COLUMN: The bast and worst actors
Hollywood’s soap opera grind of tabloid brouhaha often distracts from the realm of acting in motion pictures. Instead of being masters of their craft, actors are seen as two-timing, drug-induced fruitcakes on the prowl for a good party, a fast car, a one-night-stand or a hooker. Maybe even all of the above. However, there are some actors who actually respect their profession and bring incredible dedication, sacrifice and hard-work to the screen. For them, acting isn’t just a gold mantelpiece or a paycheck. All of the actors who found themselves on “the best” side of the tracks are men who possess two main qualities – the believability quotient (is the performance real or contrived?) and the ability to meld with a role that is out-of-the-ordinary. THE BEST
Tom Hanks Hanks rose from a burgeoning comedian on the television series Bosom Buddies, to his best actor mantelpieces for Philadelphia and Forest Gump, and is one of Hollywood’s best success stories. Hanks is the most versatile actor working today. His best thespian qualities can be seen in Saving Private Ryan and Philadelphia. Look for Hanks to fill the villain’s shoes in next year’s mob flick The Road to Perdition.
Russell Crowe Now is the moment of truth for Crowe. If A Beautiful Mind, the new Ron Howard film due this Christmas, sputters at the box office and is shunned by critics, Crowe could be walking an uphill path for quite some time. He won a best actor Oscar for Gladiator, but should have won a year earlier for his role in The Insider, where he packed on 30 pounds, replaced his Aussie accent with a southern drawl and showed that his intensity and believability are first-class talents.
Anthony Hopkins Watch Silence of the Lambs and then watch Nixon, and tell me Hopkins is not one of the best actors. It was very difficult for me to watch his newest movie Hearts in Atlantis and not hear his Lecterian accent saying, “Goodie, goodie” or “Hello, Clarice.” Hopkins was nominated for a best actor Oscar in 1995 for Nixon, in 1993 for The Remains of the Day and won the trophy in 1991 for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. Even in his lesser roles, Hopkins is a standout performer, adding flavor to a potentially bland group of films.
Kevin Spacey Spacey won a best supporting actor Oscar in 1995 for his role as Roger Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects, a film that stamped Spacey’s name permanently on the map of stardom. Since his 1995 Oscar, Spacey has collected another, winning the coveted best actor award for his performance in American Beauty. Spacey’s charm is his ordinary demeanor and voice. His looks are not breathtaking but conveyance of reality to the screen – especially “everyman, everyday life” reality – places him in the top of the actor population. Look for him this winter in the drama The Shipping News.
THE WORST
Ben Affleck He’s got the looks and the muscles, but he keeps churning out heartless performances. Pearl Harbor was a carbon copy of Armageddon, and the future holds the same gag-inducing roles, because Mr. Affleck will be taking Harrison Ford’s gig as Jack Ryan, starring in the upcoming The Sum of All Fears. There is no hope here. Really.
Nicolas Cage Sure, he won a best actor award for his role in Leaving Las Vegas, but doesn’t a crappy southern accent in Con Air and a gut-wrenching Italian accent in Captain Coreili’s Mandolin automatically invalidate his award? I would think so, especially since the future holds nothing more than a continuation of Jerry Bruckheimer and John Woo films. Cage hits theaters this summer with Windtalkers, of course, directed by John Woo.
George Clooney He may be People magazines sexiest man alive, but his acting is regurgitated from role-to-role. Like Affleck, Clooney is in a talentless comfort zone, and when his little happy bubble eventually breaks, he’ll be back on television. Probably on ER. I’d rather watch Gilbert Gottfried do Hamlet.
Keanu Reeves Again, Reeves tops the all-star handsome list, but he can’t act. My advice to Keanu is simple: Stick with touring with your garage band. Your “huhs” and “uhs” and “whoas” all fit that format perfectly.
Andy Morgan is a graduate student in communications. Commentscan be sent to lordofthejazz@hotmail.com.