Versitility

[oakmanc234]

SoNowThen wrote:
JACKIE motherfucking BROWN!!!!

Brilliant. He was absolutely brilliant.

Though I don't think Tarantino wrote a particularly great role for an actor like DeNiro, I liked him as Louis in 'Jackie Brown'. It was weird but amusing seeing him as this stoner/crook who goes loony under pressure.....

"Don't say another word, okay. Keep your mouth shut"
"Yeah bu-"
"I mean it, don't say one fuckin' word, okay"
"Okay Louis"
BANG.....BANG.

[Fernando]

I agree with pretty much everybody in thier choices, don't know about you but Robert Carlyle has done very different roles.

Trainspotting - Played a real asshole.
Full Monty - Kind of a nice guy
Angela's Ashes - Alcoholic father and abusive husband
World is not enough - Bond villian
The Beach - One crazy MF

Never saw the Hitler TV movie.

[jokerspath]

I agree with pretty much everybody in thier choices, don't know about you but Robert Carlyle has done very different roles.

Trainspotting - Played a real asshole.
Full Monty - Kind of a nice guy
Angela's Ashes - Alcoholic father and abusive husband
World is not enough - Bond villian
The Beach - One crazy MF

Never saw the Hitler TV movie.

I remember seeing the preview for some dramatic looking movie (I just looked it up: Go Now) where he is in love and founds out he is terminally ill and it looked all emotional.  I think it was before Trainspotting, but when I saw the preview it changed my outlook on the guy...

aw

[Gold Trumpet]

Heat was good. What year did Heat come out? Also, Meet the Parents was hilarious.

With Heat, (and others like Goodfellas, Goodfellas, and Ronin) I think he more evolved into the modern day Humphrey Bogart. It really wasn't an evolution of his acting abilities at all.

Meet the Parents was De Niro going comedy and more or less brought down to making facial reactions to comedic situations. Nothing really great and Nicholson was even better in that department with As Good As It Gets.

JACKIE motherfucking BROWN!!!!

Brilliant. He was absolutely brilliant

He dressed the part well and did what was required of him, but really, what was that role other than him smoking up and mumbling lines? It was a waste of time for De Niro.

[NEON MERCURY]

billy crudup.....unnderated as a motherphucker.......

big fish hopefully will ....rocket him....

[Vile5]

Sean Penn!
and John Turturro, of course
oh! Gary Oldman too
Susan Sarandon
John Hurt
Holly Hunter
Julianne Moore
Daniel Day Lewis
and more...

[pookiethecat]

Sean Penn!
and John Turturro, of course
oh! Gary Oldman too
Susan Sarandon
John Hurt
Holly Hunter
Julianne Moore
Daniel Day Lewis
and more...

i strongly disagree with julianne moore's versatility.  while she is an outstanding actress, she usually plays the same type of role of a frazzled housewife or jaded maternal figure.  daniel day lewis is a good choice as he has been a native american-bred action hero, a high society gentleman, a rough irish victim of palsy, and a turn of the century new york gang leader/butcher.  

holly hunter is one of the funniest actresses alive but she's also very skilled and compelling in dramatic roles, so i agree with that.  i think her performance in broadcast news is one of my favorite of any actor- male or female- ever.

[Vile5]

i strongly disagree with julianne moore's versatility.  while she is an outstanding actress, she usually plays the same type of role of a frazzled housewife or jaded maternal figure

did you watched Boogie Nights or Magnolia?? what about her "sweetly evil" Mrs. Laura Cheveley in An Ideal Husband?

[pookiethecat]

no need to get frowny.  julianne moore is an awesome actress.  no question about it.  but i wouldn't categorize her as the epitome of versatile considering that yes in both boogie nights and magnolia as well as many of her other performances, she plays a maternal/wifey figure on the verge of a breakdown.  versatility is defined as capable of moving freely in all directions or variable or inconstant; changeable or Having varied uses or serving many functions.  no doubt in my mind julianne could do all of the above.  but has she yet?  that said, i haven't seen an ideal husband.

[Alethia]

well she was kinda different in big lebowski

[swimmingly]

I totally think Julianne is quite versatile.  Although some of her best performances are in the dramatic genre, I find them all to be so specific and filled with nuance making each one quite unique.  

Anyway, I too agree with Phil Hoffman as probably *the* most versatile actor out there.  He can do anything!

[pookiethecat]

yeah i dunno.  i think this topic was flawed from the beginning because the word versatile can mean a lot of different stuff.  i just meant versatile in terms of choosing a variety of different roles.  but i mean, if you're talking versatile in terms of being a great actress.  then yeah, i agree with what you're saying.

[Weird. Oh]

I'd have to agree with the assessment of PSH as one of today's most versitile actors. I've seen him in roles ranging from Patch Adams to Owning Mahoney. Tonight, I saw him in Cold Mountain as an eccentric preacher and he was a bright spot in the film as usual. One person I haven't seen listed who I think is pretty versitile is Billy Bob Thorton. He has been in so many films and has been a wide array of characters.

[Pubrick]

the word is versatile.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Philip Seymour Hoffman wins.

Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, Happiness, Flawless, Magnolia, The Talented Mr Ripley, Almost Famous, PDL, even Red Dragon... they're all completely different roles, and each character is unmistakable.