Your favorite QL guest performance

bluedana

Project QL Intern
Feb 9, 2006
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Yesterday I treated myself to a mini QL marathon, watching some eps from the second season. Two things struck me: one was that Scott Bakula has acting chemistry with just about everybody I've ever seen him on screen with, given that he had to interact with a totally new cast every week and make it look as natural as his scenes with the only recurring actor, Dean Stockwell.

The second (and the point of this thread) was that there were some TERRIFIC guest actor performances in this show. Normally, my eyes are glued to Sam and Al, but I think the Leap Back 2009 banner got me thinking about the guest actors. I'm not necessarily talking about characters, but rather the performances.

Mine favorite guest performance, I think, is Tyra Ferrell's "Lila" in So Help Me, God. She nails the mix of bravado and desperate fear so solidly, it's astonishing. There is one scene, the first time Sam interviews her in the jail, where Lila is trying to be so cool and nonchalant about the prospect of going to the chair. She's snarky with her lawyer, but her eyes keep moving to the window, and you can actually see her trying to process the fact that she'll never walk free again. But the thing that makes this my favorite performance is that, if you watch her as she leans against the wall holding the cigarette, her hand is trembling. Now, I'm no actor, but I would think producing that fine tremble would be pretty darned hard - and so subtle. For all of the "eh, whatever" coming out of Lila's mouth, she can't stop shaking. From that moment, I bought Lila's character completely.

So, what was your favorite guest actor performance, and why?
 
Yeah Scott is incredible Talented in his acting and his ability to get along with everyone. I agree with you there.

Lets see I really like Renee Coleman as Alia she also has a small role in A Leage of Their Own and she plays Alia's opposite a real quiet and shy kind of girl hehe. So she's real talented performing different personalities.

I also love Jennifer Antison as Kiki in Nowhere To Run its one of my top favoirte epsiodes and she and Scott are great together and she is just a great actress I really also like her in Bruce Almighty.

I will get back to you if I think of more.
 
Its actually St. John but pronounced as singon. :)
he's great.
"don't call me Samuel the last person to do that was my great aunt Tilly."
I just love that. :)
 
Maybe it's just my undying love but I too am partial to Jennifer Aniston when she appeared on the series. I wasn't a huge fan of Brooke Shields appearance. I also would've liked to have seen Teri Hatcher return as Donna in The Leap Back.
 
I was also fond of Kiki all the way, because that episode was GREAT, but she was not my favorite guest. And although I realize the question was "guest performance," I have to vote for Dr. Ruth. I just plain LOVE that woman! :dreaming From her radio show when I was a teen that taught me responsibility and how women should be treated to now, she is always entertaining. I know she is no actress, but I think she rocks just being herself.

And I haven't looked, but has she been invited to appear at the convention?
 
Luckleaper said:
Maybe it's just my undying love but I too am partial to Jennifer Aniston when she appeared on the series. I wasn't a huge fan of Brooke Shields appearance. I also would've liked to have seen Teri Hatcher return as Donna in The Leap Back.
Yeah I agree Terri Hatcher was very pretty and Scott was so cute the way he talked about her in the before the ep interview. He seemed so blushed. I think he really had chemistry with her and enjoyed working with her. Although I thought Mimi Kusyk was a very good Donna we well. Both women captured the charactor very well in my opinion.

Oh and I also loved Bob Saget in Stand Up. Before Kristen introduced me to QL I was a Full House freak so it really psyched me out to see him when I first viewed Stand Up. It was fun to see him do what he is more commonly known for as an actor as Danny Tanner is not his typical role he in fact disliked it because of it being pure PG. I have never seen him in too many other roles but I have an online friend that I used to chat with on AIM and she told me some stuff and apparently Bob is known for being a comedian although in real life his humor is mostly dirty from what I hear than we see here in QL. But he is a great actor and he captured the charactor of Mac very well.
 
bluedana said:
Mine favorite guest performance, I think, is Tyra Ferrell's "Lila" in So Help Me, God.

This is a good choice. I really can't argue with it! Terrific part and a terrific rendition of the character.

I have a soft spot for Roddy McDowall, too, because I've liked him since I was a kid. I thought he was perfect as St. John, but it was a less challenging role than Lila.

