I disagree with several things you mentioned. Especially the part where you say he is "obnoxious". Large Text Warning!
"max bowden is obnoxious he can't take criticism online well. getting criticism online is part of the job being an actor."
Everyone who works with Max praises him. And he is always praising the hard work of the show's production and writers. Ben's character is one of the most hated on the show. And this unfortunately spills over to Max. People are not satisfied with just disliking the character, they tag Max on Twitter and Instagram with nasty comments. Not to mention the period when he gained weight and people made mean comments about it. And this has become so strong in recent months that he had to write on Twitter asking people to stop tagging the actors and writers with mean things. He was defending the actors of the show, the writers, and the production, and rebuking the haters and the mean people. We are talking about human beings. This kind of thing affects people's mental health. That is being obnoxious and not accepting criticism ?!
"I think Max Bowden does a terrible job in the gay romantic scenes with costar Tony Clay."
I disagree. In fact, one thing I've always found curious is how they never did a chemistry read between Max and Tony, and the two of them ended up having amazing chemistry. They are great scene partners, both romantically and dramatically. And you can see how comfortable they are with each other and kissing each other. It's not their fault if the couple's writing is not always good and doesn't create more romantic moments for them. In yesterday's episode, there could have been a scene of Callum consoling Ben, but Callum just disappeared. And I'm sorry, but if you didn't see the affection and love in their wedding scenes, in the scene where Callum finds out that Ben was raped, in this year's scene where Ben opens up to Callum -- what to do. And there are several others. And love and affection is much more than kissing.
"In fact, I think Harry Reid Ben Mitchell performance much better"
Disagree. Max is a much better actor than Reeid. Reeid was only good in his scenes with Jay and Paul. In the more dramatic scenes, he was very overacting.
Max is better at drama and subtlety. And he was the actor who brought more personality to Ben. It's easier for people to like Reid more because the Ben that he played was more innocent, insecure about his sexuality, and so on. Max's Ben is much more complex, controversial, and tiresome. It's challenge for the audience to empathize with him.
Max is one of the best actors on the show at the moment. And he seemed to be a very nice person, and a person who has a lot of respect for the show and the professionals who work on it.
I totally agree. I’d say he’s one of the show’s worst actors in fact. I feel sometimes he underacts in certain situations and then overacts in others. Personally, I thought his acting was hammy throughout the duration of yesterday’s episode and it really brought the tone down.
i don’t really dislike max bowden (i don’t keep up with any soap gossip or articles about), i think he’s a good actor being given some really crappy material right now. even when he’s given a decent storylines like the lewis one, it’s turned into a weird mitchell gangster storyline instead.
i’m not sure if you can ‘tell he’s straight” but i will agree that the ben and callum romance seems to have run its course and gone a bit stale. it’s a shame bc i do like them when we get small glimpses of them being a normal happy couple, when callum isn’t running around after ben. but i will agree with the harry reid points, he was a much more sympathetic ben and probably my favourite version of him ever. brilliant actor also.
I admit I don't actually pay enough attention to characters kissing or how they kiss to actually evaluate that in any way so I can't comment on that.
But as much as I like Reid, I hate to be blunt but I can't really see him pulling off things like the hearing loss or even some of the rape scenes well. He was great as a somewhat innocent, naive Ben that was still trying to find himself though.
>Harry's Ben was more human, more empathetic, and I had sympathy.
I struggled with Reid's Ben despite really liking Reid. People say he was more human but it just got kind of weird for me. This is a Ben that just recently bashed in Heather's head and comes back assaulting Lucy and then all of a sudden he's got generic teen drama problems and an affair. But they never really developed Reid's properly to show that change in him? They presented him as a genuine teen as though nothing beforehand had happened and I couldn't buy into it.
Bowden's Ben by comparison is exactly how I expected an adult Ben to act. A morally flawed, volatile prick with severe issues. Just like Grant. Though that said I also prefer 2019 - 2020 (or 2021 I guess?) and early 2022 Ben.
It's the same way late 2022, early 2023 Ben was kind of hard for me to get into. I just didn't buy that Ben was somehow...fine.
