10 Problems With Westworld Nobody Wants To Admit
6. Some Of The Acting Is Really Bad
Westworld does have some incredible performances. Evan Rachel Wood, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton and Ed Harris are all Emmy-worthy performers in Westworld. That does not extend to all the actors though.
Someone seemingly no-one acknowledged as being weak was Jimmi Simpson as William. Not only did he not portray a convincing younger version of the Man in Black, but he was often bland and samey in his acting throughout the show. As a result, it was difficult to get invested in his character at all. Next to Evan Rachel Wood and with Ed Harris playing an older version of the character to perfection, this became embarrassingly clear. Simpson is evidently talented; he did a good job in Black Mirror, but here his performance really missed the mark.
He's not the worst though. For example, Simon Quarterman is hugely irritating and wooden as Lee Sizemore and every moment with him on screen was awkward. Many of the other performers fail to make much of an impression, in stark contrast to shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, where nearly all the actors threatened to steal the show from each other.
The worst offenders were the two incompetent actors playing the technicians. Those two - Leonardo Nam and Ptolemy Slocum - were extremely underwhelming as performers and how they were even let on the set of a big-budget show like this is anyone's guess. Speaking of them...