I went looking through the ep. guide, and I would also give a nod to Willie Garson, who played both the bumbling Seymour and the crazy Lee Harvey Oswald. Now that's versatility! I liked Terri Hanauer in Thou Shalt Not, John Cullum was terrific in Catch a Falling Star, Scott Lawrence as Tibby in Shock Theatre, Kathleen Wilhoite as Norma Jean Pilcher in Moments to Live, Susan Griffith as Marilyn Monroe (now there's a tough role), and how about Bruce McGill as both Al the Bartender and Weird Ernie?

This show generally got good quality guest stars, so there are a lot of other worthy performances. Only a few weak ones.
 
Yeah I forgot Willie Garson. Poor guy I have seen him in other roles but it seems Seymore and LHO were his biggest ones. And also best IMO. Its hard to believe that Shy, clumbsy little Seymore became an assasin. :O
I also enjoy Cameron Dye as Leon Stiles in Killin' Time and Peter Noone as Duwaine in Glitter Rock. oh and I can't believe it took me so long to mention this one but my all time favorite, Tamlyn Tomita as Tamlyn Masuta in Temptation Eyes.
 
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Even though there is a recent thread about him (and it's not why I'm picking him), I was a big fan of John DiAquino's performances in "Jimmy," "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Mirror Image." Perhaps it isn't quite as fair to rate him over most other guest appearances who only had one episode, but I found his performance in "Jimmy" to be very believable, for one.

I especially liked his acting in "Jimmy" in the scene where he's trying to save Sam/Jimmy's job at the dock in desperation and lets his anger flair. Then, later, when he subtly tries to talk Sam into going away to the institution; I truly believe that he's actually feeling the pain of how hard it was for him to do that while being under pressure from Connie. (And by the way, the pressure she put on Frank to send Jimmy away like that made me really dislike her character; and ironically, she redeemed herself in "Deliver Us From Evil" even though it wasn't actually her, but Alia! I always found that dynamic really intriguing on how Alia was such a professional at manipulation that she actually fooled all of us (or at least me, as I didn't know she was the actual evil leaper the first time I watched [I thought it was Shirly]) into believing Connie was in many ways the opposite of how she acted in "Jimmy."

Even more of his great performances was in "Deliver Us From Evil" when he snaps at Sam when he thinks he attacked his wife. When he loses it and starts hitting Sam, Al points out that he doesn't know what he's doing, which is a great line from Dean, because that was coming straight from Al's life experiences. I also really believed his complete shock, confusion and anger, and also later his protectiveness of Connie when he says, "If he touches you again...I'll kill him." Wow. He meant business.

And, finally, his little role in "Mirror Image." Again, he seemingly effortlessly slipped right back into character with just a few lines! "Look, don't talk about my brother...even using fancy words, don't talk about him."
 
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Yeah I loved D'Aquino in Deliver Us From Evil. An episode I disliked to begin with but than my second chance method as usual got me to grow to like it. And he was phenominal in this episode.
 
Sam Beckett Fan said:
Yeah I agree Terri Hatcher was very pretty and Scott was so cute the way he talked about her in the before the ep interview. He seemed so blushed. I think he really had chemistry with her and enjoyed working with her. Although I thought Mimi Kusyk was a very good Donna we well. Both women captured the charactor very well in my opinion.

Oh and I also loved Bob Saget in Stand Up. Before Kristen introduced me to QL I was a Full House freak so it really psyched me out to see him when I first viewed Stand Up. It was fun to see him do what he is more commonly known for as an actor as Danny Tanner is not his typical role he in fact disliked it because of it being pure PG. I have never seen him in too many other roles but I have an online friend that I used to chat with on AIM and she told me some stuff and apparently Bob is known for being a comedian although in real life his humor is mostly dirty from what I hear than we see here in QL. But he is a great actor and he captured the charactor of Mac very well.

Bob was in "The Aristocrats" last year... an absolutely filthy, yet funny documentary about all these different comedians who tell their own version of "the dirtiest joke ever told." I do not recommend this for anyone under 18 or anyone with common sense :heybaby
 
QLNut, John DiAquino is definitely in my top echelon of guest actors. You have hit the nail right on the head. What's so lovely about DiAquino's performances is that he responds to each character individually: he's gentle with Jimmy, playful with his son (the Coco Puffs song cracks me up), loving and a little bit desperate with Connie. That scene where he's trying to convince Jimmy that going to the institution would only be temporary is wrenching; I mean you can almost hear the crack as his heart breaks.

