Megan Fox

Considering the popularity of a certain type of actress working in Hollywood, one would think that given this popularity they would be the top talent in town; the mold from which all aspiring actresses should try to shape themselves into. The type of actress to which I am referring is the young and exceptionally beautiful leading lady. However, many argue that some of these women (Jessica Alba, Megan Fox, Lindsay Lohan, etc.) get by solely based on their immense attractiveness and not because of their acting talent (or lack thereof). Such a criticism is certainly harsh, but given the high degree of subjectivity inherent in the interpretation of acting performances such a criticism is nevertheless valid. Let us take a moment and examine one particular star actress of this type – Megan Fox.

The careers of, say, Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan have arguably been firmly established. I would argue that Megan Fox’s has not. Her only notable roles include both Transformers movies, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, and Jennifer’s Body. From this list it can be strongly attested that each one of Fox’s roles directly acknowledges her gifted looks, in turn automatically putting her given character (and thus her ability to portray that character) in the back seat. In both Transformers she plays the sought after hot popular girl whom the dorky protagonist admires obligatorily. In How to Lose Friends and Alienate People she plays the “fantasy woman” of the dorky protagonist who tries to learn not to admire her. And in Jennifer’s Body she plays the hot and popular schoolgirl whom all the boys, and even the female protagonist, are meant to desire. Notice the similarities? Given the limited range of her chosen roles, it’s hard to judge/determine the limits of her acting abilities. To put it another way, she simply hasn’t been tested yet.

So, what if she signed on to a project that provided her with a decently complex role? Her previous roles mentioned above are of the archetypal variety – possessing no character arch or emotional maturity that’s meant to progress along with the story. These roles switch between less than a handful of mindsets (the aggressor, the misunderstood popular girl, the frightened damsel in distress, the coy manipulator, etc.) that pass as two-dimensional characters, but Fox has yet to be given an opportunity to be trusted with a three-dimensional part. Granted, one could claim that she hasn’t yet proven that she can be trusted, but how else does one know the strength of a rope without seeing at what level of strain the threads begin to tear?

In order to come to a final conclusion on whether or not Megan Fox has considerable acting talent I would suggest that we would first need to see her in at least one role that demanded from her the level of involvement, intelligence, and intuition associated with three-dimensional roles. With Fox as of now slated to come out with three movies over the next year and a half (Jonah Hex, Passion Play, The Crossing) we should be able to gauge what direction she is choosing to steer her career. She might continue to fill her aforementioned niche, or perhaps she’ll begin to show signs of rare promise. Can Megan Fox act? The jury is still out. But what if…?