History Main / ThePowerOfActing

* In an episode of ''Series/JonathanCreek'', Carla reminds Jonathan that all the suspects are trained actors who will naturally be able to put up a convincing show of grief for the murder victim. [[spoiler:Sure enough, they're the culprits, though it was slightly {{subverted}} considering one of them was having trouble keeping calm after the murder]].

* Great Britain in ''{{Cyborg 009}}'', it's the reason he was chosen to be transformed into a cyborg.

* Creator/BenedictCumberbatch once used this to act his way out of a kidnapping in South Africa- he persuaded his attackers that he had a medical condition that could cause him to die if he was stuffed into the boot of their car. They let him go.

* So crucial a trope in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' that it becomes a plot point. Realizing that "the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king," Prince Hamlet has a theatrical troupe visiting the Danish court stage ''The Murder Of Gonzago'', whose plot mirrors almost exactly the plot of ''{{Hamlet}}''. Upon hearing the line "None wed the second but who killed the first," Queen Gertrude becomes uneasy (and remarks "The lady doth protest too much, methinks,")]]. Then, when Lucianus pours poison into the ears of the sleeping King Gonzago, King Claudius is so stricken with guilt that he abruptly gets up and leaves. This is proof enough for Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for the murder of his father.

* Invoked/played with in TheMightyBoosh episode, "The Chokes".

* In an episode of ''JonathanCreek'', Carla reminds Jonathan that all the suspects are trained actors who will naturally be able to put up a convincing show of grief for the murder victim. [[spoiler:Sure enough, they're the culprits, though it was slightly {{subverted}} considering one of them was having trouble keeping calm after the murder]].

* The very concept of piloting the HumongousMecha in ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' is that performing in a theater troupe helps prepare one for this.
** There's really more to it than that. The acting is not only regarded as good training for the troupe, it actually helps defend their city, by giving the people hope and spirit and producing something of its own mystical power. It's noted by one of the characters that theatre in Japan started as a religious ritual to placate the spirits (and same is true of theatre in Europe, incidentally).
** Also, in one of [[Anime/SakuraWarsTV the anime episodes]], Sumire uses her knowledge of acting to placate the vengeful spirit of an actress at a movie studio. It's actually quite a TearJerker to see the ghost finally happy again.

* The very concept of piloting the HumongousMecha in ''SakuraWars'' is that performing in a theater troupe helps prepare one for this.
** There's really more to it than that. The acting is not only regarded as good training for the troupe, it actually helps defend the capital, by giving the people hope and spirit, and having something mystical of its own. It's noted by one of the characters that theatre in Japan started as a religious ritual to placate the spirits (and same is true of theatre in Europe, incidentally).
** Also in one of the anime episodes, Sumire uses her knowledge of acting to placate the vengeful spirit of an actress at a movie studio. It's actually quite a TearJerker to see the ghost finally happy again.

* Wiki/SCPFoundation has [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-701 SCP-701]], The Hanged King's Tragedy, a play that has a chance of resulting in everyone acting and watching the play killing each other.

* In the ''Wraith Squadron'' books of the ''XWingSeries'', Garik "Face" Loran fills this role in the Wraith Squadron commando unit. When it comes to infiltration, he tells the other members of the team how to not draw attention and seem inconspicuous, while he gets everyone to pay attention only to him and feeding them his made up stories. Having a galaxy-wide famous actor on a covert operations team never becomes a problem, as he's just so good that nobody ever recognizes him, if he doesn't want them to.

* "Master Thespian" from ''SaturdayNightLive'' aspires to this. His teacher, Chin-Hua, was able to look like CarlWeathers for a production of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' (despite being an 80 year old Chinese man) through "acting!"

Compare CharlesAtlasSuperpower, MasterOfDisguise, ConsummateLiar. Contrast BadBadActing.

Compare CharlesAtlasSuperpower, MasterOfDisguise, ConsummateLiar.

Contrast BadBadActing.

* Mike (Sato'''mi Ke'''iko) in ''UmiNoMisaki'', when she gets really into a role, can make herself sound - and, in dim light, even somehow ''look'' - like who she's playing. Including, at one point, seeming to wear the other girl's eyeglasses, which there's no possible way she could have.