I think the scene DiAquino absolutely nails is when he's sitting on the dock eating lunch with Sam. The affection he shows when he's joking around (gently) with Jimmy (the whole lunch-switch debate) and the way he visibly checks himself when Sam knocks his special thermos overboard is so incredibly natural - every facial expression, every tone of voice is right on. That scene, to me, is the perfect conflux of two talented actors and a beautifully written script.

Nice pick.
 
Yeah the thing about D'Aquino is that Frank Lamatta has more than one personality to nail like you said Dana and he nails them all perfectly.
 
I loved Julie Brown's performance in "Maybe Baby," as well as John Cullum's in "Catch a Falling Star." I also thought the deaf actress/dancer in "Private Dancer" did a good job. Another personal favorite is Richard Herd (Moe Stein)
 
cookiemom6067 said:
I loved Julie Brown's performance in "Maybe Baby,"

I also loved the performance a lot, I don't think she was the best guest actress by any stretch and probably this episode doesn't rate up there with the best either BUT personally I just loved it and its my favourite, she's got that ditzy exterior that you see so much in people but if you take the time to look find a deep caring nature that makes them worth their weight it gold, its probably my favourite because I know so many people who I have discovered to be such beautiful people when I took the time to look past my first impression. Juilie Brown captured this perfectly.:hurray:
 
Ok so to make a clear list of the guest stars that are on the top of my list:
(these are in no particular order)
  • John D'Aquino - He captures like three different personalities in one charactor so beautifully. Because he needed a different attitude towards every member of his family, Jimmy, Cory and Connie. He nailed all of them perfectly.
  • Rhondee Beriault - (plays Dianna Quinna in Private Dancer.) She is an amazing deaf woman, I love how she can read lips and she communicates with others so well as an actress. Acting doesn't seem like an easy job for a deaf person since comminication is different but she found her own way and had proved herself in my eye to be a very talented lady.
  • Liz Torrez - (Plays Angela in It's a Wonderful Leap) She is just a delight, I have also seen her as a minor charactor in Gilmore Girls(she looks completely different than she does as Angela) and she has the same humor and spunk. She just makes me laugh. The way she and Al don't get along is just a hoot and she just brings a lot of life into QL I really wish she had made another appearence in another episode.
  • Tamlyn Tomita - (Plays Tamlyn Matsuta in Temptation Eyes) This is my all time favorite episode and Tamyln captures the strong emotions of her charactor in such a believeable manner.
  • Willy Garson - (Plays Seymore in Play it Again Seymore and Lee Harvey Oswald in the waiting room in Lee Harvey Oswald.) It's so hard for me to believe that shy, clumbsy Seymore became an assasin lol. Willy Garson does a very believeable job as the nerdy type as a lot of other minor roles I see him in he is kind of nerdy. Seymore was a great role for him and he was a real hoot with all the detective lingo. As Lee Harvey Oswald I enjoy him even more he captures the desturbance and anger this real, historical figure very well. I just love when he first sees Sam's reflection and how clever it was that they showed the reflection as the one screaming in horror*cudos to Scott for that shot btw :)*
  • Terri Hatcher and Mimi Kuzyk - (Both play Donna Hatcher in Star-Crossed and Kuzyk in The Leap Back) I think they both capture the chractor of Donna really well. Terri Hatcher captured the unsureness and doubt in the early Donna when she was unsure she could trust men after her father left. Even in Hatcher's appearence you can clearly see the fragile, little girl image that Donna had as a young woman. Mimi Kuzyk captured the later, older Donna very well herself. She desplayed the emotions of getting her husband back and then losing him again very well. I notice that a lot of people don't like her but although I perfer Hacther myself, I also give credit to Kuzyk. I found her to be very believeable and quite talented in her own way.
  • Renee Colemen - (Plays Alia in the Evil Leaper Trilogy) Alia seems like a very difficult chractor as she needs to be captured in a very simular way to which Scott has to capture Sam which he is extremely talented at. Now as another leaper comes into the picture they needed to find someone else who captured the charactor of a leaper very well and I believe Renee Colemen was a great choice. She really expressed all the emotions involved in being another leaper and an evil one at that so well. It's like she's an actress playing an actress because she needs to hide her evilness behind what Sam needs to see from her. Of course the chractor of Sam is the same way in the respect of being an actor that plays an actor but it seems the evil sort is a tad more difficult. I think Colemen gives the charactor excellent emotion and does a great job of having to cope with how she and Sam are very different even though they are the same yet having feelings for him. (hey what woman wouldn't its Scotty Hotty :) )
  • Bob Saget - (Plays Mac in Stand Up) Before Kristen introduced me to QL my thing was Full House and when I was younger I watched America's Funniest Home Videos with my mom. So it really psyched me out to see him when I first viewed Stand Up. It was fun to see him do what he is more commonly known for as an actor as Danny Tanner is not his typical role he in fact disliked it because of it being pure PG. I have never seen him in too many other roles but I have an online friend that I used to chat with on AIM and she told me some stuff and apparently Bob is known for being a comedian although in real life his humor is mostly dirty from what I hear than we see here in QL. But he is a great actor and he captured the charactor of Mac very well.
  • Alan Scarfe - (Played Dr. Crane in Dreams) I thought he did a phemoninal job with the charactor. He left me wondering and suspcious throughout the entire episode. He was great at being real shifty, mysterious and like he was hiding something. I caught something off about him and suspcious about his behavior and tone patterns when he spoke to Sam/Jack from the start. I new he was going to end up being something we weren't expecting. He just played it cool like nothing was wrong and that he did nothing wrong. He did a great job of throwing us off guard and making us look the other way from him, well you guys anyway I was suspicious of him since his first apparence. hehe. Anyway his acting was great and also huge cudos to Scott's peformance at the end of the episode, it was the exact same kind of scene anc concept that blew us all away in Shock Theater.
Well there is my top list. I love them all as they are all talented and bring a lot to their charactors but these people captured me the most.
 
