The Ten True Stars of Hollywood
Seldom, do you find an actor in Hollywood that is ushered into mega stardom based on their film debut. More often, they slowly make a name for themselves lurking in the shadows of marquee stars or headlining smart indie features for the art house film snobs. Don’t believe me? Had you heard the name Colin Farrell before he robbed scenes from uber charismatic Tom Cruise in Minority Report? Do you think Christian Bale would have had an inkling of a chance to headline the rebirth of the Batman franchise without being the naked, chainsaw-wielding narcissist in American Psycho? Would Matthew McConaughey have gone on to be enticing eye candy for ladies everywhere had he not uttered the immortal line in Dazed and Confused: “That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.” I rest my case. The common bond that all these actors share is that they are a powder keg of talent waiting for the right script to splinter all over the Hollywood landscape. This week I’m firing up my crystal ball and staring into the guts of the film industry to glean who will be your next “must see” actor. That way you can admire them now then get your feathers all ruffled up when the Hollywood machine tries to infect and slowly discount their talent.
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman – I ask you what role can’t he play. Hoffman’s range is second to none whether he’s huffing gasoline in Love Liza or upstaging Ben Stiller “sharting” in filler comedies like Along Came Polly. He’s not what you’d call an attractive man by societies’ cookie cutter definition, yet you can’t rip your eyes away from him when he’s on screen. He’s enigmatic, fiery, nasty and lazy all at the turn of a hand and never falls into being a cliche. He pushes the extremes of emotion and dishes up Oscar worthy performances as if he was born holding a golden statue. He tends to troll the indie circuit because, I imagine, they are serving up the most interesting parts, but never question that this man could be the biggest star in Hollywood if that was what he wanted. Instead, he seems content being the fuel that fires the “can’t miss” films that make a cannonball splash across the art house screen.
Required Viewing: Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love
2. Don Cheadle – Cheadle seems to be an actor that loves flying under the radar. He is always the third man, just to the side of the lead, going off like a blinding bat signal. All we can do is scratch our heads in puzzlement, trying to figure out why he’s playing second banana to these clowns. After the Sunset anyone? When he’s put on equal footing with his co-stars, you can really see his talent take form. In ambitious story arcs like Crash and Traffic and ensemble casts like Ocean’s Eleven, Cheadle stands above the fold for his intense emotional push and easy dexterity interacting with heavyweights like salt and pepper George Clooney and Angelina’s newly designated man meat Brad Pitt. Cheadle fulfilled his promise with leftovers to take home in last year’s searing human drama Hotel Rwanda. If he keeps logging breakthrough performances of that caliber, Hollywood won’t be able to stuff him away in throwaway roles any longer.
Required Viewing: Hotel Rwanda, Crash
3. Edward Norton – From the first moment he lit up the screen with his head turning portrayal of tongue stumbling Aaron in Primal Fear, Edward Norton has defined great acting, becoming a bit of Brando of our time. His performances are always so potent and resonate with you long after the film has flipped past its final frame. What would the classic Rounders have been without the shyster Lester putting Matt Damon between a rock and 20 cop’s fists? Who else could have carried the subtle balance between hatred and redemption as the white supremacist in American History X? Ever since his lackluster turn in the the Italian Job, he’s been laying low. When he does find his way back to the screen (he’s got four films in some phase of production currently) make sure you have tickets for opening night because he has a habit of making poor films curiously watchable and transforming good films into great ones.
Required Viewing: American History X, Rounders
4. Gael Garcia Bernal – Its time to momentarily venture out of our ethnocentric list to snatch up one of the hottest foreign imports this side of Juan Valdez. Bernal is the Spanish Tom Cruise, making a name for himself courtesy of his scruffy good looks and the risky film catalog he’s cultivated, playing everything from a transvestite (Bad Education) to a young, pre-revolutionary Che (Motorcycle Diaries). He’s smart about the directors he aligns himself with and always explores the deep psychological depths of his characters. This fish is getting a little too fat for his pond. I think its time he made the leap to American cinema.
Required Viewing: The Crime of Padre Amaro, Motorcycle Diaries
5. Ed Harris – Ed Harris is a face everyone knows because he’s been around forever, putting forth quality performances, but has never really broken out. He has a laid-back intensity that is striking to watch. Occasionally, he gets his hands on a role that really allows him to display the outer bounds of his talent. No one that saw the talent packed Hours could say that his last days as an AIDS inflicted writer, with an unhealthy attachment to his sister, was anything short of brillant. Echo those sentiments for his bold take on complex artist Jackson Pollock (Pollock). With more roles like these, no one would ever see Harris for anything but the bright shining star that he is.
