10 Actors Who Just Gave Their Worst Ever Movie Performances
3. Tracy Letts - Deep Water
Having won both a Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards for his writing and acting, Tracy Letts is one hell of a talent.
While his film credits are relatively sparse, he's given memorable performances in the likes of The Lovers, Lady Bird, The Post, Ford v Ferrari, and Little Women.
But it's anyone's guess quite what he's doing in the Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas-starring erotic thriller Deep Water, where he plays Don Wilson, a writer who suspects protagonist Vic (Affleck) of being a serial killer.
Granted, the script for this thing is a goddamn mess, but even so, Letts' off-kilter, tonally jarring performance can't decide if it's an exercise in scenery-chewing self-awareness or not.
For most of the movie Letts plays a pretty typical, dull foil for the murderous Vic, yet in the third act of the movie he catches Vic disposing of a dead body and cranks the overacting up to 11.
As Don frantically flees in his car while Vic inexplicably gives chase on a bicycle, Letts plays the scene as a pure campy farce, shouting "Goddamn f**king autocorrect!" at his phone as he attempts to inform his wife of Vic's guilt while driving the car.
It's hilarious for sure, but the absolute intention of Letts' performance isn't ever fully clear. Either way, it's surely one of the worst things ever committed to film by a Pulitzer Prize-winning individual.