Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Glee's Most Underrated Actor: Naya Rivera

So, here at SHE BLOGGO, I like to occasionally indulge in the superlative game.  Y'know, who's the best or the most or the least, or whatever.  It's a dangerous game to play, largely because absolutes make me skittish and also because declaring someone the BEST at something always seems to insinuate that you think that everyone else is the WORST.  Stupid binary comparisons. 

But, I can't help myself, and so I try to point out some excellence here and there - reminding everyone fully that selecting just one person does not negate others' awesomeness.  Last time, I awarded Kevin McHale with the honor of Glee's Most Versatile Performer.  This time, I decided to ponder over Glee's Most Underrated Actor.

Now, this is acting we're talking about.  Not singing, not dancing, not musical performances.  Just, acting.  And not only acting, but who is underrated in their portrayal.  So that immediately rules out anyone who was nominated for an award - Lea, Chris, Matt, and Jane?  Ineligible.


No, I decided that Glee's Most Underrated Actor is indeed Ms. Naya Rivera, whose birthday is today so it's perhaps timely to give her a superlative.  But please, let me elaborate on the un-birthday-related reasons.

On the surface, Naya Rivera has met all the qualifications to effectively portray Santana Lopez.  She's solidly reliable for a perfectly-delivered sarcastic comment, an artfully loathing bitchface, and the occasional dirty joke.

This is the basis for a good performance - Glee characters are built almost entirely on stereotype.  Rachel's the diva, Finn is the dumb jock, Puck is the bad boy, Tina is the shy theater geek, Brittany is the dumb cheerleader, and Santana's the bitch.  And what's great about the show is that each of these characters is allowed to be something more.  However, the original stereotype and the "something more" aren't always synthesized effectively in every scene.

But somehow, Naya Rivera has managed to do exactly that.  Santana Lopez is a bitch.  We're never allowed to forget she's a bitch - in fact, she's written almost exclusively as such.

But Santana is also so much more - more which is not always written explicitly on the page.  There aren't many solid examples of Santana doing good deeds.  And yet, the general consensus is that something is going on underneath her lizard-skin exterior.  Beneath the disdain and the boredom and the ego, there is a real, vulnerable, human being.  There is very little concrete development happening with Santana on the screen (thanks a lot, writers), yet we're all convinced that something is going on with her.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is Naya Rivera doing a bang-up acting job.

Because, with every second she's appeared on screen, she has simultaneously embodied and defied her character's given stereotype.  We love her because of her obnoxious comments, disgusted bitchfaces, and sneering ego-centrism - and we love her in spite of it.  We love her because she's given us reason to believe that there's something more there - it could be gay panic, body image insecurity, loneliness in love, or a troubled family life - who knows?  But the fact of the matter is that none of these things are even remotely spelled out on the page.  This is all reading between the lines of what Naya interpreted and presents us with in the few moments where Santana is not snarking.

It's also in no small part due to Naya that the Brittana relationship exists.  Because they were originally supporting characters, Naya and Heather were most likely - and understandably - afforded a certain freedom in constructing their characters onscreen, because the written storylines weren't focused on them.  So Naya took her role as Bitch, ran with it, and then added to it.  It's there in the background, it's there in the forefront, it's there in the musical numbers: Naya Rivera is Santana Lopez onscreen, 100% of the time.  Vulnerable, truthful, loyal, sarcastic, biting, determined, inappropriate, confident, bitch.  And the icing on this cake of accomplishment is that she is still empathetic, if not even downright likeable the whole way through.

And it is because of this that I declare her Glee's Most Underrated Actress.  I highly doubt she's going to get nominated for any actual acting awards, unfortunately, but the truth of the matter is that she is sneakily one of the best the show has.  Her range is impressive, her line deliveries consistently hilarious, and the way in which she believably integrates all different parts of her character simultaneously is masterful. 

To Naya Rivera, an Underrated Actor, on her birthday!

