Top 5 films to watch to become a better actor

Studying the performances of accomplished actors can provide an opportunity to learn an actor's process, technique and choices. The beauty of studying acting is that (I hope) it’s enjoyable and inspiring. If you really take the time to analyse the performance of your favourite actor, it may reveal more about yourself and your own style.
Below, I will gift you my cauldron of brilliant films that I believe an actor should watch and study. The following five films - Aftersun, No Country for Old Men, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Marriage Story and There Will Be Blood - offer five distinctly different approaches to screen acting. These films are broad in genre and performance; however, each provides a unique lesson in the craft of acting that may offer a brilliant upcoming actor like yourself an opportunity to study how different performers use their voice, body, silence, expression, listening and emotional truth to create compelling characters on screen.
Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the films for you. What I will cover are the reasons why these films are 11/10.
Aftersun
Aftersun is such a roller coaster of emotion. That's what makes it brilliant. Paul Mescal's performance as Cal has so much nuance and so many layers that, at first, you aren’t aware of the performance underneath. What makes Cal such an interesting character to study is the contrast between what he presents to his daughter Sophie and what appears to be happening beneath the surface. It’s a masterclass in subtext, restraint and suppressed emotion.
For an actor, Aftersun demonstrates the importance of playing the character's objective rather than simply playing an emotion. Mescal is not constantly playing sadness; he is playing a father trying to enjoy a holiday with his daughter while managing something he cannot fully express.
When watching the film, it is easy to notice the big reactions, the smiles and laughs. Bring your attention to the small reactions. Read between the lines.
No Country for Old Men
This film is so brutal and uncomfortable in all the right ways. You have most likely seen clips online of the famous scene focused around a flip of a coin. If not, prepare yourself.
It’s interesting how one of the most formidable villains feels blank and emotionally inept. What this film demonstrates is how Javier Bardem portrays this character as almost unearthly and unstoppable. I feel what made me love this performance is that the performance isn’t the typical cliché of an over-expressive or aggressive villainous archetype.
This restraint makes him difficult to read, which in turn makes him unpredictable. As an audience, we are left constantly questioning what he is thinking and what he might do next. Bardem demonstrates that an actor does not always need to show the audience an emotion for the audience to feel it.
This creates a powerful lesson in screen presence: sometimes the most compelling choice an actor can make is to do less. Studying Bardem's performance can help an actor develop confidence in stillness, improve their physical awareness and understand how silence, restraint and controlled behaviour can communicate far more than exaggerated emotion.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Unlike the restrained performances of Paul Mescal or Javier Bardem, Fiennes embraces a highly theatrical approach, creating a character whose voice, posture and rhythm are all carefully constructed. Gustave speaks with extraordinary precision and speed, moves with an almost choreographed elegance and maintains an unwavering sense of etiquette, even when surrounded by complete chaos. Yet beneath this exaggerated exterior is a character with genuine compassion.
The role is also a brilliant study in comedic timing. Fiennes rarely appears to be trying to make the audience laugh; instead, he treats Gustave's behaviour with complete sincerity.
It’s extremely entertaining and technical. The humour often comes from the contrast between his extreme politeness and the absurd situations around him. His delivery is extremely precise, with carefully controlled pauses, changes in pace, emphasis and reaction shots. That’s why performing comedy, in my opinion, is so difficult, because the actor has to understand exactly when to hold back, when to react and when to allow a moment to breathe - and make that feel funny.
In my eyes, I believe many of my favourite movies include moments of comedy. Contemporary films often have the ability to use humour as a tonal tool. So, understanding how to deliver a comedic moment is a useful tool. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a great film to study as it has such a broad set of comedic ingredients, from slapstick to deadpan.
There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood is one of my favourite western/drama/epic journeys. It’s raw, unforgiving and Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance is one of the most valuable performances for an actor to study because of the sheer level of physical commitment and character embodiment behind it.
We are not watching Daniel Day-Lewis; we are watching Daniel Plainview. His approach to acting is to construct a distinctive voice, a rhythm of speech, a walk, practically re-create himself and emerge into the role. It’s quite scary.
If method interests you, Daniel Day-Lewis is a quintessential method actor. That is a strong opinion, but I stick by it. The greatest benefit is learning how to build a character from both the inside and outside. As Plainview changes throughout the film, Day-Lewis subtly alters his physicality, voice and behaviour. Understanding his arc within the story and realising how his performance alters is such an important reason to understand how a story unfolds past the page and becomes a cohesive journey that is as believable as There Will Be Blood.
Marriage Story
It's weird; some movies you won’t forget watching. I think it can be personal to so many people because of how instinctive the performances are in this film. What makes Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson's performances in Marriage Story an excellent study is that their performances consist of naturalistic conversation, listening and emotional escalation. They hit the bullseye on every beat within a scene. You can see immediately when one attacks - the other is instinctually conjuring up their defence.
This is particularly evident in the film's famous argument scene, where the tension builds naturally rather than immediately reaching its emotional peak. It starts as a normal, constructive conversation and develops into something extremely human - a huge fight!
The performances also demonstrate how actors can control the progression of a scene. As the argument develops, the characters move through frustration, defensiveness, anger and vulnerability. Their voices become louder, their movements become more aggressive and their physical distance changes.
Why this is such a great film, and specifically why that scene is so great to study, is because the argument doesn't feel like two actors performing a dramatic scene; it feels like two people who have years of history, resentment and love suddenly losing control. This is what makes the scene such a valuable study for actors: it demonstrates how a well-rehearsed and carefully constructed performance can still feel spontaneous, messy and still honour reality.
It is my favourite scene from a romantic drama ever.
That’s a wrap
So, there you have it. Five films, five completely different performances and five very different lessons to take into your own acting. What I love about these films is that none of them are trying to achieve the same thing.
I don’t think the point of studying these performances is to copy the actors. In fact, I think that would defeat the purpose. Instead, take the things that interest you. Notice the choices they make, question why they work and then see how you can apply those ideas to your own process.
At the end of the day, watching films is one of the most enjoyable ways to learn. So grab some popcorn, watch these films, watch them again, and then watch them with an actor's eye. You might find that you naturally connect with one performance more than another, or that something you see completely changes the way you approach a scene.

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Author

Borak Akgul