Played in a movie?

Aquatar   Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:54 pm GMT
I have a question for speakers of American English. I was informed by an American on another forum that it is usual in the States to use 'to act' and 'to play' interchangably i.e. you could just as easily say 'Joe Bloggs played in a movie' as Joe Bloggs acted in a movie. I was surprised as I cannot recall having ever heard this. In the UK we might say someone played a a part in a movie or played the role of etc, but I don't think anyone would use the verb without an object, they would say someone acted in a movie. I am interested to know how common this phrase would be in American English.
Guest   Tue Apr 25, 2006 6:47 pm GMT
It's more common to say "He played in that movie." than "He acted in that movie."
Guest   Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:30 pm GMT
I checked in my dictionary. Both words were listed as synonyms. They are correct in the above mentioned context. It is upto writers to decide which one they want to use.
Aquatar   Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:50 pm GMT
Thanks, it's just that even though most American English sounds very familiar to us in the UK, as we hear it all the time on tv and in films, to say someone played in a movie sounds really odd to me. I don't feel like I've ever heard someone say that before, but I guess I must have.

What do other Brits think?
Jim C, Jorvikskyr   Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:03 pm GMT
I think it sounds very weird, Ive heard it before, but I thought it was just a mistake, you know like you skip words by accident.
Benquasha   Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:16 pm GMT
Ye it sounds weird to me too.
Aquatar   Tue Apr 25, 2006 10:43 pm GMT
ok, glad to know I'm not the only one it sounds weird to. But that's why I was so surprised to find it was common American usage. I mean it doesn't sound weird to us Brits when the Americans say sidewalk instead of pavement, or even the clothes I tried on fit instead of fitted or he wrote me instead of he wrote to me. So why does this sound so weird?
Aquatar   Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:15 pm GMT
by weird, I mean a usage that we're not used to hearing at all, as opposed to a usage that we recognise as American English, even though we probably wouldn't use it ourselves
american nic   Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:23 pm GMT
Um...I guess I'd be more likely to say simply 'he was in that movie'...but 'he played in that movie' sounds a tad odd to me.
Aquatar   Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:37 pm GMT
American Nic

I assume you are American from your username. I'd probably say 'he was in that movie (or more likely film lol) too. But the sentence which prompted this was something like 'Actor X played with Actor Y in so and so movie'. The person who wrote this was evidently not a native English speaker, apparent from the rest of what they had written. I advised them to use 'acted' instead of 'played', as I'm afraid I could think of some rather immature interpretations of what they had written. It was just meant to be a silly, good natured joke, but I was jumped upon by an American who told me it was quite normal for North Americans to use this phrase. So now I am intrigued lol
Jim C, Jorvikskyr   Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:25 am GMT
Our British Humour always gets us into trouble! the amount of times Ive unwhittingly upset someone with a joke or quip!.

Played as in "I PLAYED the part of Hamlet in my youth" works perfectly well, especialy when talking about theatre. And is normal in UK English

But to say "He played in the movie Constantine" sounds incomplete... played who??!! I ask! DAMN IT MAN YOU BLAGGART! (im going all thesbian, imagine me saying that in RP)

"He acted in the film 'Constantine'" sounds more propper.

I certainly see the joke in "Actor X played with Actor Y in so and so movie"

I'm sure that kind of thing goes on ;)
Guest   Wed Apr 26, 2006 2:26 am GMT
Hmm.. I don't think i have ever put any thought into these two words. I am American and i have always used "played in a movie", and "acted" when refering to a play or theater piece. That's just me though. It's cool how little things like these can catch peoples attention!!
Aquatar   Fri Apr 28, 2006 9:17 pm GMT
Any more thoughts on this? I just can't believe that, as a native BR English speaker, who like most Brits is very famailiar with American English because of film/tv, this phrase sounds so weird and unfamiliar!
Aquatar   Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:13 pm GMT
mjd

Thanks, that sounds exactly like the British usage, so you and I seem to agree on the way to say this. But it seems some Americans would indeed say 'Al Pacino played in the Godfather'.

I know this is only a small point, but have you noticed people from other parts of America saying this and thought it was slightly odd?

Or maybe you can say, for example 'Al Pacino played with Andy Garcia (sorry don't know the actual actors) in the Godfather'. Again this sounds unfamiliar to my ear, but would that sound ok to you? I've heard from other Americans that would be normal.