(And, in case you were wondering, Runner-Up in this category was Cory Monteith, who plays a main character yet often gets overlooked for his rather convincing performance firstly as a person 12 years his junior, and secondly as an average guy finding his way and through music.  Cory's got solid acting chops, himself.  But it's not his birthday.)

17 comments:

  1. Naya is by far the best female actress on the show. Unlike some others she can sing and act.

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  2. Right ON. Happy birthday, Naya! Singing, dancing, acting, snarking, awesomely bitchy-as-Santana exponential-threat. Love her!

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  3. Ooh, I love all this wholehearted agreement! Thanks, guys! Naya is awesome. *nod* :D

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  4. Yeah.. it's such a travesty that the writers are not going to develop her anytime soon! Don't want to give us Brittana? Fine. But at least explore and develop Santana!!!

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  5. I agree, Anonymous! All characters deserve to be explored and developed, and I think Santana would be particularly fascinating. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  6. "We love her because she's given us reason to believe that there's something more there - it could be gay panic, body image insecurity, loneliness in love, or a troubled family life - who knows"

    And thats why she has a different background in almost every single fanfic ("almost" because sometake the background from another fic).

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  7. I haven't read a lot of fic, Anonymous, but I'm sure it's true - pick any one of those reasons; they're all compelling!

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  8. This article is great and awesomely written. :) You have explored both the character 'Santana' while relating it back and praising Ms Naya River. It has encouraged me to go and watch 'Glee'. Thanks for a good read!

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  9. Rosalie - thank you so much! Have a good Glee-watch! :)

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  10. What happened to her during the Golden Globes though? She was painful to watch, she looked like a brunette Pamela Anderson

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  11. Anonymous - aw, I'm guessing you didn't like the look. Any and all style opinions aside, Naya gave some pretty stellar interviews at the Golden Globes, including one where she jokingly talks about how "disgusting" it is that the cast is so obsessed with one another. :D I still love her, no matter the styling.

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  12. Oh yes indeed, I was only talking about her appearance that night. I also think she's absolutely perfect, and I couldn't agree more with your article (your articles are always great and extremely relevant btw).
    That interview was pure genius "HA-LLE-BE-RRY!"

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  13. Aw, thank you so much! I appreciate you reading. :)

    Naya's interviews will always be hilarious to me because I find her manner of speaking to be completely fascinating and hysterical. No one says things quite like she does, and I love it. :)

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  14. Too true I watch Glee honestly 4 her cuz she really adds spice to the show with her bitch ways but at the same time she really portrays someone who might be misunderstood so u cant help but love her and wonder, yet at the same time she might actually be just a BITCH with nothing else going on underneath and yet U cant help but love her character anyway.

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  15. I think Naya is a better actor than Chris.

    (Shoot me now)

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  16. Your 100% correct in your assessment. Naya definitely nails her role as Santana,and it would be the same if anyone else played it. It hurmorous how her character is not like her in most ways and doesn't even sound like her. She must be so good of an actress seeing as she has a large part of her fandom believing that she is actually in love with her on streen girlfriend/best friend Heather Morris. As far as acting goes; Naya and Heather are the only two main characters that have to act. For one, Naya is not a gangsta bitch like Santana, more gangsta valley girl princess(lol). Secondly, Heather is not a grown up babydoll with no brain aka the loving defensless Brittany, more like if Brittany were a real person with a brain.To elaborate on that,Heather Morris; is actually just a comedic genius and seems to just be trying to have as much fun as she can with the ridiculously small amount of lines they right for her. I wonder if Ian,brad,and Ryan record the scenes and just shout out things like "Naya check out Heather in the background during the routine" or " Heather stares at Naya's lips when she talks to you". It's absolutely perfect, i'm guessing that because they acted like they were having sex, the writer boys wrote that into their story lines,because it was that obvious. I think they planned that, I'm sorry but that was too perfect and a very smart play to get story lines on the show. These women are either really good actors or they were really fucking at some point and time.

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