We received this in an email from Valerie in Indiana, USA recently and it got us thinking...
Here's an interesting thought I recently had while watching the 2008 version of 'The Day the Earth Stood Still': Keanu Reeves who plays the alien 'Klaatu' is left-handed but appears to be right-handed in the movie especially when he's writing on the chalk board. I know I can write right-handed on a chalk board but not on paper. I wonder if 'Klaatu' being right-handed was intentional or just something Keanu adapted to for the part because of camera angles and things of that nature.
Do actors have difficulty learning stunts with weapons? Do they sometimes have to use their right hand because of the angles or what the director wants? There's many questions about left-handed actors and actresses that I've recently thought about. Jeremy Renner from 'The Avengers' is also left-handed but uses both hands in the movie especially in the final fight sequences.
Does anyone else know of instances where left-handed actors or actresses have played a part right-handed, either because the director wanted to make them look like the majority or for other more practical reasons?
And are there any instances of a left-handed real person being played in a film by an actor doing it right-handed?
If you know of any, please add them as comments below.
Comments 73
After 1966, strange things were observed in what was definitely a different man calling himself Paul McCartney.
He looked different, sounded different, had different body language, and played the bass left handedly. However, his skill set was greatly diminished. He constantly had his eyes on his hands, a sure sign that he was not the original, confident, naturally left handed Paul McCartney.
He did no live performances until 1969, when he and his band did a concert on a London rooftop.
It was evident that he was talker and bigger boned than the first Paul.
He looked inelegant and crude by comparison.
Paul McCartney was replaced. The Paul is Dead so-called conspiracy has endured since 1967.
Doppelgangers have been in place since then.
In the final scene of The Outlaw Josey Wales
Fletcher is on the street with Wales
His left hand is on his pistol
Interesting
To a left handed person
Making something feel natural is a key part of acting - if it doesn't feel natural, it feels weird, and if it feels weird, then it looks weird, and people notice. And even if they do notice, who cares? It's just a fact.
If there's nothing in a script or book that says the character is right-handed, there's no reason to not be a lefty.
Ex. Tamara Taylor is left-handed. Therefore Camille Saroyan on "Bones" is left handed. I didn't even notice this fact until she punched someone - 7 seasons after being introduced.
It kind of makes it seem a little more real in a way. There are left-handed people in the world. They're rare. But they pop up, and when you notice, it's a little "huh" moment. All inclusive, and not discriminating.
When playing someone based on real life, it's important to note whether they're right or left-handed. Examples would be Erin Brockovich, Presidents, etc. If it's written in the script or you're replacing a previous actor in the same role, then you have to follow that too, to make it as authentic as possible. It works the other way around too. Thomas Brody-Sangster learned to play the guitar left-handed for his role as Paul McCartney in "Nowhere Boy".
It's the same thing as dialects and accents. There is a difference between Canadian and American dialects. The majority of shows are located in the USA. Most shows shot in Vancouver take place in Seattle. Like iZombie. Rose McIver is from New Zealand, but plays Liv Moore, from the US. Most of the other characters in the show are Canadian locals, but they all walk in the audition room with American dialects, because the casting director won't look at you twice otherwise.
As for fighting and stunts? Personally, I work on both left and right-handed techniques. I tend to learn everything left-handed first to make sure I know what I'm doing and have proper form. Then I mirror it. Most of the time, I can get away with doing it all left handed. People don't even notice. But I find this makes it easier when given direction or choreographing stunts. It's versatile. Sometimes you need to fall a direction that isn't exactly natural. Or move an object to your other side so the camera can see your face.
However, unless you're in a room that doesn't have much space, the camera revolves around the actors. You figure out choreography beforehand. Then you block the scene. The crew watches the actors do their thing, then determine where to place the camera, lighting, sound, etc in order to see everything that's going on in the scene. They'll shoot the scene more than once in different angles and edit it together later. So it's not too big a deal.
Hope this helps, and is interesting. :)
there are many pics online of both signing autographs right handed.
Rod Steiger, Anthony Perkins, Kim Novak and Peter Graves all wrote left handed onscreen in the 1950's so I'm failing to see any severe bias you describe
Smith works right-handed in DW, because the Doctor is right-handed.
Although... there are pictures of Paul McGann, for the Big Finish audios, that have him pointing the sonic screwdriver with his left.
main female characters was murdered. The murderer staged it to look like she killed herself by stretching her right hand on the floor beside her body and making it look like the victim left a suicide note in her own blood. I noticed months before that the victim was left handed. When it showed her body lying with her bloody right finger next to the
message it was proof she'd been murdered. However, no one brought up that evidence, it was never referred to as a reason to believe she hadn't killed herself. Neither the actors, directors, editors or even the actress herself
noticed that the bloody message had been written with the wrong hand. Of course, there was no internet or
easy way to to send a message to the network so I've kept my testimony to myself all these years. I feel so much better now....
Also. the left-handed R. Kelly had to sign an autograph right-handed for a music video which he made for the soundtrack of 'Ali', starring Will Smith.
Peace...
AladdinSane
But I think it just depends.
In Talledega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby Will Ferrel is left handed but the kid that plays him when he was younger was right handed and is shown writing on his school desk.
Also heard recently that a popular korean actor is left handed but noticed the kid that played him as a child was right handed so he decided to use his right hand for eating. In the scene you can see his difficulty picking the food up(as they use chop sticks) and the actor in front of him helped him.
That's all i can think of off the top of my head.
When Eminem (lefty) was in the "8 Mile" he wrote his lyrics with his left-hand and frequently held his mike with his left hand. But then again the movie was semi-autobiography.
2) Where does it say that all left-handed people wear their watches on their right? I've NEVER done that, and neither has my LH mother or LH sister. I'm so left-handed my right doesn't exist. My flatmate is right-handed and she wears her watch on her right - always has done.
