MovieChat Forums > The Messenger (2009) Discussion > Samantha Morton

Samantha Morton

posted 14 years ago by Julia-3
25 replies | jump to latest

I have not seen this been discussed here before... Does anyone know if Samantha Morton was wearing a fat suit in this movie? She is normally pretty "hollywood thin", so I barely recognized her with so much weight. She did not really gain so much weight for the movie, did she?

If this was a fat suit, I think it was done pretty well - except for the scene where she is walking with Ben Foster's character in the storage unit area. Looks like they forgot to stuff her jeans in that scene, so they reveal her thin legs.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] zwot 14 years ago

It looks like Melissaslist guessed correctly.
From Samantha Morton's IMDb bio:
"Returned to work four months after giving birth to her daughter Edie in order to begin filming The Messenger (2009/I)."

[–] kitano0 14 years ago

I thought she looked perfect (and was perfect.) Where was her Oscar nom for this?
I loved her character more than any I have come across in the movies recently.
Intelligent, sweet, and witty. Just great.

[–] Dan1863Sickles 14 years ago

Samantha Morton is absolutely incredible in this movie. She is so beautiful and glamorous in real life, and she usually plays characters like the glamorous Mary Queen of Scots in epics like ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE. When I watched this movie I had no idea it was her! So fearless to really show extra pounds and a face without makeup, while still being incredibly real and desirable.

"Your next challenge is always your biggest." Joe Namath

[–] rdsla 14 years ago

Yes....her acting was excellent as a real person. I had not really seen her in anything but knew her name. She impressed me. Also you would never know she was British -- no trace of accent.

[–] LudwA 14 years ago

yeah i noticed this as well, the pregnancy explains it, i actually thought she looked fantastic, Hollywood obviously has a tendency to feature almost 'unreal' woman, and Morton certainly wasn't in this movie. very human, very beautiful.

[–] acrackinthesky 13 years ago

I have to admit that I've not had the pleasure of watching Samantha Morton in other movies but was really impressed with her performance in this film. I really enjoy subtle performances that say a million words within a single expression. I will definitely be following her career.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] candle_79 13 years ago

It wasn't a fat suit. She was this weight in "Control" too.

http://woxy.com/

[–] EasyMorningRebel 13 years ago

I thought she looked awful.

[–] rlewisx2 13 years ago

I thought she looked awesome.

The Hammer.....is my penis.
--Captain Hammer

[–] coolbluegreen 13 years ago

Ah, well, I guess us Browncoats think alike!

[–] beenothewarrior 13 years ago

I thought she looked awful and gross, completely miscast in my opinion. They should have gotten a hot chick for her role. It seemed very unrealistic and made it seemed like Ben Foster was jus desperate

[–] coolbluegreen 13 years ago

zwicks wrote: <<I thought she looked awful and gross, completely miscast in my opinion. They should have gotten a hot chick for her role. It seemed very unrealistic and made it seemed like Ben Foster was jus desperate>>

Yes, because we all know that only hot chicks are ever loved. Please. You've never had a relationship, have you?

[–] Imdb11168 10 years ago

Beenothewarrior is partially right.

Morton did not look gross, but very average and frumpy, and was perfectly cast, as thats what you can reasonable expect, given her circumstances. You want a hot chick, then watch another movie.

And its realistic to think that Ben Foster should have been desperate. If your just back from the army, then a woman like Mortan should be pretty acceptable

Darkness lies an inch ahead

[–] coolbluegreen 13 years ago

zwicks proved to the world he cuts his English class every day and wrote: <<I thought she looked awful and gross, completely miscast in my opinion. They should have gotten a hot chick for her role. It seemed very unrealistic and made it seemed like Ben Foster was jus desperate>>

It's sad. Zwicks, do you not understand WHY Will was attracted to Olivia? Of course you don't!

First let me state that Samantha Morton is entirely attractive enough -- I wouldn't think twice about seeing someone who looked like her with someone who looked like Ben Foster.

