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Isn't signing autographs as other people illegal?

Well, I'd pay good money to see you in a movie. I think you've got great screen presence, and I endeavour to one day write a script wherein one character will be described as "bearing enormous resemblance to Radio 5's Mark Kermode" and see if they offer it to you.

On the subject of performing versus impersonating: this is very true. The thing that comes to mind right now is the German language (but available subtitled) Falco biopic, 'Verdammt Wir Leben Noch', starring indie musician Manuel Rubey who had almost no acting experience at the time. Many established fans (myself excluded, I thought it was great) didn't like the movie, complaining Manuel took too many liberties and being essentially not enough of a copy of the man himself, but the movie and Rubey's performance earned rave reviews and, interestingly, created a whole new generation of fans.

Michael Sheen is spectacular, it's come to the point where occasionally, when I hear "Tony Blair", I think of Michael's performances rather than the actual Tony Blair - and I still can't decide whether that's a good or a bad thing.

the 2 Northern Ireland films referred to on the PODCAST last week were ANGEL and one other. Can someone please help to refresh my memory
thanks

Isn't it jesse birdsall's destiny to play you in the mark kermode story?

Has anyone ever actually seen Jesse Birdsall and Mark Kermodetogether? No..? Didn't think so. And now this clever double bluff! Too clever by half Jesse...I mean Doctor!

From the blog the good doctor does seem to have a resemblance to Jessie Birdsall. Maybe he could try his hand at acting

I would feel sorry for Mark for only managing to get recognition for resembling Jessie. But I spent my late teens being compared to Fred Harris (Of Chocablock fame)

And let's not forget Johnny Depp's version of Hunter S. Thompson in the great Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Jesse Birdsall? Nah, don't kid yourself. I had you down for a Michael Portillo look-a-likey...

Never mind the similarity with Jesse Birdsall...

As I watched your "Deeply Thoughtful" pose in the opening shots of the post, I was immediately reminded of a scene from a recent episode of "Casualty", where Michael French (as A&E consultant, Nick Jordan) went through exactly the same series of thoughtful expressions as he realized that he could convert a disused hospital ward into a state-of-the-art Clinical Decisions Unit.

You're acting was, however, much more subtle.

Rhys Ifans was superb as Peter Cook, you would swear it was him, just perfect.
Michael Sheen is the daddy of actors who play real life characters. I have to say my favourite has to be his inhabitation of David Frost in Frost Nixon, incredible to watch and note perfect.
More recent noteworthy performances are Christopher Eccleston and Aaron Johnson as John Lennon. Two performances of the same man at different stages in his life, both believable.

Dr. Birdsall, I hate to say this but red isn't your color. Either that or you need to start using foundation so your facial complexion doesn't look the same hue as your jacket.

Eisenberg is really excellent in The Social Network.

Mark, you ARE Val Kilmer, actually.
Some actors kid you into thinking that they physically resemble the 'real person' they are impersonating. For example, in Sylvia - the Plath biopic which was fairly underwhelming except that Gwyneth Paltrow's and Daniel Craig's performances as Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes respectively - proved that both actors, though neither resembles the characters physically, had spent time studying their voices. The fact that they sounded so much like their characters made their performances convincing.

Marrrrcoos!!!

If he hadn't already played himself in a movie, I think I'd be a shoo-in for a part in a Bruce Campbell biopic, as movie buff's have pointed out my likeness to him on numerous occasions. Non-movie buffs prefer to compare my features to those of Jim Carrey, or more specifically, his most grating comic persona- Ace Ventura.
I suppose, what with being a proud quiff-sporter and being generously blessed in the chin department, I'm asking for it.
It gets worse, someone once told me I reminded them of Sebastien Coe. Groovy.

Birdsall did his best work in Bugs. How you forgot about this and left it out, Dr Kermode, is quite staggering.

The Bugs guy?! Hah! Anyway, um, yeah, acting... That little foray you made into silent comedy with the unwanted Christmas presents didn't go down too well in this particular critical community, did it now?

On the topic of Bugs - as relentlessly hammy as it was, fair play to the Ö÷²¥´óÐã for trying to do a big action series in a family timeslot. That was back when terrorism was a bit of harmless fun (save for the occasional IRA naughtiness). Now instead of Bugs, we toss Lisa Faulkner into a deep fat fryer, have Israeli terrorists beat the living daylights out of Hermione Norris, and waterboard that lovely girl from Persuasion.

Sorry, but in the critic-lookie-likey contest I'm afraid you come a definite second to Charlie Brooker and Laurence ("don't call me Larry") Fishburne.

