Best Actor in the modern era...? -- Rhinotainment

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, [5] ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 04:27:12 10/15/03 Wed
Author: Silk
Subject: Best Actor in the modern era...?

Was interested to read Rhino declare in his Once Upon a Time in Mexico review that Johnny Depp was best actor of the modern era. I've actually been thinking about this to see who else is up there.

I agree Depp's good. Actually, I think he's already better than guys from the last era, people like Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro, for example. I like those guys. They're always good. But they're always themselves, (especially with DeNiro and his crooked one-eyebrow-up frown).

But as far as Depp goes, the one thing I haven't seen him play yet is big.

To explain, guys I rate up there with Depp are Billy Bob Thornton and Edward Norton. I think what these guys have accomplished throughout their respective careers is to successfully play big (as in tough and menacing) and small (as in weaselly). They've been so successful in their portrayals that their characters actually physically come across that way.

To look at Billy-Bob in something like A Simple Plan or The Man Who Wasn't There as compared to some of his bigger roles, like Pushing Tin or even Monster's Ball, is amazing. Similarly with the contrast provided by Norton in stuff like Primal Fear and American History X compared to other stuff like Fight Club (where he was a weasel compared to Brad Pitt) and Keeping the Faith.

Whenever Depp takes on a role you'd infer as a physically more accomplished character, he tends to intellectualize it, as he did in From Hell and Sleepy Hollow. He's good, but physically he still retains the same stature, if that makes sense.

Well, maybe when they make the film of 21 Jump Street...

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Oh, he's big in Mexico! -- The Rhino, 18:28:45 10/15/03 Wed
- Re: Jeff Bridges. -- Silk, 20:13:21 10/15/03 Wed
  - Let me add another... -- Silk, 22:37:53 10/15/03 Wed
    - Da Bad Guy? -- The Rhino, 17:40:24 10/17/03 Fri