Can Ronda Rousey Act? UFC Star, Upcoming ‘Saturday Night Live’ Host Mocked For Bad Acting
Is UFC star Ronda Rousey a bad actress?
With her big debut as a first-time host of Saturday Night Live just a couple of days away, concerns of Ronda’s acting skills have been circulating online by fans & critics alike.
Her record as a UFC star speaks for itself, proving that Ronda Rousey is an amazing athlete and Mixed Martial Arts fighter. Even with her shocking loss to Holly Holm back in November, Ronda’s 12-1 record is still very impressive.
She has already proven time and time again that she can experience victory in the ring in minutes, but what about when Ronda has to host a popular sketch comedy show on live television for an hour?
Quite a few people on Twitter have apparently already braced themselves for the impact of Ronda Rousey’s potentially bad acting on Saturday Night Live.
“It’s bad. She looks uncomfortable and the acting is unnatural.” — @RyanMcKinnell https://t.co/GoG5GYXwBq
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 20, 2016
Can’t wait to see how bad Ronda Rousey’s acting is on #SNL this weekend
— Will Noble (@HEELSupermanNYJ) January 21, 2016
What was it about her HORRIBLE acting in Expendables 2, Fast 7 or Entourage that has people wanting Ronda Rousey to become a MOVIE STAR?
— Adam (@AKA_I_D_I_O_T) January 13, 2016
January 23 will mark the first time that Ronda Rousey has hosted Saturday Night Live. Chances are that it will even mark her first shot at acting on live television in general.
As many of her fans and followers already know, though, it is definitely not the first time that she has acted professionally.
Rousey starred in supporting roles in three blockbuster films — The Expendables 3, Furious 7, and Entourage. She is reportedly set to star in a number of future projects, as well — including a remake of the classic Patrick Swayze film, Road House, and a comedy film with Tina Fey.
Ronda Rousey had role in ‘Mile 22’ reduced with more action, less acting https://t.co/DIfLeYcoR7 #UFC pic.twitter.com/RJfnn0zQ0E
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) January 12, 2016
According to the report, Ronda was to star alongside Iko Uwais in the combat film about a CIA operative that has to race to the airport with an Indonesian cop to escape the country. When Berg approached STX Chairman Adam Fogelson with his pitch promoting Ronda Rousey for the lead role, Fogelson apparently had his doubts about the casting choice.
The report states that he was not impressed with Ronda’s supporting role and relatively brief appearance in Furious 7.
An attempt was made to bring Will Smith on-board as a leading role alongside Ronda Rousey, but the two-time Oscar nominee “wasn’t sold.” Peter Berg was apparently able to shift gears and turn to another Oscar nominee — Mark Wahlberg — for the leading role instead.
“Wahlberg was on board after the script was mostly rewritten with his character now serving as the primary hero in the story, while also reducing Rousey’s role in the film dramatically. Fogelson never actually ended up meeting with Rousey about the role but her part now included the same amount of action with a whole lot less acting involved.”
While Ronda Rousey continues to wait and prepare for her rematch against Holly Holm, she could very well earn her shot at redemption on Saturday by hosting Saturday Night Live. Her UFC career will more than likely be addressed in at least one sketch. She may even make a joke or two about her loss to Holy Holm during her opening monologue.
However, the key to her redemption will likely rest on her ability to commit to a character that is completely opposite of her real-life persona.
In each of her on-screen acting roles so far, Ronda has basically played different versions of herself.
In The Expendables 3, she was a club bouncer that could take people down even while wearing a dress.
In Furious 7, Rousey was essentially a henchman that could take people down even while wearing a dress.
Even in her Saturday Night Live promo videos with Beck Bennett, Ronda played the same role — a tough woman that could take people down while wearing a dress.
Beck Bennett tries (and fails) to put Ronda Rousey in a headlock in this week’s #SNL promos: https://t.co/sErGf7Hlir pic.twitter.com/oqDh0LYFYv
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 20, 2016
Her role in Entourage, which is, to-date, the role that gave her the most lines, was literally Ronda playing herself.
Hopefully, Ronda Rousey will be able to take on new characters and new roles during her Saturday Night Live appearance. Doing so will show the world that she is at least heading in the right direction while trying to make her mark in Hollywood.
[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
