What’s on now: Network, now streaming on Netflix. A friend told me it was a classic, and it's okay so far.
In other news: Apparently folks are talking seriously about making a Top Gun 2... erm... okay... Why?
Today's fun fact: In X-Men: First Class, it took makeup artists almost six hours to do Jennifer Lawrence's body work for her role as Mystique.
Toss a rock in Hollywood (not recommended, said rock is probably worth more than you are) and you’ll probably hit an actor, or at least someone in the food industry aspiring to be an actor. There’s hundreds of them, and they’re everywhere, not just in Cali. And no matter how hard they try, not all of them are going to make it. It’s a cold truth, and I do feel bad for those who have their hearts set on something so much and want it so desperately, but probably won’t get it. Seriously, I think I feel tears welling up.
The fact of the matter is, there is only so much room for stars in such a saturated industry. One in maybe a thousand actors actually “make it.” There are a limited number of roster slots for the Tom Hankses and the Brad Pitts and the Denzel Washingtons of the world. Everyone wants to be them, but there just isn’t space.
This post is not about those people.
There is a third category between the multi-gazillionaire superstars and the desperate hopefuls who, between busing tables, daydream about walking the red carpet someday. These are actors who I believe have made it, but for some reason don’t seem to get the respect and admiration they so deserve.
There are many reasons why these people might be perpetually flying under the radar. Maybe they keep their noses clean and their business out of the tabloids. Maybe they’re just not as pretty (which is certainly not the case for some of the gents featured in this post, I assure you). But they have proven, to me at least, that their acting chops are not to be trifled with.
I fervently believe that most if not all of the following could act circles around plenty of today’s A-listers. Where are their awards? Granted, some of them have won a couple, but mostly for indie projects that the average viewer has never even heard of let alone seen.
As part of an experiment, I read the following list of 10 men to a friend, who would consider herself to be a casual movie-watcher. She did not know a single one of them offhand. She might have recognized one or two if I had shown her pictures of them. But if I asked her about, say, Russell Crowe, she could picture him and name at least two or three of his movies off the top of her head.
The list is in reverse order, leading up to who I think is the absolute most severely underappreciated actor at the moment, including my three favorite performances done by each one. These guys deserve some recognition, even if it only comes from die-hard movie geeks like me.
There are probably some folks out there (namely those who actually went to film school and other such critics) who would look at this list and think I’m either nuts or at least my taste is in the range of "questionable" to "bloody awful." Well, my blog means my list and it took me forever so if y’all are gonna be mean, bugger off. Otherwise, read on!
10. Bill Pullman
Bill Pullman is one of those guys who, for a long time, I thought was just in every movie. No big. I seriously see him everywhere, not so much recently. I finally figured out why. The guy had been steadily working, mostly in movies, for 25 years. TWENTY-FIVE. That’s longer than I have been alive! He mostly plays the small roles, the supporting roles that most people don’t even notice, but were still important. Of the three small awards he’s been nominated for, he’s won them all. Pretty cool to be batting 1.00. I enjoy his subtlety, and I’ll always remember him as one of the coolest Presidents of the United States.C4CC’S Picks
9. Neal McDonough
Neal McDonough hasn’t been in as much, but everything he has done has been good. His acting is solid at the very least, and he does a lot of character acting, at least by my limited understand of what character acting actually is. McDonough is something of a perpetual supporter, it seems. Either that or a perpetual ensemble actor. But the reason he finds himself on my list is because even in the small roles that are his bread and butter, he always makes himself noticed. Part of it are his laser-like eyes, which are a startling blue color so intense, you half expect him to break the fourth wall with them. But the other part is how he always seems to make you care about his character, as minor as he may be.C4CC’S Picks
8. Sean Astin
Seriously, where the hell is this guy’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar? He wasn’t even nominated for his performance in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Samwise Gamgee. The award ultimately went to Tim Robbins for Mystic River, by the way. TRAVESTY. This man perfectly played the only thing that kept Frodo from epically failing his equally epic quest in the most epic fantasy trilogy EVER. The man was spot on in one of the greatest films of all time, and no one even knows who he is. He’s got more raw emotion oozing out of him in any performance he gives than I don’t even know what. He can cry convincingly at the drop of a hat. To me, that is a hallmark of a master. But also, Sean Astin is a pro at giving us characters that we can’t help but root for. Ever heard of a little film called Rudy? And did I mention that he is one of the few child actors out there who didn’t turn into a drug-addicted, questionably psychotic mess?
