zombie84 said:
Hamill is like Caesar Romero, a classic, manic Joker, but one that would not translate well to a serious live-action film. He would be a better fit than Romero, who was a product of his time to some degree, but I can't see him playing the role outside of animation where you can get away with an over the top performance like that. Because even Jack Nicholson had some subtlty, and he was a much better actor in the first place (not to diss Hamill--I love the guy).
I don't know if using the animated series cast would ever work physically, but I've always found there to be more subtlety in their performances than in any of the live-action films. (Though they are limited to just 22 minute plotlines.) Hamill is about the only person that can pull off both the murderous psychopath and the loony clown and slip in and out of both.
zombie84 said:
When I was in film school, we had to take acting lessons as part of our directing exercises. And one of the things we learned about was what is known as "self-directing." This can be a problem for some directors, which is why we were learning about it, because sometimes a cast member will just ignore your direction and make their own choices. Well, this is also a skill that actors can use to get themselves out of trouble when your director doesn't know what he or she is doing--and, like real directing, it's an acquired skill that takes years of experience to do well.
No surprise that all the older actors faired pretty well. Christopher Lee and Ian McDiarmid are old enough to direct themselves when George Lucas just stands there and says "read these crappy lines faster and more intense." But the younger cast--they have no clue. They just do the work and listen to what George says, because they trust him and don't know how to direct themselves. So, if you look at the prequels, it's mainly the over-40-years-old actors that managed to turn in something not too embarassing.
You're right, they really have no clue-on both sides of the camera. People cannot think for themselves these days. Just look at poor Christopher Lee and the sheer amount of terrible films he's been in over the years. Yet, even in the worst of them, even being overdubbed by someone else, he maintains such a regal and fascinating presence that it works. Always. If AOTC had simply stopped it's story right at Dooku first confronting Obi-Wan and continued seriously from that point, it would have been saved on every level. Or following Dooku leading his Separatist movement while actually going into the political reasons behind their breakaway...but oh wait that requires actual thought and drama.