Range of Character

Re: Range of Characters

Re: Range of Characters

Re: Range of Characters

Re: Range of Characters

Re: Range of Characters

Sorry I don't mean to pick on you here, but I just don't agree with a lot of these.

pippin06:

I would also add Kevin Spacey (consider The Usual Suspects, American Beauty, Midnight in the Garden..., Superman Returns...);

Ok, I haven't seen that many of his movies, but to me he seems to retain certain traits every time I see him.  I saw something on another web page where someone was saying every character he plays is always very smug.  That seemed pretty true to me.

pippin06:

Johnny Depp.  Johnny's repertoire is so wide and varied, even if half of his films were directed by Tim Burton.  Remember: he was Cry Baby and Edward Scissorhands and Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka and George Jung (I think that was his name) and Agent Sands and Ichabod Crane and a whole bunch of characters from the straight-laced to the weird yet wonderful.

Depp is good, although doesn't it feel like every movie he's done since Fear & Loathing still has a lingering bit of Hunter S. Thompson in him?

pippin06:

Of the old ilk, I nominate Cary Grant.  He played comedies, dramas, thrillers, screwballs...he had quite a few different types of roles in his decades of acting.

I just cannot fathom how Cary Grant came to your mind here.  He seems like the total opposite of what we are talking about here.  I've always seen him as the quintessential lead actor who always plays himself in every movie.  But he's handsome and charming and consistant, and that's usually what makes a lead actor like that.  Maybe I'm wrong and haven't seen enough of his films.

Re: Range of Characters

Um, ok.  I'm not married to any of my choices, I was just tossing out a few names that represented to me some diverse and rangey acting.  Now, maybe they aren't the rangiest of actors, but the question was what are some..., not what is the...?  So, I tossed out a few.  I can be convinced either way, but I usually am attracted to actors who do have the wide span, who aren't quite so predictable.  And these popped into my head (Meryl Streep would have too).  I noticed you didn't comment on DeNiro, by the by.

I would agree to disagree about Kevin Spacey.  The only trait he *sometimes* retains is that Kevin Spacey voice that always has an edge of smartass to him.  I've seen an awful lot of his flicks, and I really don't believe he is limited in his range.  I agree that Philip Seymour Hoffman is a chameleon in some ways, and perhaps Kevin doesn't fit that criteria, but from Verbal Kint to that lieutentant in LA Confidential to Jim Williams in Midnight to Lester Burnham to David Gale to Bobby Darin to Lex Luthor, to name a few.  I'm having trouble drawing similar traits across all those lines other than the occasional smartass delivery (a la Verbal, Lester, and Lex).

I don't get that same feeling about Johnny Depp, no, at least not recently as Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka and J.M. Barrie...plus, he's about to frickin' play Sweeney Todd, where he'll be singing...Um, so no.  I don't think he's carried that role with him.

As for Cary Grant, I guess I'm comparing his earlier films to his later films, which were mainly romance comedies or dramas.  When he was a younger man, it wasn't about him being handsome, and he really played very different roles.  The one that shoots glaringly to mind is Bringing Up Baby.  He was purposefully made not so handsome and was whiny and silly and Katharine Hepburn's screwball counterpart...David was his name in that.  Sure, when he got old and made An Affair to Remember, stuff like that became his trademark.

I guess I was also trying to think of someone from the old guard who could command that range, but the old guard is a tough sell on range because actors weren't bred to take risks and challenge themselves back in those days.  The ones who tried were considered eccentric.  Stars were brand names, after all.  Now, I'm not hard and fast on Cary Grant, but to suggest he was just a handsome charming man born to play lead seems to be doing somewhat of an injustice to him and his acting ability and range.

Re: Range of Characters

Re: Range of Characters

One that pops in my mind quickly was Edward Norton. Seems to have the same smarmy tone to his voice all the time, but I guess it's to be expected.

I thought he perfomed brilliantly in Primal Fear, southern accent and all, and then you think about how bad ass he came across in American History X.

Played a very convincing degenerate in Rounders and I think it can be widely agreed upon that playing the role of a downtroden office employee suited him very well. Seemed to fall right into his role in Fight Club, like it was comfortable and normal for him.

The role in 25th hour wasn't necessarily the most demanding in the way of acting, but he certainly didn't disappoint.

Didn't see all of Everyone Says I Love you, but the parts I saw were convincing. Musical and all. (not the biggest fan)

 I hear The Illusionist is worth seeing as well.

 It was easy to hate him in Death To Smoochy. And he didn't do too terrible as Larry Flynt's lawyer either.

Just wanted to point out too. I love Hunter S. Thompson, and I agree with Risselada, Johnny Depp will forever be Hunter S. Thompson.

Re: Range of Characters

John Turturro; hell, I even like saying his name.

Re: Range of Characters