It’s no secret that Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver are both acting heavyweights. They have proved themselves over and over and are now entering the mature end of their careers.
They both appear in a new film called Red Lights. The film is okay, but their performances were excellent.
It struck me that Sigourney must be going head to head with Meryl Streep a lot of the time for roles. It’s easy to imagine Sigourney being the hard-nosed diva in The Devil Wears Prada or Meryl playing the lead in Red Lights. This happens to actors at all levels. When you are going for auditions as a professional actor, you often see the same old faces in the audition room. Ultimately, you represent a type and when it comes audition time for that type, you see your competition in the waiting room.
If you manage to see the film, watch out for De Niro’s scene in the room alone with Cillian Murphy. It’s virtuoso Method Acting. It’s understated but filled with subtext. De Niro plays a man who pretends to be blind but wields a lot of power. He manages to make us feel that power without the use of his eyes. To do this, he uses his whole body and excellent vocal intonation to express the character.