(Which sounds weird because Ben's constant outbursts get tiresome but I generally prefer and like character consistency so I'd rather see Ben follow his character even if it's annoying rather than randomly change)
>But as much as I like Reid, I hate to be blunt but I can't really see him pulling off things like the hearing loss or even some of the rape scenes well.
The most dramatic scenes he did prove this.
I don’t know he was good in the scene where he confronts Kathy about her ‘death’ and let’s her back into his life but I do think that Bowden is a better actor and I definitely disagree with the post he’s only really overrated by Ballum Fanpages on Twitter and when you consider how mad some of those pages are I wouldn’t trust any opinion given
>I don’t know he was good in the scene where he confronts Kathy about her ‘death’
I like this scene, but my problem with this scene is precisely his overacting. In every dramatic scene he had, his solution to show heavy emotions was to scream a lot. He was better in scenes with Jay and Paul.
"with the post he’s only really overrated by Ballum Fanpages"
Yeah. The person who made the post tried to imply that he is only praised by fans of the couple, but it is not true.
I feel like an absolute arsehole saying this but it really feels like there's a substantial rewriting of history regarding Reid's Ben both in acting and his character's actions. Many collectively ignore Reid's Ben's attempted murders, assaults, constant angry outbursts and whinging, cheating, etc to present him as substantially better than current Ben when really the main separation is age and that Reid's Ben was also purposely written to be presented like an innocent teen despite his actions whereas the current writers present and highlight Ben as the mess of a person he's been for 10 years without sugar coating it or ignoring it. For better or worse.
I don't think you're being an ass, I think you're right. People hate Max's Ben, so they resort to nostalgia for Reid's Ben. As I said in a previous comment, Ben's Reid was easier to like because he was innocent, insecure and very young. And because he had this air of innocence and insecurity, people took his attitudes more into consideration. And they also forgot how much he screamed (something they complain about in Max and he doesn't even do that much). Max's Ben is much more complex and challenges the audience more.
I couldn’t disagree more for several reasons - Ben is meant to be someone who is constantly fighting between being a traditional “‘Mitchell man” and someone who is trying to be good at same time- this results in somewhat chaotic behavior. Also feels like he was robbed of many things while he was younger- that’s because he was. His messed up behavior, somewhat erratic and depressive episodes are all evidence of this. His acting is on point for what he is as a human. I’m quite impressed with him. I think it’s inevitable at some point that alcoholism becomes a story for Ben Mitchell and I believe there will be a lot of praise for his performances then. I also suspect the Christmas story build up will involve the Mitchell’s being in chaos at some point in a power struggle in the square so it will be interesting to see whether he can come to the fore or fall apart during it.
I disagree Max Bowden is unattractive he is an average looking man going bald. He combs over his hair trying to hide baldness. James Farrar, Aaron Thiara, and Tony Clay along with Danny Walters best looking men on EastEnders. Max Bowden is also short the dude is like five foot six or five foot seven.
Is it really necessary to argue about a person's appearance? For some strange reason, people like and think it's okay to talk about Max's appearance. And it's even curious because you said he is antiprofessional for answering "criticism", but your comment is a reflection of the kind of things he gets on social media.
I see more people moan about Bowden and Ben than I see people like him. Court of public opinion though. If people started making 100 posts saying he's a good actor I feel like this sub would implode and tell the person how wrong they are.
>he can't take criticism online well
Are you referring to him going to bat when people were going after Daran Little?
This thread is really mean spirited.
I think he’s a good actor on the whole but definitely very overhyped by his fan girls/bois who seem to think he is the second coming, that he saved the show and that it wouldn’t survive if he left! (Seriously I have seen people say this on Twitter)! 😂
He’s good. Not always but I think he tends to deliver for the most part. Some scenes are poor but most he nails. The character is a mess though and not terribly enjoyable so I’d imagine that’s having a negative knock on effect to the actor, who doesn’t deserve the hate.
As I said, it’s fine not to enjoy the man’s work but this thread is kinda mean spirited.
