sono haiyuu no engi wa totemo shizen da to omoimasu.

I think that actor’s acting is very natural.

Breakdown of sono haiyuu no engi wa totemo shizen da to omoimasu.

• は: topic particle
• の: possessive case particle
• とても: very
• と: quotative particle

Questions & Answers about sono haiyuu no engi wa totemo shizen da to omoimasu.

In this sentence, what does その mean, and how is it different from あの?

その means “that” and is used when:

• The thing has already been mentioned in the conversation, or
• The listener is assumed to know which one you mean (it’s in the listener’s area, physically or mentally).

So その俳優 is like “that actor (we’re talking about / you know about)”.

あの also means “that”, but:

• It usually refers to something far from both speaker and listener, or
• Something both speaker and listener can see over there, or
• A well-known person/thing, like あの俳優 = “that (famous) actor”.

In your sentence, その俳優 suggests a specific actor that has already been introduced in the conversation or is clearly understood from context.

What is the function of の between 俳優 and 演技?

Here の links two nouns and shows a “possessive” or “of” relationship.

• 俳優 = actor
• 演技 = acting / performance (as acting)
• 俳優の演技 = “the actor’s acting/performance” or “the acting of the actor”

So A の B here is like “B of A” or “A’s B” in English.
Another example: 彼の声 = his voice.

What exactly does 演技 mean? Does it always refer to acting?