There Are No Small Parts

More about the book

Most books about screen acting, including one of the author's (100 GREAT FILM PERFORMANCES YOU SHOULD REMEMBER BUT PROBABLY DON'T), concentrate on major stars and major roles. THERE ARE NO SMALL PARTS focuses on the wonders achieved by performers in brief roles, sometimes mere cameos. To watch an actor's complete delineation of a character in a few minutes is to marvel at his/her talent, concentration, and invention. Each of the 100 performances spotlighted in the book aims to evoke not just each actor's individual impact but how he/she's imaginative gifts invigorated (and sometimes even stole) their films. From 1935 to 2019, the text surveys great artists who mastered playing for the camera, seizing moviegoers' attentions and deserving places of honor for their contributions