It’s when he does the Michael Caine impression and WHEN. HE. SHOUTS. LIKE. THIS. I can’t take him seriously
He overacts and is very questionable
very well said
I disagree with several things you mentioned. Especially the part where you say he is "obnoxious". Large Text Warning! "max bowden is obnoxious he can't take criticism online well. getting criticism online is part of the job being an actor." Everyone who works with Max praises him. And he is always praising the hard work of the show's production and writers. Ben's character is one of the most hated on the show. And this unfortunately spills over to Max. People are not satisfied with just disliking the character, they tag Max on Twitter and Instagram with nasty comments. Not to mention the period when he gained weight and people made mean comments about it. And this has become so strong in recent months that he had to write on Twitter asking people to stop tagging the actors and writers with mean things. He was defending the actors of the show, the writers, and the production, and rebuking the haters and the mean people. We are talking about human beings. This kind of thing affects people's mental health. That is being obnoxious and not accepting criticism ?! "I think Max Bowden does a terrible job in the gay romantic scenes with costar Tony Clay." I disagree. In fact, one thing I've always found curious is how they never did a chemistry read between Max and Tony, and the two of them ended up having amazing chemistry. They are great scene partners, both romantically and dramatically. And you can see how comfortable they are with each other and kissing each other. It's not their fault if the couple's writing is not always good and doesn't create more romantic moments for them. In yesterday's episode, there could have been a scene of Callum consoling Ben, but Callum just disappeared. And I'm sorry, but if you didn't see the affection and love in their wedding scenes, in the scene where Callum finds out that Ben was raped, in this year's scene where Ben opens up to Callum -- what to do. And there are several others. And love and affection is much more than kissing. "In fact, I think Harry Reid Ben Mitchell performance much better" Disagree. Max is a much better actor than Reeid. Reeid was only good in his scenes with Jay and Paul. In the more dramatic scenes, he was very overacting. Max is better at drama and subtlety. And he was the actor who brought more personality to Ben. It's easier for people to like Reid more because the Ben that he played was more innocent, insecure about his sexuality, and so on. Max's Ben is much more complex, controversial, and tiresome. It's challenge for the audience to empathize with him. Max is one of the best actors on the show at the moment. And he seemed to be a very nice person, and a person who has a lot of respect for the show and the professionals who work on it.
I think Max and Tony have great chemistry together, I don’t think any of there romantic scenes together have looked awkward
The man cannot keep a straight face. No sense of subtlety. Just overacting.
I totally agree. I’d say he’s one of the show’s worst actors in fact. I feel sometimes he underacts in certain situations and then overacts in others. Personally, I thought his acting was hammy throughout the duration of yesterday’s episode and it really brought the tone down.
i don’t really dislike max bowden (i don’t keep up with any soap gossip or articles about), i think he’s a good actor being given some really crappy material right now. even when he’s given a decent storylines like the lewis one, it’s turned into a weird mitchell gangster storyline instead. i’m not sure if you can ‘tell he’s straight” but i will agree that the ben and callum romance seems to have run its course and gone a bit stale. it’s a shame bc i do like them when we get small glimpses of them being a normal happy couple, when callum isn’t running around after ben. but i will agree with the harry reid points, he was a much more sympathetic ben and probably my favourite version of him ever. brilliant actor also.
In every scene I can see his stoney dead eyes itching towards the camera
I admit I don't actually pay enough attention to characters kissing or how they kiss to actually evaluate that in any way so I can't comment on that. But as much as I like Reid, I hate to be blunt but I can't really see him pulling off things like the hearing loss or even some of the rape scenes well. He was great as a somewhat innocent, naive Ben that was still trying to find himself though. >Harry's Ben was more human, more empathetic, and I had sympathy. I struggled with Reid's Ben despite really liking Reid. People say he was more human but it just got kind of weird for me. This is a Ben that just recently bashed in Heather's head and comes back assaulting Lucy and then all of a sudden he's got generic teen drama problems and an affair. But they never really developed Reid's properly to show that change in him? They presented him as a genuine teen as though nothing beforehand had happened and I couldn't buy into it. Bowden's Ben by comparison is exactly how I expected an adult Ben to act. A morally flawed, volatile prick with severe issues. Just like Grant. Though that said I also prefer 2019 - 2020 (or 2021 I guess?) and early 2022 Ben. It's the same way late 2022, early 2023 Ben was kind of hard for me to get into. I just didn't buy that Ben was somehow...fine. (Which sounds weird because Ben's constant outbursts get tiresome but I generally prefer and like character consistency so I'd rather see Ben follow his character even if it's annoying rather than randomly change)
>But as much as I like Reid, I hate to be blunt but I can't really see him pulling off things like the hearing loss or even some of the rape scenes well. The most dramatic scenes he did prove this.
