in a way many writers don't really understand (and may be contemptuous of).

Was the static acting directive implemented by Eileen Pollock or by Doug Cramer? Or, heaven help us, both? Nobody stopped it, at any rate, until it was allowed to subside somewhat by Season 8 -- due more to constructive negligence, than anything (just as the excessive music scores relaxed).

But, it did seem evident that the DYNASTY brass had a certain control-freak approach to, or jealous resentment of, their actors (which helped kill their show, almost frame-by-frame) while DALLAS did not (although the DALLAS executives later seemed to resent the viewers).

Cramer years later sneered about "nobody probably remembers" Corley and PSM, while praising Coleman's acting; Spelling asserting that "nobody gives a damn" if you re-cast supporting characters; Eileen "Mike" Pollock publicly stating that Krystle was "boring" and blaming Linda for it (because Linda thought romantic affairs were wrong for Krystle) and then accused Linda of viewing DYNASTY "as a part time job" amidst the highly-publicized mid-Season 6 re-tooling which Pollock's negligence had caused. (Gordon Thomson later said of the writing at the start of Season 6, "that's some lazy shit").

 

[Zara]

The trouble with the acting and with Krystle, was LE didn't seem to demand much from the script and its writers. All her lines are mostly a wailing wall or comfort blanket for the others.
K. has a nasty habit of agreeing with everyone about everything, basically, and this in a way depending on where the story was at that point.

-Oh Claudia, we all've seen people we thought were someone else.
-Oh Jeff, I know you don't like Peter De Vilbis.
-Oh Fallon, I think Peter is the best man for you.
-Oh Steven, I understand being gay, I used to be one.
-Oh Fallon, we have all been taken by a UFO at some point in our lives.
-Oh Claudia, I understand this must be very painful to talk about, your baby being a doll and all.

The only time she was human, with a brain of her own and a normal voice, was when arguing with Blake or running into Alexis and expressing an emotion you could actually relate to and zing a person or have some kind of normal conversation. Krystle/LE did her best pieces in season 1 and 2, and some in 3.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Has anybody seen Linda in TOM HORN (1980) with Steve McQueen? She's quite good in that. To me, that's the Krystle we very briefly had (minus the sequins). Some critics found the film too ponderous and slow, but I really liked it -- it's a gorgeous-looking western.

Here's Linda playing a hooker in MITCHELL (1975). It was the first time I saw her in a post-BIG VALLEY role, and was immediately struck by how different she was -- much more alive somehow as an actress...

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Goes to show you the effect writing and directing can have on an actor's performance despite their innate ability.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Goes to show you the effect writing and directing can have on an actor's performance despite their innate ability.

Yes, Linda was such a physical actress, in a way. And we know all that was stopped pretty quickly... (By 'Mike'? By Doug? We may never know).

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

And here's Linda in THE AVALANCHE EXPRESS (1979) with all those tough-guy actors, like Lee Marvin. Not a terrific film, but Linda has some nice, quiet, emotionally tormented moments... And we like our Linda tormented:

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

Linda Evans gave 2 seasons of solid performances. It was the writing starting in season 3 where she really had nothing to do anymore. No animosity from her stepdaughter. Alexis stopped being her rival. They should have written a divorce for a season instead of Krystle leaving every season. Season 6 on showed she wasn’t much of an actor but none of them were.
After Dynasry ended Joan Collins did sitcom stints and that low rent Flintstone movie.
None of them were exceptionally talented but some were perfectly casted and when the material was good it was magic.
Heather was the weakest female (KC doesn’t count) but made it big into the 90’s with her limited ability (although on Melrose Place she was Meryl Streep compared to her co stars, that Billy guy gave the same delivery no matter what the material was) she crashed in the 2000’s when she got older and didn’t handle that very well so maybe it wasn’t such a great thing
She’s got more mug shots floating around the internet now than publicity pictures

 

[Jimmy Todd]

Dihann Carroll was nominated for an Oscar for her role in "Claudine," so at one point she was regarded as a good actress. However, on Dynasty I remember her as mostly being hammy and cloying. An actor could have talent, but one can only work with what they are given. Dreadful scripts and S.A.D. took no prisoners.

 

[Lankershim Blasdel 1]

Carroll’s acting on Dynasty had zero nuance
Her acting and singing were bad, she never showed any real emotion in her performances at any time plus she was a ham.
Her acting was similar to Gordon and Stephanie who both needed to take it down a few notches:
Gordon at least could convey sadness convincingly
Stephanie and Diahann both thought that good acting meant chewing up all the set furniture.
At least Linda had 2 good years of solid work plus she was so gorgeous, a perfect casting choice

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Dihann Carroll was nominated for an Oscar for her role in "Claudine," so at one point she was regarded as a good actress. However, on Dynasty I remember her as mostly being hammy and cloying. An actor could have talent, but one can only work with what they are given. Dreadful scripts and S.A.D. took no prisoners.

Diahann Carroll should have gotten a supporting Oscar nomination for her role as a voodoo priestess (something we'd shamelessly pretended she was in our mid-'80s DYNASTY dubbings where we called her "Mrs. Mumba" who was always trying to trade her beads for human captives) in EVE'S BAYOU (1997), a film which could have been wonderful but was tanked by a child actress who was too stiff for the job -- although the little girl was supposed to carry the picture.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]