"'e takes a good part in this"

One of my memories of growing up is hearing my mum and dad arguing over the name of an actress or more rarely an actor as they watched some old film on TV. (I notice a whole list here and here). The other thing I remember my dad saying a lot was "'e [or she] takes a good part in this". The phrase is used I notice but is not very common. I'm not sure what it conveys - mediocre acting on the part of the one cited, a high off screen profile or a knowingness on the part of the spotter.