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Shock Theatre had two standout performances: Scott Lawrence as Tibby, and Lee Garlington as Nurse Chatham.

Scott Lawrence plays a mildly retarded young man with both humor and pathos. He's no caricature. He matter-of-factly describes how he was abandoned by his parents because of "too many kids, not enough food," and notes that he's not mad at them. But then he brings the funny when he sees Al:

Tibby: The guy! In the red jacket! Nice jacket . . .

I rarely see someone play a mentally retarded person without crossing that line that makes you kind of cringe, but Scott Lawrence did it. Really nice performance.

In that same episode, Lee Garlington is terrific as a really, really compassionate nurse. She nails the first scene (after the teaser) where Sam is babbling incoherently and she's trying to get him to lie down in the bed. Her gentleness made me cry the first time I saw this episode. Part of it was the writing, but a bigger part, for me, hinged on all the little touches the actress did: smoothing Sam's hair off his forehead, wiping his mouth. It was all so natural - she really sold it for me.

I love those two performances.
 
Scott Lawrence did do a wonderful job in the character of Tibby.

Interestingly, he'd go on to have a recurring role on another of Bellisario's dramas when he joined the cast of "JAG" as Commander Sturgis Turner.
 
jmoniz said:
Scott Lawrence did do a wonderful job in the character of Tibby.

Interestingly, he'd go on to have a recurring role on another of Bellisario's dramas when he joined the cast of "JAG" as Commander Sturgis Turner.

Maybe that the reason DPB took him for "JAG".
in the other hand, i noticed quite a lot of the guest actors/actresses that appeared in QL in some point did a guest roles on other DBP serieses - "JAG",of course and "NCSI".
Not to mentioning,Dean stockwell guest appearences during the last 3 seasons of "JAG".
 
jmoniz said:
Scott Lawrence did do a wonderful job in the character of Tibby.

Interestingly, he'd go on to have a recurring role on another of Bellisario's dramas when he joined the cast of "JAG" as Commander Sturgis Turner.

OMG! That's the same guy! ROFL! Well, you can't say he had problem with typecasting. I also thought he did a terrific job as Tibby.
 
jmoniz said:
Scott Lawrence did do a wonderful job in the character of Tibby.

Interestingly, he'd go on to have a recurring role on another of Bellisario's dramas when he joined the cast of "JAG" as Commander Sturgis Turner.

OMG I always get such a kick in the butt out of Tibby.
"The guy! the guy in the red jacket!"
"You can see me?"
"Sure. Nice Jacket."
:lol
 
Reminded by the review thread, I have to mention Susan Griffiths as Marilyn Monroe. Her performance is so affecting that I'm left with a feeling of melancholy and sympathy for her when the episode is over. Like Sam, I just want to give her a hug and be her friend, because she's so lonely. Lovely job by this actress.