3) Martin Freeman is left-handed but shoots right-handed, perhaps for the reasons Frank has already explained in the comments. The prop handgun for the Sherlock show is a Sig Sauer P226R. The real version apparently comes in both sides. Perhaps the British Army just didn't provide a LH version. ;P
4) Tom Cruise is another famous lefty. Not my favourite actor but I did enjoy the scene in MI:4 where he's sketching a man's face on his right palm to show someone else. What with Jeremy Renner being in the car too, it made Tom Wilkinson the only right-handed person in the scene. Out-numbered at last! LOL
5) Burn Notice, season 2 (I think). Lucy Lawless (right-handed) played a right-handed hit-woman. Very well, as I recall.
I would think that writers wouldn't necessarily think to write their characters as either right or left-handed; it's just assumed that a character is right-handed, unless the actor cast for the role is left-handed, or the film is about a character for whom handedness is an intrinsic part of the story, such as Babe with John Goodman. Babe Ruth batted left-handed. It would have detracted from the story had Goodman not portrayed that properly. Another great example Robert Redford in The Natural - he's left-handed in real life; his character Roy Hobbs bats and throws left-handed. An finally, there's Sylvester Stallone, a leftie, portraying the southpaw, Rocky Balboa.
Not quite the same question but linked - I recently watched on dvd the film 'Summer' in which Robert Carlyle plays the lead role of some one who has difficulty at school writing (with his right hand) by adulthood his hand is much reduced in its ability (to not give too much away for those yet to watch the film). So as an adult he plays someone who dominantly uses his left hand.
This made me wonder if the actor was naturally left handed.
As an actor myself, I've often had to fence or fire a gun right-handed. In fact, in one show I learned to draw and fire a revolver (Colt Peacemaker) right-handed, assuming that the holster would be on my right hip. At dress rehearsal, I discovered the costume shop had custom made a left-handed holster, so I had to relearn to draw and fire left-handed. Needless to say, it took far less time than learning to shoot right-handed.
In a production of The Crucible, all the actors had to use the right hand, as any left-handed Puritan would have been considered "marked by the Devil."
I was 'replacement cast' in a production HAMLET in the role of Laertes (the previous actor had a family situation which required his withdrawal for the the show). I, naturally was VERY excited because it was -at the time- my 1st Shakespeare; 1st professional (Equity); 1st tour (short run in Boston then 2 weeks in Ukraine).
My 'problem' was that all the blocking and choreography (including fights) had already been set - on 2 RIGHT handed actors!! Anyone familiar with the play HAMLET will know there is a MAJOR fight between Hamlet and Laertes near the end of the play (poison swords,etc).
And, as it turned out, the fight choreography became more complicated because we were using sword and dagger, and,of course, the Sword was held in the Right hand! So, all of My 'natural' instincts were countermanded - and I was about 2 inches taller than the previous actor. Therefore, I felt off-balance much of the time, uncomfortable (although I knew the sequence) with the passes, reverses, feints, etc which made up a long and intricate scene.
Fortunately our Hamlet was experienced AND a 'good sport'. In my efforts to accommodate both the handedness of the fight and the height differences, I whacked him across the wrist/hand/knuckles numerous times - especially in reverse or spin or back-to-back maneuvers. [Especially the back-to-back which were 'blind' moves where I had to "feel/sense/guesstimate" where he'd be since I was much taller!]
Ultimately it all turned out quite well. The Russian audiences all were appreciative [flowers, rhythmic clapping, etc] and very supportive.
The only downside was that a 'company flu' started making its way through the cast; and by the time we did our final performance of the tour the King was sick, hoarse and fevered, Hamlet was fevered and almost voiceless, and I had begun to lose my voice as well.
BUT, it was and is an experience I wouldn't trade, nor will I ever forget.
In the Star Wars movies, all of the Storm Troopers are left-handed. This was not done as a symbol of good vs evil but as a design flaw. Between the hard costumes and the shape of the blasters, the actors were not able to hold the blasters on their right sides.
In a television programme about King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the actor got it wrong. He was right handed and did everything right handed, wheras the King was left-handed.
However, in the series "Edward and Mrs Simpson", the actor playing the Duke of York (later King George VI) was Andrew Ray who was a natural left-hander.
Does it have to do something to do with the change in the mindsets of directors over the years, since people would no longer feel awkward seeing a left hander on screen, despite knowing that he actually is ?
Your comments !!!!
Also in the BBC's "Sherlock", Watson is played by Martin Freeman, who is left-handed, but I believe when he shoots a gun, he does it right-handed. Apparently Watson is actually mentioned as being right-handed by Conan-Doyle, but I don't know if this is why Freeman shoots right-handed in the series, or if it's to do with aesthetics/gun design (which is notoriously handed).
I believe Andrew Scott, who plays Moriarty, is also left-handed, but they kept that for his character, because they vaguely allude to it in the show when Sherlock hands him a teacup with the handle angled toward the right and Moriarty annoyedly turns it around so he can pick it up with his left hand.
I know of one such example, from the 1970 film Waterloo. Napoleon Bonaparte may be one of the most famous left-handers who ever lived, yet he was played right-handed, most clearly shown when he signs his abdication towards the beginning of the film.
I can't believe I missed the slip-up on Looper, since I'm generally quite good at noticing people's hand usage, and I knew Bruce Willis is left-handed... Guess I'll have to watch it again and pay more attention.
As an aside I also play the drums (more often than the spoons) and play them right handed though my hands easily slip into some left-handedness. My attempts to play a drum kit left-'handed'ly are frustrated by my footwork which seems to be decidedly right-'hand'ed/footed.
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