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not a journeyman...


Todd Robert Anderson recounted the indignation Kurt expressed when described as 'a journeyman actor' on the Film Pigs Geeknation show. In fairness that terminology is usually reserved for those with failed careers and Mr Fuller is clearly a successful character actor.

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That word is insulting when it describes actors. It has a specific meaning in boxing as one who is a good opponent but not good enough to be a champion.

I read a British film critic's description of the word when House M.D. started to become a hit TV series. Another critic wrote "So, journeyman actor Hugh Laurie has a hit."

The British film critic wrote "What does that word mean? What does journeyman even mean?" He wrote a good op-ed about how the word is used as an insult. Usually by persons who are not successful themselves.

Kurt Fuller is not a journeyman. Neither is Hugh Laurie. Actors, unlike boxers, are not ranked. To use that word to describe anyone in the performance arts is dubious and mean-spirited.

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