C4CC’s Picks
7. Keith David
Another case similar to Bill Pullman. Keith David has been in quite a lot, but as smaller supporting roles that are important enough to have names and smallish story archs but not exactly a headliner. One thing David does quite a lot that Pullman does not, however, is voice acting. David has this rich, deep, rumbly voice that he has lent to a couple beloved animated characters.Remember Gargoyles? If you answered no, I weep for you. One of the most fantastic Saturday morning cartoons of my childhood that managed to be funny, dark, violent and educational all at once. It successfully traumatized an entire generation into understanding the danger of playing with guns in a single episode. No other cartoon has managed so much so fast! David lent his sultry baritone to Goliath, the main character.
Seriously, check out David’s imdb profile. He works on at least ten projects a year, and he does absolutely everything. Movies, TV, video games, voiceovers, everything. The man is a jack of all trades and master of them all.
C4CC’s Picks
6. Stanley Tucci
The only reason Tucci isn’t number 3 or higher on this list is because, unlike a lot of the other fellows on this list, I think he’s starting to pick up a little momentum in his notoriety. I think if a lot of people saw a picture of him, they would say, “Oh yeah… that guy.” That guy indeed. What I love most about him is that he’s very much a chameleon. Some actors, even those that are superstars, seem to play the same guy in every movie they’re in. Rugged cowboy goes to the moon. Rugged cowboy is a single dad struggling to raise his teenage son. Rugged cowboy has to lead ragtag group of survivors through zombie-infested Wichita. You get the drift. But Tucci doesn’t do that. His characters are varied and unique with each different movie. In one film he makes you chuckle, in the next he makes you shake your fist at the screen. And his only Oscar nomination (for Best Supporting Actor) so far came from The Lovely Bones, a movie pretty much everyone I know, myself included, didn’t even like! What does that tell you?C4CC’S Picks
5. Michael Fassbender
Much like Tucci, Fassbender is only this far down the list because he’s an up and comer. He just hasn’t become a household name yet. He’s all the rage in the murky underworld of movie buffs, and I think he’s certainly on deck to become the next big thing. He’s even already had some pretty mainstream big-time projects out that should grab the casual moviegoers’ attention. Mark my words, in the next couple of years, everyone is going to know who Michael Fassbender is. The Fass, as he is affectionately known as to those of us weirdos who are comparable to meth-heads when it comes to the cinemas. He has a powerful presence on the screen, with the regality of a tiger. Not to mention that he can do just about anything. Action, foreign films, sci-fi, indie, drama, historical… you name it, not only has he probably already done it, but he has guaranteed kicked its ass to boot. I’m very much looking forward to watching how his career progresses. Already he is the sort of actor who will get my bum in a seat if his name is attached to a project. C4CC’S Picks
4. Christoph Waltz
Another fellow who could be at the top of the list, but was docked a couple points because he seems to be gaining notoriety. Waltz has been in the game for about 35 years. 35. Holy crap that’s a long time. Only thing is, he didn’t start gaining momentum in America until 2009 with Quentin Tarantino’s holy-craptastic Inglourious Basterds. Just to clarify, holy-crapstatic is a synonym for omg-that-was-so-freaking-awesome. With his character of SS Col. Hans Landa, Waltz easily became the most terrifying, hated and yet twistedly beloved character of the year. He plays evil and/or crazy ridiculously well. He’s played that guy in the couple of movies I’ve seen him in so far. I’ll be interested to see if he gets pigeonholed as a bad guy actor, kind of like the path Mark Strong seems to be headed down these days. I think he can do anything. We’ll just have to wait and see.C4CC’S Picks
3. Jensen Ackles