--> “Oh MAMA! Some of the things I pulled on him…? I ought’a be ashamed of myself…”

* In ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'', a Bard's effectiveness at bamboozling opponents or making his allies tougher is in direct proportion to his powers of performance.

* So crucial a trope in ''{{Hamlet}}'' that it becomes a plot point. Realizing that "the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king," Prince Hamlet has a theatrical troupe visiting the Danish court stage ''The Murder Of Gonzago'', whose plot mirrors almost exactly the plot of ''{{Hamlet}}''. Upon hearing the line "None wed the second but who killed the first," Queen Gertrude becomes uneasy (and remarks "The lady doth protest too much, methinks,")]]. Then, when Lucianus pours poison into the ears of the sleeping King Gonzago, King Claudius is so stricken with guilt that he abruptly gets up and leaves. This is proof enough for Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for the murder of his father.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' Shakespeare episode, where theatrical performance both summons and banishes the MonsterOfTheWeek.

* So crucial a trope in ''{{Hamlet}}'' that it becomes a plot point. Realizing that "the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king," Prince Hamlet has a theatrical troupe visiting the Danish court stage ''The Murder Of Gonzago'', whose plot mirrors almost exactly the plot of ''{{Hamlet}}''. Upon hearing the line "None wed the second but who killed the first," Queen Gertrude becomes uneasy (and remarks "The lady doth protest too much, methinks," [[BeamMeUpScotty rather than the commonly perceived "Methinks thou doth protest too much")]]. Then, when Lucianus pours poison into the ears of the sleeping King Gonzago, King Claudius is so stricken with guilt that he abruptly gets up and leaves. This is proof enough for Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for the murder of his father.

* Skyler White, from ''BreakingBad'', has used this to her advantage a number of times: faking going into labor to avoid getting arrested for a shoplifting her sister committed, faking a panic attack to convince a locksmith to get her into Walt's home, [[ObfuscatingStupidity faking being a dumb blonde]] to help an old boss get off the hook for cooking his books, just to name a few examples.

* ''Literature/Discworld'':
** This happens to the protagonist of ''Discworld/MovingPictures'': being a movie star somehow allows him to defy physics so that he can save the girl. Because, due to magic, he was using Hollywood (sorry, Holy Wood) Physics and Magic instead of the normal kinds.
** Tomjon from ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'', due to his godmothers' gifts, can remember every role he's ever played, is able to perfectly slip into any role he's given (meaning his acting will always be completely sincere) and is extremely good with people. One of his friends describes him as being able to use the Discworld's equivalent of the St. Crispin's Day Speech from ''HenryV'' to start a revolution in [[BadGuyBar an Ankh-Mopork alehouse]] and have the people inside storm the palace and install him as king.

* [[spoiler: Dylan/The Fifth Horsemen]] in ''NowYouSeeMe'' is an expert at this, able to fool everyone about their real intentions.

* In DCNation, Hugo Anders was armed only with this and a Desert Eagle if something bad happened. At one point, he was armed with nothing more than a Tamaranian disguise and his acting skills and infiltrated a secure prison to reach Starfire and smuggle her a UV light.

-->-- ''SNL "Master Thespian" Sketch''

** A [[DeletedScene deleted part of one scene]] has [[ClassicallyTrainedExtra Sir]] [[Creator/AlanRickman Alexander Dane]] "entering the mind" of the stone monster through method acting.
* Gary Johnston from ''TeamAmericaWorldPolice''. At the climax, he has to out-act AlecBaldwin.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Elan's Dashing Swordsman class gives him remarkable fighting prowess for long as he can keep up a quipping swashbuckler act.

* in the ''XWingSeries'' Face fills this role in the Wraith Squadron commando unit. When it comes to infiltration, he tells the other members of the team how to not draw attention and seem insconspicious, while he gets everyone to pay attention only to him and feeding them his made up stories. Having a galaxy-wide famous actor on a covert opperations team never becomes a problem, as he's just so good that nobody ever recognizes him, if he doesn't want to.