Favorite Actors

Ok, so maybe I haven't posted in quite some time. A month to be exact. That's petty lame, but I've been busy with a broken laptop/Wuthering Heights/studying for AP tests/registering for classes/ etc. And the truth is I haven't really watched any new movies that interested me recently.(Dark City does, but I don't like commenting on a movie until I've seen the whole). I've been on more of a theatre kick lately, getting excited for the Tony awards. But in a feeble attempt to keep my grade up, I decided to post a hastily composed blog, purely because I do love movies, and not at all because Mr. Bennett told me to.

Alright, so while I haven't been watching a lot of movies lately. I did read something yesterday that made me think about the cinema. A girl from the original Broadway cast of Hair was asked how she felt about being naked on stage. Wasn't she scared or embarrassed? Her answer was this, which I instantly wrote down because I thought it was very eloquent: "Acting is being private in public." With that in mind, I'm making a list of my favorite actors. I have no idea how many I'm going to write about, I guess however many the time constraints of eighth period will allow. I'm sorry to say I've never been blessed with the ability to make neat lists of five. So here's a yet undetermined number of my favorite actors:

James Dean
My favorite actor of all time. I sat down randomly a couple of years ago and watched all three of his movies, and my life has never been the same. Corny, but true. Like Cordelia, I guess, I can't fully express how much his performances mean to me and why. I'll try to sum it up by saying that he really is, to me at least, the epitome of that quote. When you watch his characters,and yes, they are all anguished and tormented, you feel not as if you're watching a studied performance but a real human being react and feel.His instincts are almost animalistic; you can honestly see him aging and changing on screen, even if he doesn't move a muscle. That's talent. It takes A LOT for me to forget I'm watching a performance,but somehow whenever I watch any of his movies I completely forget I'm watching an actor. It feels more like I'm watching a friend, or some different form of myself. Very difficult to explain.(And, honestly, I never could understand the comparison between him and Brando. I truly feel like they're worlds apart).

Ralph Fiennes
I've heard a few people say that Ralph isn't a very versatile actor and doesn't really pick very different roles. I can almost see where that comes from. While he has played admirable good guys (Maid in Manhattan anyone? No?) it's clear that he excels and enjoys playing sociopaths. His Heatchliff was brilliant, his Harry in In Bruges hilarious and terrifying at the same time, and his Amon Goeth is simple one of the best performances on film. So, ok, maybe he doesn't seem in a hurry to be a James Bond, he prefers the villains. Good. He's the very best actor for that. Rather than sinking into two dimensional antagonists, Ralph's villains are dynamic, often much more interesting than the good guys.He fills his characters with such dimension that they always come so tragically close to true humanity,yet ultimately fail to reach that state of compassion. Brilliant.

Gary Oldman
Most versatile actor ever. Not many people have the requisite talent to be both Beethoven and Sid Vicious in their careers, but he can do that and more. Not only are all of his characters different, but he is utterly unrecognizable in it. True to form with classic British training, he transforms himself to fit a role rather than adapting a role to himself. Truly, he is the definition of a chameleon, and everything a dedicated actor should strive to be. Maybe the reason he's never been nominated for an Oscar(!)is that the Academy just can't recognize that Sirius Black, Dracula,Lee Harvey Oswald, Commissioner Gordon, and the bad guy from Air Force One is all the same actor, rather than a whole handful of people.

Laurence Olivier
Yea, he overacts sometimes. I could care less. I'd prefer overacting to underacting any day KEANU. Something I love about his performances is that while it is clear that he took the time to carefully analyze his character, he injects his performances with a semblance of realism. That's actually quite a feat when you're performing Shakespeare. Truthfully, I think he represents a more classical form of acting that I'm sad doesn't exist anymore. People now become actors to be famous, but one never doubts that Olivier respected his craft.

Jimmy Stewart
First of all, I don't understand how anyone could not want to marry Jimmy Stewart. But that's pretty irrelevant I guess. This list is about acting, and I think Jimmy was the maybe best actor of his generation. I think he's certainly the most iconic. In pretty much all of his movies, but especially his work with Frank Capra, Jimmy represented an American ideal that clearly meant as much to him as it did to his characters. I have a tradition of watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington every 4th of July, because I can't think of a better movie or better character than Jefferson Smith to represent the best things about America. A character that could, in less expert hands, be cartoonish and flat, became completely dynamic, human, passionate, raw, and real. I read an interview with Donna Reed where she said that Jimmy kept her on her toes because he would get so deeply into his characters he would at times go off script. I think that's very clear, because every single one of his characters is portrayed with care and, most importantly, passion. Like Olivier, I think he represents a more golden age of acting.

Peter O'Toole
I bought Lawrence of Arabia on sale and I did NOT think I would like it, but it actually became one of my favorite movies. For those of you who don't know about this movie, I'll give you a brief little synopsis: 3 hours long. desert. no romance.(well, that last one I guess depends on who you ask but I won't go into that). My point is that it takes an actor of considerable skill to carry a movie like that and to make every single second exciting and enjoyable. Beautiful as O'Toole's blue eyes are, they alone aren't enough to keep you engaged in a movie like this. His talent is. I've seen LOT of his movies now, and I've yet to tire of him. Even when he plays character very similar to himself, he's still one of the best actors I've ever seen. The best example of this is the film Venus, which I would recommend to anyone. Though I think most people would rather compare him to Olivier (all those Brits are alike, right?) he's much more a James Dean to me. Even now, when he's in his late 70s, he still seems as youthful as he did in his very first movies. And just as passionate about acting, even though he's been doing it for years.

OK I'll stop here. This definitely isn't even close to all of my favorite actors, but I've been in the "bathroom" for a good 40 minutes and Mrs. Baldari may wonder where I am.