That said (and it is so sad it had to be said), I wonder at a person who can see The Messenger and think that Will's attraction to Olivia is based on her "hotness." Her appeal for him is multi-layered and quite clear -- to those of us who know how to interpret what we see. You can't do that, can you? It's pitiful to think about people who have never had relationships and never will. It's even more tragic when you consider that these lonely people never passed their English classes either.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] coolbluegreen 13 years ago

Thanks, jakob, but the sad truth is, I have known people like zwicks in RL. Also, sometimes it is hard to tell who is a troll and who is just really, really stupid.

[–] beenothewarrior 13 years ago

Pfttt, someone seems a little sensitive. Grow up, everyone has opinions and im quite sure there are many people that share the same opinion as mine. Just because you didn't you dont agree, doesn't make my opinion invalid or wrong

[–] coolbluegreen 13 years ago

zwicks wrote: <<Pfttt, someone seems a little sensitive.>>

Darn straight! I'd rather be sensitive than be an insensitive boor. Of course, your response to me shows I got to you -- you are a little sensitive yourself. The thing is -- not only can you not admit it -- it scares you.

zwicks wrote: <<Grow up,>>

Um, being sensitive is a trait shared by all age groups. Well, by the non-sociopaths in all age groups. It's one of the things that makes us considerate, decent people.

zwicks wrote: <<everyone has opinions and im quite sure there are many people that share the same opinion as mine. Just because you didn't you dont agree, doesn't make my opinion invalid or wrong>>

Your opinion was expressed in a rude, vile, and (gasp!) insensitive way. You wrote: <<I thought she looked awful and gross>>. Who the heck are you to talk about anyone that way? And if you do talk about people that way, you had better be prepared to deal with the backlash you get.

Now, some here think you are a troll who just wants attention. I don't think so -- you don't respond enough. I think you are genuinely horrible, heartless, inconsiderate and -- wait for it -- insensitive.

May you live in a world that thinks the way you do.

[–] sleepingsunrise 12 years ago

I couldn't have said it better myself. I thought her performance and the way she looked was very "real". And it is definitely sad that there are some people who wont understand the appeal she had in the movie and what made her attractive. This movie wasn't about "hot, rich, living in la-la land lifestyles" it was about real people and real situations. Her "size" was normal. She was a normal person. There is nothing more attractive than a "real" person and nothing more unattractive than a "fake" one. I dont think I could have related to her character as much if she were some MILF or acted aloof.

[–] killdawabbittn 12 years ago

I loved her in this. She was good in Synechdoche, NY also.

------------------------------------
It's a hormone war zone - boys are out for a fight

[–] OccasionalPoster 12 years ago

Samantha Morton, hard to believe, was superb in this. I really could believe in her character as a woman who’s saddened by the death of her husband from war, but at the same time, it was something she felt inevitably.

There was this one scene that brought tears to my eyes, and it was the scene after Samantha Morton’s character learns of her husband’s death, and she has a personal, rather genuine moment with her son. This shows the power that only a few lines can deliver.

I've only seen Samantha Morton in this film and "In America," but now, I sort of want to see her in other films as well. She can really act.

[–] KarlSwan 9 years ago

Samantha was awesome and beautiful as always, I think that for the ones who liked her acting in this film for being subtle and real, even if with just a few lines, you could check out Code 46 www.imdb.com/title/tt0345061/ (hope you like it).

[–] kenny-164 8 years ago

The two lame posters above who leave their comments at a diss of Ms. Morton's appearance are either trolls or brain dead. Ms. Morton was perfectly cast in this film, and adds a level of convincing reality that propels the film every time she is on screen. Given some of the meandering editing over the last third of the film, and a kind of average performance by the two leads (not bad, but nothing great), she is the best thing in this film.

Back to her appearance, she played her part basically without makeup, and as average weight to someone in her position and time in life. In real life she is about 4 years older than Mr. Foster, but that fit with the narrative as well. Personally I thought she was attractive, in a zaftig sort of way, with an incredible smile.

I am familiar with her from In America and Synecdoche,NY, and that she got an Oscar nomination for the former. Great actress.