Twain had it right- in order to be really truly funny, you need a deep core of pain- either your own, or that of people you can empathize with. This is why you can see “comedians” being so compelling in dramatic roles. For an obscure but powerful example, see Robin Williams’ portrayal of a bereaved father in “What Dreams may Come.”

Comics turned actors are like enlisted men turned officers- they have a lot more practical experience than their peers who took the short cuts. Small wonder that those who can make the transition have much more depth to draw upon.

I think this is a modern and rather, well, shallow understanding of comedy–the slapstick end of things, cartoons, the buffoon. In more nuanced comedy (which I would argue has a hard time getting on stage these days) wouldn’t you be laughing so you wouldn’t cry?

“actors tend not to be very good at much of anything except of course acting like people who are good at something”

Is this true?…It is perhaps true in the culture of celebrity and the movie culture, but is it reallly true of trained actors? I don’t know.

This isn’t to diminish Foxx’s performance. I never much cared for him on “In Living Color” , but he’s grown on me since.