He can act rings around any other TV actor you can name. I first noticed him in "Touching Evil," and I just can't unders
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Jeffrey Donovan
gosseyn — 16 years ago(March 30, 2010 11:53 PM)
He can act rings around any other TV actor you can name. I first noticed him in "Touching Evil," and I just can't understand why he gets so little critical notice. For that matter, why was "Touching Evil" ignored? You've got Jeff Donovan, supported by Pruitt Taylor Vince (ANOTHER phenomenal actor) and Vera Farmiga, and some of the best dramatic television scripts around (based on a BBC series, but done to perfection). If you don't believe me, rent it in a DVD called "Brilliant But Cancelled - Crime Dramas (Delvecchio/ Gideon Oliver/ Johnny Staccato/ Touching Evil)." It WILL blow you away.
"Oh Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence." -
centrd — 11 years ago(February 17, 2015 08:18 PM)
I most definitely agree with you. But I'm guessing JD is just happy to be working steadily. I heard him say in an interview once that when he got his MFA from NYU (the best drama program in the US) that the other 17 actors he graduated with were considered the best actors in the country (he humbly left himself out) and yet only 3 of them, including himself, were actually working actors. It's really tough to be successful in the field so he really has accomplished a lot. But I agree, there's nobody on t.v. and probably even in film that has his acting chops, and yet people with less ability are winning all kinds of awards.
I think the Emmys are a popularity contest. The fact that Burn Notice is filmed in Miami probably limits his (and the show's other actors') exposure. Plus, JD doesn't seem to be big on promoting himself or making himself visible in Hollywood, avoiding the limelight. But it's hard to understand how even the show itself hasn't won anything because it's broken ground in so many ways, it makes no sense at all. I sometimes think that's one reason I've become such a huge fan of his. I mean there are and have been other great actors out there, like Philip Seymour Hoffman, but they get all the praise, and Jeffrey is so under rated that it makes me pull for him all the more. I guess I'm always pulling for the underdogit's exactly how I got hooked on football and became a huge fan of that sport, so now I have two passions, Football and JD. lol.
I also loved Touching Evil, and his character David Creegan. Entirely different guy from Michael Westen, but such an appealing, offbeat character. Just loved him and the show and can't believe it was cancelled. You mention all the other great actors on that show including Vera Farmigaand WOW, did they ever have chemistry!but don't forget, Bradley Cooper was in that show too! I like BC, but he didn't hold a candle to Jeffrey. I don't know how USA could have ever been so stupid to cancel that show, it was universally acclaimed, and it would have caught on, if they'd just given it some time.
I think there's one other factor at play with JD not receiving the accolades he deserves. I've noticed that most of the people who seem to criticize him most harshly are men. I think there might be a little jealousy involved. I mean secure guys really like him and the show, but there are some guys who I think have difficulty with how accomplished he is, how he can do so many things so well, and they're simply jealous. Just a theory.