- The Sesame Street Critic
Ryan Reynolds Sesame Street Performance - Big A
Updated: Oct 16, 2021
Ryan Reynolds, as Big A of the A team, actually gets a B from the Sesame Street Critic, and that's taking into consideration Mr. Reynolds had to overcome costume obstacles as a performer.
Grade: B
Character: Big A on the A Team
Sesame Street Characters: Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Telly
Episode: #4225
Original Air Date: November 5, 2010
Ryan Reynolds, as Big A of the A team, actually gets a B from the Sesame Street Critic, and that's taking into consideration Mr. Reynolds had to overcome costume obstacles as a performer. I'm giving the performance a B rather than a B- or C+ strictly because of the costume. I know it was constricting physically.
That could be the reason why Reynolds didn't seem to engage a whole lot with the puppets and other characters. When he wasn't delivering the lines, Reynolds was kind of just looking straight ahead, not really looking towards who was talking and following the action, which I know is really hard do to in that costume he was wearing. However, as an actor you've got to make it work when you don't have much to work with.
I feel like he could have moved his hands and arms a little bit more to make up for the inability to move his head from side to side. Or at least turned slightly toward the other characters instead of being so static. I think he just let the costume get the best of him. It ultimately confined the performance and got in the way of it, which is definitely easy to do. But you know, women suffer through a lot of clothing issues on a regular basis and look completely normal. So . . . the brownie points are limited.
But that's really neither here nor there. Overall, Ryan Reynolds gave a pretty decent performance. He got into the character somewhat. It was just that missing element when it wasn't him delivering the lines that brings the performance down. In the end, it just wasn't engaging enough.
I could get past the costume restraints, except for the fact Ryan Reynold's Sesame Street performance was a little one note. The character was one note in general, so maybe super heroes just aren't his thing. Had there been a little more range or nuances to the character I'd maybe be more generous and give it a B+. As it is, I can only give Ryan Reynolds a B at best.
SPECIAL NOTE: After writing this review I discovered that Ryan Reynolds himself would probably agree with The Sesame Street Critic critique. He noted that the A Team costume was quite constricting, and in his typical good humor, Reynolds made a great pun about the A hole tweeting, "I remember how challenging it was to sing because the A-hole was so tight. But I pushed through because kids all over the country were counting on me."
The account is proof positive that playing a skit on Sesame Street isn't all fun and games, and it can test the acting chops of the most experienced professionals.
What Do You Think About Ryan Reynolds' Sesame Street Performance?
Do you agree with the critique? Was the Sesame Street Critic too harsh on Ryan Reynolds? What grade would you give Ryan Reynolds' Sesame Street performance?