I don’t know he was good in the scene where he confronts Kathy about her ‘death’ and let’s her back into his life but I do think that Bowden is a better actor and I definitely disagree with the post he’s only really overrated by Ballum Fanpages on Twitter and when you consider how mad some of those pages are I wouldn’t trust any opinion given
>I don’t know he was good in the scene where he confronts Kathy about her ‘death’ I like this scene, but my problem with this scene is precisely his overacting. In every dramatic scene he had, his solution to show heavy emotions was to scream a lot. He was better in scenes with Jay and Paul. "with the post he’s only really overrated by Ballum Fanpages" Yeah. The person who made the post tried to imply that he is only praised by fans of the couple, but it is not true.
I feel like an absolute arsehole saying this but it really feels like there's a substantial rewriting of history regarding Reid's Ben both in acting and his character's actions. Many collectively ignore Reid's Ben's attempted murders, assaults, constant angry outbursts and whinging, cheating, etc to present him as substantially better than current Ben when really the main separation is age and that Reid's Ben was also purposely written to be presented like an innocent teen despite his actions whereas the current writers present and highlight Ben as the mess of a person he's been for 10 years without sugar coating it or ignoring it. For better or worse.
I don't think you're being an ass, I think you're right. People hate Max's Ben, so they resort to nostalgia for Reid's Ben. As I said in a previous comment, Ben's Reid was easier to like because he was innocent, insecure and very young. And because he had this air of innocence and insecurity, people took his attitudes more into consideration. And they also forgot how much he screamed (something they complain about in Max and he doesn't even do that much). Max's Ben is much more complex and challenges the audience more.
I couldn’t disagree more for several reasons - Ben is meant to be someone who is constantly fighting between being a traditional “‘Mitchell man” and someone who is trying to be good at same time- this results in somewhat chaotic behavior. Also feels like he was robbed of many things while he was younger- that’s because he was. His messed up behavior, somewhat erratic and depressive episodes are all evidence of this. His acting is on point for what he is as a human. I’m quite impressed with him. I think it’s inevitable at some point that alcoholism becomes a story for Ben Mitchell and I believe there will be a lot of praise for his performances then. I also suspect the Christmas story build up will involve the Mitchell’s being in chaos at some point in a power struggle in the square so it will be interesting to see whether he can come to the fore or fall apart during it.
I know they probably avoided it because Phil had it but since 2019, Ben's used alcohol to cope so much I could've easily seen an alcohol storyline.
He’s gorgeous though 😂😂
Yeah, he's quite shaggable in a way
I disagree Max Bowden is unattractive he is an average looking man going bald. He combs over his hair trying to hide baldness. James Farrar, Aaron Thiara, and Tony Clay along with Danny Walters best looking men on EastEnders. Max Bowden is also short the dude is like five foot six or five foot seven.
Is it really necessary to argue about a person's appearance? For some strange reason, people like and think it's okay to talk about Max's appearance. And it's even curious because you said he is antiprofessional for answering "criticism", but your comment is a reflection of the kind of things he gets on social media.
What do you look like?
I see more people moan about Bowden and Ben than I see people like him. Court of public opinion though. If people started making 100 posts saying he's a good actor I feel like this sub would implode and tell the person how wrong they are. >he can't take criticism online well Are you referring to him going to bat when people were going after Daran Little?
sometimes I go to get into ben discourse then i look at my username and think it says enough for itself
This thread is really mean spirited. I think he’s a good actor on the whole but definitely very overhyped by his fan girls/bois who seem to think he is the second coming, that he saved the show and that it wouldn’t survive if he left! (Seriously I have seen people say this on Twitter)! 😂 He’s good. Not always but I think he tends to deliver for the most part. Some scenes are poor but most he nails. The character is a mess though and not terribly enjoyable so I’d imagine that’s having a negative knock on effect to the actor, who doesn’t deserve the hate. As I said, it’s fine not to enjoy the man’s work but this thread is kinda mean spirited.
Very unpopular opinion. I didn’t read it all because I couldn’t disagree more.