10 Greatest Over-Acted Performances In Movie History
5. R. Lee Ermey - Full Metal Jacket (1987)
“WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION, NUMBNUTS!!?”
The story of how former drill sergeant R. Lee Ermey got the role of Hartman is great. He was originally a technical advisor on the film, but took it upon himself to make Kubrick give him the part after deciding the actors weren’t good enough by sending Kubrick a video of himself barking profanities non-stop for fifteen minutes whilst being pelted with oranges and tennis balls.
It almost misses the point to describe Ermey’s performance as overacting - he was a drill sergeant playing a drill sergeant, and yelling insults like a demonic foghorn is just what he used to do as a drill sergeant.
But when it comes to scene stealing, scenery chewing, and all the other ‘overacting’ boxes Ermey not just ticks them, he slaps them into line. His performance is huge and unfalteringly so. His insults, many of which he penned himself, are ornate tapestries of vulgarity that are as hilarious as they are terrifying.
He commands the screen as fiercely as he commands the troops. His performance is huge, but never hammy.