But here's a list of actors now who will draw me to a new movie...
What a great list Wendy. Very good believable solid actors all. AHhhh yes, your brush with fame (
) with the chameleon Rispoli. There are a couple on your list that I wish would get a real break - out role so they can be shot up through the stratosphere. But you know...who needs the stratosphere when you’re these actors. Now, unlike you, I may probably not run to the movies if I see their name. But seeing that they’re in a project brings me comfort. There are some on your list that really stand out for me. What makes them so “great” to me? My reasons problem won't be very varied. It's that whenever they are on the screen, whatever they say...I...believe...them:
Don Cheadle - I saw him first in
"DEVIL IN THE BLUE DRESS” as Denzel’s sidekick. He’s committed to whatever he has to play. He took my eyes off of Denzel’s matinee idol. In
“OCEAN’S ELEVEN” he is just another cog in that wheel, but that’s okay.
“HOTEL RWANDA” mesmerizing. And in
“CRASH” he stood out for me in an all-star cast. I love his voice.
Lynn Thigpen - Commanding. Picked up where Diana Sands and Rosalind Cash left off. Too too sad when she passed away.
Forest Whitaker - I remember seeing him as a bully on
“DIFF’RENT STROKES” but then I saw him in
“THE CRYING GAME” and he blew my mind. He’s a British soldier held hostage by IRA radicals. He tries to make himself human in their eyes, and gets inside the head of one of them. And got inside my heart. Of course, I was terrified of him in
“THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND.” He’s branched out to directing too. ( Good business move. )
Viola Davis - Hey, Meryl Streep praises her to the heavens DURING the Academy Awards and with good reason...she’s great. I’ve seen her out and about on tv ( “LAW & ORDER” & I was always saying “Who’s that?” ) and then being “the friend” in
“NIGHTS IN RODANTHE” ( oh there’s that girl from tv. ) Yeah, it was just a “friend” part. But she had a short scene in
“DOUBT” where you see she has sacrificed her son up to a priest, which was riveting. I’d love to see her go toe-to-toe opposite Don Cheadle. She was so good in “THE HELP”[/b] but didn’t have the showy role that Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer had.
Gary Oldman - He’s been around, but it was Coppola’s
“DRACULA” that reeled me in. He played a vampire who was both monstrous and love-sick. Then it was his Jamaican drug dealer in “TRUE ROMANCE” gold tooth and natty dreds. But
“ROMEO IS BLEEDING” is my favorite role of his. He plays a crooked cop, taken in by greed and a hot Russian hit-woman who makes him do all manner of things. He’s so frantic descending down a rabbit hole. Oldman’s all over the map in the characters he plays, but not in the character he plays. I love him.
Terence Howard - Well he’s gorgeous with those hazel eyes and raspy voice ( forgive me ) but if I have to talk about is acting...I’d have to go with
“CRASH” which got my attention. I didn’t ( want ) to see
“HUSTLE & FLOW” though it gained him notoriety. He is capable of showing deep wells of emotion. I want his career to be bigger. He's got leading man looks, and the emotion to back things up.
Luis Guzman - When I see him I go, ‘Looey Loooooay!’ He’s in everything. He plays the same kind of part...loud, brash, funny. He just does his thing. I like him.
CCH Pounder - Always has an air of dignity about her. I think she’s solid. There’s no particular break-out role for her, oh wait...
“BAGDAD CAFE” she’s your competent utility player. And I don’t mean that in a dull robotic way. Plays administrative-types: doctor, lawyer...and I daresay Indian chief...if they gave her the chance. She’s carved out a lovely career for herself. She’s always working...working...working. I see her name, I smile.
Lois Smith - Awwwww man!! A friend recently excitedly wanted to show me a scene from “
THE MINORITY REPORT” where Tom Cruise gets schooled by this scientist. “Ya gotta see this actress.” Okay. I never saw the movie so I watched the scene. And there she was. I laughed, “Aahhh Lois Smith.” “Who?” I chuckled again. Yeah, I liked her in “RESURRECTION” “FIVE EASY PIECES” “BLACK WIDOW.” She plays kind of dotty characters. I love her. And now I want to see “The Minority Report.”
Djimon Hounsou - “AMISTAD” “BLOOD DIAMOND” “GLADIATOR.” He’s proven he’s got the chops. But I don’t think Hollywood knows what to do with a big Black man. Not really. I liked that he was a bad guy in
“THE ISLAND.”
Robert Duvall - I like your pick with him Wendy. The creme de la creme, up there with Gene Hackman. Duvall’s career is consistent with diversity. My favorite is the harried cynical tv exec in
“NETWORK.” Close your eyes, throw a dart at his career and you can pick any number of good parts he’s done. There’s an art to being a second banana...who steals the show. Duvall’s a master.
Donald Sutherland - What a veteran. Kind of the weird guy in the beginning of his career, he settled into the interesting guy. The the older “Senator” type. I liked him
“KLUTE” “ DON’T LOOK NOW” and
“A TIME TOKILL.” He gave a poignant performance in “
ORDINARY PEOPLE” trying to keep his family together.
S. Epatha Merkerson - Big fan of
“LAW & ORDER” Not much to do there but dispense orders to the “order” part of the show. But I’ve seen her show her stuff here and there. So good in “LACKAWANNA BLUES.”[/b] Smiled when I saw her at
“LINCOLN.”
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Kind of a surfer dude in
“TWISTER” and snooooty rich boy in
“THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY” a priest in
“DOUBT.” He’s always kind of different. I really liked him
“TILL THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD.” He, too, goes down the rabbit hole and we watch his descent. I wanted to see him chew up the scenery in
“THE MASTER” but I didn’t act fast enough.
Alfre Woodard - A good co-starring turn in
“EXTREMITIES” Always liked her. TV has been a welcomed oasis for her talents. I wish it were in movies but I'll take her wherever she plays.