If there’s one thing I don’t appreciate in Hollywood, it is the over-use of an actor. Now don’t get me wrong, I love seeing my favorite actor(s) in as many movies as possible and I enjoy seeing them on screen, testing their range and trying new things but I hate it when they are suddenly everywhere at once. They,very quickly, become so popular that they’re in pretty much everything, then they disappear for a while and come back in bit parts in so many movies spread throughout out the year…take Terrence Howard for instance. I’d like to see him on more films as the lead role, not a supporting actor in Awake. If you’ve seen Hustle & Flow you know he has the talent, and the range. I also don’t like it when Studios seem to give us more of the characters and sequels we didn’t ask for and don’t really care about rather than crafting worthy follow ups to great/established characters or find suitable vehicles for great acting talent.
Anyway, without sounding pompous or whiny, I’ll just cut to the quick and say that while I adore most films, I have my own list of who I consider fine actors, then there are just some actors that I still would like to see in more films. Also if their characters were good, I’d really enjoy a quality sequel too, but for now, these are the actors:
Guy Pierce – after Memento (the first film of his I saw) I instantly was on board to see anything with his name attached. He almost became the new Kevin Costner for me, and even though The Time Machine wasn’t anywhere as great as it should have been, this ‘style’ he had kept me wanting more. He was very fine in The Count of Monte Cristo and I really liked Ravenous, but when he played Andy Warhol inFactory Girl, I was glad to see that he had dug deeper and come up with a role that really surprised and entertained me. It was rumored once that he was considered for Joker in The Dark Knight. While that would have been an even greater turn than his portrayal of Andy, this just never came to pass. He was OK in Traitor, but it felt like he and Don Cheadle weren’t really trying (similar to Val Kilmer in Spartan). With the upcoming release of The Hurt Locker, and a slew of films I am really looking forward to seeing if the depth of character he’ll be playing will increase. He’s been acting very solidly for a decade but now (like Hollywood does with anyone talented) he was in 4 movies in 2008 and will be in 5 this year. I hope he doesn’t get burned out and disappear.
Keanu Reeves – OK, he has some critics and fans hitting him with the “he plays the same role in every film” critique but I’ve got a soft spot for “Ted” Theodore Logan. To me he doesn’t need acting range to be in the films he’s in…that’s why he was cast in The Replacements, Point Break, and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. He’s not a Russell Crowe, an Al Pacino or a Gabriel Byrne. You don’t enter a Corolla in a Grand Prix…why?…because a Corolla is a dependable car that will get you there – not a high performance vehicle. He’s well suited to play Neo and John Constantine, and Kevin Lomax because he will deliver that “everyman” performance in the role. So, although Constantine didn’t break box office records, it was a fun movie that did OK (sure was a much better movie that than Fantastic 4, which did not need a sequel). I would definitely be on board for a Constantine sequel, and really think that should be his next role because like Hellboy and Resident Evil, those movies started small, built a compelling story and finished with an open ending. I say, “Bring on more John Constantine”.
Djimon Hounsou -Following up, in part, on the Constantine bit above, the role of Papa Midnite was a pretty cool character that seemed like he needed more screen time. I became a fan of Djimon’s after Gladiator but was a little afraid he’d been stereotyped with Amistad, Gladiator and The Four Feathers all coming out within 5 years. With some good TV roles on ER and Alias he seemed a new and very versatile actor Hollywood and audiences were looking for. To me, his personal best (although he came a little close to the typecast I was afraid of) was in Blood Diamond. Fantastic acting all the way…I just couldn’t wait to see his next film. After seeing Push, part of me thinks the inspiration for his character Henry Carver came from Midnite, so in my opinion, I feel a little better because that means someone, somewhere thinks he deserved more screen time as well.
Well that’s just my short list for now…and without going into much detail or reasoning, I would also like to see some more work from Kurt Russell, Jean Reno, Freddy Rodriguez, Mos Def and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Anyone out there have any actors you would like to see in something new or in a reprised role?