How about those who have played themselves in a movie? Now that's a living. The already mentioned Bruce Campbell, Joaquin Phoenix, John Malkovich, Metallica or Jack Nicolson (Ok, so that last one might be a little facetious)

@ Charlotte Newman

Kermode and Val (they should fight crime) also share the same acting style : "It's not that he's a bad actor. It's that he's NOT an actor."

Think an overlooked performance is Truman Capote by the great P S Hoffman! I konw American, but most certainly worth a mention

In relation to the previous comment, I should add that Hoffman himself talks about giving a performance as opposed to an impersonation on the DVd extras for the film. He in fact doesn't believe a true imitation is ever enough, and somewhat pointless, whereas making the character your own is exciting

Ginola Welwyn (#3): Happy to oblige as I just heard that excellent podcast this morning! Mark Cousins said they were "Angel" and "Elephant". Dr. #75 added "A Prayer for the Dying".

The resemblance between Jessie Birdsall and the good Dr is uncanny.

They say there is a doppleganger for everyone, somewhere in the world. My luck, that person would be in China or South America LOL. However my younger sister and I get taken for twins, even worse though, mother and daughter.

I loved Jason Isaacs in "The Curse of Steptoe" as well as Mark Walliams in "Rather You Than Me" and Trevor Eve in "Hughie Green, Most Sincerely". The only one I'm disappointed in not being included in the set was Ken Stott as Tony Hancock.

Loved Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, David Frost and Brian Clough. Great movies all of them. Frank Langella was also excellent as Nixon, as was Anthony Hopkins in another movie based on the ex-President.

I do enjoy a good biopic, but it does have to be good when you lose the essence of the actor and only see person they are portraying.

Hey all ^_^
Here's my two penneth: I believe that one cannot do an 'impression', no matter how uncanny, without an element of parody or mockery.
I say this for a simple reason: it is not engaging, whether you are attempting comedy or anything else, to see an exact copy of the mannerisms and voice of an existing person. In fact, the closer it comes to absolute facsimile, the less interesting and more alienating the performance becomes.
Like a plastic flower, the fakeness only appears more noticeable as the similarity to the true bloom grows greater. You see nothing you haven't seen before, except this time it is not the real article.

A much better technique, used I imagine by Mr. Sheen, Christian McKai and many others, is to consider the real person as a written character. Naturally take parts from the real person, in the same way as an actor would study the performances of previous incumbents of the part, but do not let that be the sole informant of your own performance.

Tell me what you think :)

PS. I have had many people claiming they have seen my doppleganger. My favourite was a text from a freind saying 'I just saw this Asian woman on the platform at Waterloo who looked JUST LIKE YOU. Trust me, she was your twin.'
For everyone who doesn't know me, its worth pointing out I am in fact a white man. A girly white man, but still.

While the ever-insane Gary Busey was great as Buddy Holly, I'd pay good money to see him inhabit the role of Boris Johnson. Actually, thinking about it, Boris Johnson playing Gary Busey would be just as entertaining.

Ah yes, I see the resemblence, but where in Annika did Jesse wear a red Harrington!!!

So, Is brown sauce and pepper impersonating Reggae Reggae sauce or doing a performance?

****WARNING COMMENT CONTAINS A SPOILER ABOUT FIGHT CLUB*


Maybe you really are Jesse Birdsall, but just don't know it. Mark Kermode was character created by Birdsall, (Ala Joquin Phoenix), for a documentray on the nature o0f film criticism. However it got out of hand and you have never broken out of Character Jesse. Or maybe, Christopher Nolan Incepted the idea in your brain that you really are a film critic and not an actor... Or you are the unrestrained ID of Jesse Birdsall (Ala Tyler Durden in Fight club).

I think Martin Landau as Bele Lugosi is on of the best performances of a real life character. It is relevant in the impersonation vs performance debate. He plays Lugosi when he was out of the public eye and there was probably very little footage of him at that age for Landau to work with. Instead he does a great job of taking the young Lugosi that we all know from his earlier films and then aging the character himself, which is the mark of a true "performance".

Bevare! Bevare!

It seems you got the better part of the deal Dr K, you just had to sign a few autographs, poor Jesse probably was on the receiving end of a few thumps from irate industry people mistaking him for you.

Ifans is pronounced ee-vans (F being V in Welsh). Pedantic, i know, but it grates...

Well I thought you looked like the bad guy in Resident Evil Afterlife Dr Kermode.




Only positive I can think of with that film thinking about, but you do look like Jesse Birdsall as well mind.
Could be worse mind as some of my family members say I look like Danny Dyer...

That is indeed uncanny - were those pictures cut into this video a young Dr K or Jesse Birdsall?