I know what you’re thinking: “Who the hell is Jensen Ackles?” If you’re asking that, I pity you. Now, I’ll admit, I’m slightly biased toward this man. He’s one of the stars of Supernatural, possibly my favorite TV show ever and as such, I may have a slight blind spot for him. Not to mention that he is drop-dead gorgeous. (Never really understood that phrase… things that up and drop dead tend to not be so attractive…) But I tried my hardest to grade him based solely on his acting chops… And he still came out as No. 3. Why? I’ll tell you why. His performances move me. He makes me feel what his character is feeling. When his character is angry, I cheer for him to go on a rage rampage. When his character cries, I want to rip my heart out and give it to him just so he can have one that isn’t broken. When he cracks a joke, I laugh every time. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but Jensen put some kind of spell on me. He’s something of CW stock actor, appearing on multiple shows such as Dawson’s Creek and Smallville until finally landing a lead role on Supernatural (heart times infinity). He’s only done a couple of smaller movies, though My Bloody Valentine 3D had a fairly wide release (unfortunately it was rather terrible). He seems content to stay out of the mainstream spotlight, something I respect him for. Still, I would love to seem him in a big-budget action flick or something. His talents should be shared with the whole world, not just the couple hundred thousand of us who know and adore Supernatural.C4CC’S Picks
- Supernatural
- Ten Inch Hero
- EVERYTHING ELSE
2. Jim Cummings
I guarantee you know who this is. No, really. I mean, you wouldn’t know who you were looking at if I showed you a picture of him. I probably wouldn’t know him if I randomly saw a picture of him. But once he opens his mouth, you’ll know. Cummings has lent his voice to dozens of beloved characters for decades. His most well-known is Tigger. He’s arguably the most prolific and talented voice actor in the game. He’s one of those guys that you swear has already been around forever but is still going strong. Of all the men on this list, he’s by far done the most. This guy must wake up laughing. Just the gig as Tigger’s voice alone should have him totally rolling in green. And he has the benefit of no paparazzi (who would know who he is anyway?) and no crazed fans attacking him wherever he goes. Must be the life.
C4CC’S Picks
1. Paul Bettany
One question: Where the HELL is this man’s trove of awards??!!Funny truth: He hasn’t even been in much compared to some of the other guys on this list. I’ve seen 11 of his movies, in two of which he was the voice of a computer. But he’s memorable and he’s authentic. I love how he’s someone I love to cheer for, but he can also be the scariest dude ever. Just check out The DaVinci Code. His characters tend to be the ones you can’t take your eyes off of. Also, he’s someone who will get my butt in a movie theatre seat. I HATE horror movies, mostly because I’m something of a wuss with an overactive imagination. But I sucked it up and rented Legion, just because Bettany was in it. Scared the ever living out of me, but it was still worth it to see one more sample of the man’s work. He’s not exactly a spring chicken, but he doesn’t need youth to be magnetic on the screen. This is a man who will be doing this until he’s a very old man, and doing it damn well.
C4CC’S Picks
3. Master and Commander: Far Side of the WorldI can't help but feel like I'm forgetting someone, or a few someones. There are a couple of folks like Gary Oldman and David Thewlis that arguably should be on the list, but I ended up deciding they were a bit more well-known than some of the other guys. It was hard to pick only 10. I was at this thing more nearly two months, mostly because I just couldn't make up my mind on who deserved it more. When I started compiling this little ditty, no one knew who the bloody hell Michael Fassbender was, but now that he was nominated for a Golden Globe (and should have gotten it ::angry face::), his notoriety should pick up some steam. And looking back, there are some folks who I now think would have done better in this listing than some of the people I picked. But at this point my blog-ideas notebook is overflowing with backlog, I can't stand thinking about this list anymore and my brain is about to explode.
Let's just say it'll be a while before I suck it up and make that "10 Underappreciated Actresses" list.
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