Did Taran Noah Smith's (Mark) Acting Skills Deteriorate as He Got Older

[TMC]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101120/.../164789905?p=1

And yes. It almost seemed like as Taran got older, he was more uncomfortable in front of the camera.


Taran never seemed comfortable facing the camera to me. He could get away with it when the show started because he was cute looking and incredibly young - and that's all he was required to be. Once he grew up a bit though and his cuteness disappeared, he actually had to ACT, and he had no chops for it. So all we ended up seeing was this awkward kid with very little confidence. I think he's at his worst during the middle seasons (S3-S6). His acting improved during the latter potions of the show.

i actually feel kinda sorry for Taran, cos before it was JTT, and when he left, like you said, terryc316, there was a chance for him to shine. but then it was Zachery who was getting more likable, and he stole the spotlight. So it was always Taran in the background. I guess during S3-5ish his awkwardness was written off as Mark's character, and because he was the youngest, he would always be shy and quiet. But even in the latter seasons, he was still really stiff, and people realized that it wasn't Mark, it was actually Taran's acting skills. Or lack thereof.

Yeah, when they were all older, I thought Brad/ZTB was the most entertaining kid on the show...

And yes...I thought it became apparent too, in later seasons, that there was something about Taran that just seemed awkward. He seemed just kind of flat with his lines at times in the last couple seasons. I mean, maybe it was him not being comfortable with his character in later seasons...but if that was the case, he could have spoken up about it.

I agree that it was most likely Taran's acting. It just seemed really unpolished at times...or, stiff like we said before...

Taran was fantastic when he was young, he was just so cute and uniquely realistic. His performance as a child was some of the best kid acting I've seen in awhile. There's this idea that kids are natural actors at that age and I think it's because they have no fear or shame. They're too young to have any sort of inferiority complex, they're just wholly themselves.

I think Taran's acting can be blamed on the fact that he probably became very uncomfortable in front of the camera. Normally when kids get older they don't know how to act because all they had to do as a small child was be themselves. Taran was also a teenager during his last couple of years.

On the other hand JTT didn't really stand out until seasons 2 and 3.

Seasons 1-3 were great for Taran, 4-6 he kind of went unnoticed, but he wasn't necessarily bad. 7 he was kind of iffy and I think it's because he was actually entering his teen years at that time. He was just naturally awkward. I noticed that JTT also became more awkward around the later seasons despite having confidence. The only one who really shined by the end of the show was Zachery Ty Bryan.

Actually Zachery was the only actor who stood out all throughout the show, he was good in the early seasons in a kind of lovable douche bag type of a way, he was great in the middle seasons. He had a great confidence because he was becoming a teen, but he was overconfident and a bit full of himself as opposed to under confident, despite being kind of an airhead. This allowed him to create something dimensional with his character despite not being charming and likable. He was great in the final seasons because he finally found himself, he stopped being the bully archetype as he got closer to Mark which he started out as and showed us that he wasn't just an airhead.

I'm not sure if it had to do with the fact that JTT and Taran stopped being cute as they grew older, but it's possible that they become less likable.

JTT's character also changed quite a bit, he was always the sarcastic kid who was funny and cool. As he reached high school, he became small, easy to pick on, more of nerdy.

Taran's character really didn't go in any direction after the 3rd season, he character remained static because more attention was paid on Brad, Randy, and the parents. They did allude to the fact that Mark was kind of socially isolated throughout the series however. Notice how he never talks about friends? He gets glasses which probably added to his social isolation, his parents consistently try to find him hobbies like Karate, flying lessons, music, film, cooking. Notice how creative Mark is in comparison with the other brothers? Obviously the goth thing was more than just a phase, it was a reaction. I actually think Mark is an important character because a lot of times parents have kids that they don't understand or that socially isolate themselves. I think Mark's social isolation and attraction toward goth may have to do with the constant bullying he suffered from his brothers as a child.

[JO Sweet Heart]

To me, one of the best things to come from his mouth was actually during the final episode. After Tim ran out of gas on the way to taking the boys to school, he said, "If I had built this car, there would have been another gas tank in it." and Mark was like, "Dad, if you had built this car, we would be taking the bus!"

God bless you always!!!

Holly