Required Viewing: Pollock, The Hours
6. Peter Sarsgaard – Prior to the rollout of the summer film extravaganza, Sarsgaard would have been a lock to be a top five candidate after inspiring performances in films like Kinsey, Shattered Glass and The Center of the World. Since, he’s gone on to play cardboard cutouts in Flightplan and Skeleton Key, and I start to cringe at the thought that he’s slowly turning to the dark side, cashing in on the indie magic he’s been weaving over the years. Regardless, when Sarsgaard has a juicy role, that allows him to spread his wings, he can steal the camera’s eye away from Oscar winning actors. He has an incredible mallibility, forming himself to fit just about any part and, usually, he has a very discerning eye in choosing oddball roles that challenge the boundaries of his talent. Even actors gotta eat so I’m writing his acceptance of watered down roles, far beneath his talents, as a momentary blip on a finely polished resume.
Required Viewing: Boys Don’t Cry, Kinsey
7. Claire Danes – When I was a budding freshman in college, I had a massive crush on Claire. In her brief season as Angela Chase, in the highly acclaimed, minimally viewed television drama My So-Called Life, she encapsulated the painful awkwardness and insecurity that come packaged with being a teenager. When she felt disappointment, you could feel that quivering lip in your toes. She transcended the role until she wasn’t acting anymore. It was Claire being betrayed by her best friend. It was Claire trying to figure out why Jordon was ashamed to be seen with her. The series should have been the launching pad to the finest roles Hollywood had to offer, but her film career has largely stalled out, overshadowed by mediocrity in questionable script choices and co-stars that weren’t performing up to par. Regardless, she has always shown up, putting in solid performances in films like Stage Beauty and Little Women. She seems to be poised for a rebirth with two interesting films in theatres (Shopgirl and the Family Stone) so keep your fingers crossed for great things for my college sweetheart.
Required Viewing: My So-Called Life, Romeo & Juliet
8. Billy Crudup – We follow Claire with her man of the moment and no we’re not talking about Jordon Catalano. Billy Crudup first showed up on the radar playing darker characters in Sleepers and Inventing the Abbotts. Though he would go on to cement his talent with leads in two of my all time favorite indie films: Waking the Dead and Without Limits, it wasn’t until Cameron Crowe tapped him to play Stillwater frontman Russell Hammond (Almost Famous) that he became awash in the Hollywood limelight. He’s since burrowed back into the indie features with solid work in Stage Beauty. It ought to be interesting to see if he and Philip Seymour Hoffman can bring their acting chops and indie credentials to the behemoth M:I-3.
Required Viewing: Waking the Dead, Without Limits
9. Cate Blanchett – Cate is a woman on the cusp that many will argue has already made it. While she has tasted the rich creme of Hollywood success in films like Lord of the Rings and her Oscar winning role in the Aviator, she still seems more comfortable captaining the smaller ships. She’s an actress that charges head long into challenging roles, knowing she has the goods to whip them into submission. Oscar talk seems to sprout around any film that she’s involved in, and she consistently stretches your expectations of her whether she’s playing stuffy royalty (Elizabeth) or a backwoods fortuneteller (The Gift). It’s never a stretch to be captivated by Cate.
Required Viewing: Elizabeth, The Gift
10. Jennifer Connelly – I’ll probably catch a lot of flack for my final selection, but I’m standing by my girl. While Jennifer may seem a more likely candidate to vie for the sexiest woman in Hollywood, she is a tremendous actress whose talent supersedes her luscious looks. A woman’s looks in Hollywood are mandatory just to walk onto the studio lot, yet through some cruel twist of fate, those who are too attractive usually aren’t taken seriously as an actress. They’re relegated to the role of trophy wife and told not to get in the way of their bankable male counterparts. Actresses like Connelly and Charlize Theron are forced to muss up their looks or battle though these tired stereotypes to be taken seriously. Connelly may have started out her career by defying gravity in trying to keep her breasts from flopping out of her oh so tight shirt in Career Opportunites, but she’s found roles like House of Sand and Fog and her Oscar winning turn in a Beautiful Mind that really showcase her deeper talent. Thanks to women like Connelly, beauty doesn’t have to be a curse.
Required Viewing: House of Sand and Fog, A Beautiful Mind
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