Lucy Boynton

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re going to be thinking and rethinking about actors that I have personally called ‘awful’ in the past and seeing why I was wrong, and actors whom I called ‘great’ in the past and seeing why I was wrong. Hopefully, this helps you to identify how your opinion can change as a human being and how, through research and observation, you can make a more informed conclusion even if your previous one was the entire opposite. Film and literature is all about changing our opinions and if our opinions remain static throughout our study then we probably haven’t had the full experience of the subject at hand. We need to be open to change in our thought processes and really, that’s what criticism and theory is about. If we start by opening our opinions up to change on particular base level types, then we can slowly build these up to see how we could possibly change our opinions on a grand scale. I will start by rethinking actors and actresses I have either previously thought as not very good at their job or very good at their job and will be arguing the opposite; demonstrating my change of opinion. So, if you see the ‘rethinking…’ line in my title, you can bet it is a part of this series.

If you haven't yet read the introduction and structuring to this series either go straight ahead and read on, or get over to my public page and it'll be somewhere near.

Lucy Boynton

Previously, on 'the filmmaker's guide' I said some pretty harsh things about Lucy Boynton and her lack of acting talent. In "The 10 Worst Actresses" I stated that Lucy Boynton was 'boring' and 'dumb' in her performances and that they lacked taste and talent. Read more by clicking here. Personally, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to apologise to Ms. Boynton because I was oh so wrong. The best thing about watching an actor's works is that if you don't like them at all, you love to be proved wrong about their acting skill and see something they've done which is incredibly worthwhile. Lucy Boynton has recently done that for me and I have jumped aboard the fandom train as she has proved herself a great actress in my favourite genre ever: horror.

Lucy Boynton in "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018) was pretty awful, I think we can all agree. Basically shoved in the background and not really acknowledged all that much, her lines were shoddily written and her acting was bland; but I think that was the point because Rami Malek had to stand out. After also watching "Sing Street" I didn't think it could really get any worse for my opinion of her. But, again, I was proved wrong and Lucy's performance in the following two films literally slapped me in the face.

The first film that changed my opinion of her was "I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House" (2016). I loved the way that Lucy Boynton didn't really need that many lines but was still very expressive and empathetic. She evoked both empathy and fright from the audience, something that is really difficult to do together and afterwards, she was pretty much able to carry the backstory herself. It was a performance that changed what I knew about her and how I felt about her acting. I only wished I watched this as the first film I'd seen with her in it.

The second film that changed my opinion of her was "The Blackcoat's Daughter" (2015) also known to some of you as "February" (2015). The way in which Lucy Boynton portrays anxiety through body language and facial expression are incredible and she definitely makes the impression of something being seriously wrong. In this film she constantly carries an air of worry, an air of nervousness and like in "I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House" (2016), she does foreshadowing very well even when she has little to say.

I was quite surprised because I didn't think my opinion of Lucy Boynton would ever change but it has and now, I am definitely feeling her as my new scream queen legend. Like Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis, I definitely think that Lucy Boynton should pursue a career in horror/thriller and dark psychological film because she is incredibly good with tension and anxieties/phobias. Personally, I think if they ever remake "Psycho" (1960) again, they should definitely use Lucy Boynton as Marion Crane (previously portrayed by Janet Leigh) and possibly Tom Holland as Norman Bates, because that would frankly be absolutely terrifying.

So, from the bottom of my heart Lucy Boynton, I apologise and would like to entirely retract my former opinions of you. I am very much looking forward to your next horror project...

Watch out for my next article which will be: "Rethinking Robert Pattinson"