Film is considered an exemplar of the plastic arts. What follows here involves a variation on the ontology of the medium— that is, with what appears “in” or “on” film, namely, the plasticity of those who are said to act, portray, and embody. Hence, this plastic art is treated in conversation with the plastic artist— call her an actor. As an agitation to further reflection on this relationship (between medium-specific art and specificities of the human figure), one notes what is revealed in the forms of praise that accompany works of performative plasticity— especially those that travel under the appellation “method acting.” Such positive estimations provide markers of aesthetic achievements, that is granted, but they also often carry with them a tinge of moral judgment— as if to pun the notions of “acting well” or “good acting.” Thus, the lauded performance translates almost invisibly and without resistance or contested interpretation to a sense of the laudable performer. With this seemingly unchecked transitive move, we appear to inadvertently stumble upon, or over, the virtue of virtuosity. As the labor of film criticism makes its choices known in each new season, so often we find those actors who “transform” themselves, who “become” who they play, who “inhabit” their roles, or who— as the saying goes— simply “disappear,” leaving nothing but the character, are most vaunted. In these moments, we seem to discover not a respect for the character played so much as an infatuation with the virtuosity of the actor playing the character. Hence, the public record of favoring, celebrating, and standing in awe of the plastic artist— and the more plastic the better. And yet, differences should be struck between Meryl Streep’s accent (Out of Africa [1985], Julie & Julia [2009], The Iron Lady [2011]); Gary Oldman’s jowls (Darkest Hour [2017]); weight gain/loss by Charlize Theron (Monster [2003] and Mad Max: Fury Road [2015]) and Joaquin Phoenix (I’m Still Here [2010], The Master [2012], and Joker [2019]); and variations of costuming— from prosthetics to make-up to hair (as we find them, for instance, in the neo-peplum genre).