Do you ever have one of those "a-ha" experiences with a certain actor? You know, when you're watching a performance of theirs and you realized they're someone you intend to keep an eye on.
To be honest, it's happened to me a few times. A lot of these instances would involve stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, but a few from recent years have slipped in as well. One example includes when I saw From Here to Eternity, one of the first films that got more into classic Hollywood. I was familiar with most of the stars of the film, but there was one I wasn't too familiar with. Good looking, nice physique, gentle smile...he certainly looked like the standard leading man of that time.
But his acting style was different from his co-stars', which got me more intrigued in him. This was my introduction to Montgomery Clift, an actor I now rank among my personal favorites.
So what about you?
For me, the only time this really happens is child actors. When a young performer shows a natural feel for film, I tend to follow them to see if they can sustain it. Anna Paquin, Natalie Portman, Osment, Culkin... some are successful, some not. Curious to see what happens with Wallis after her Oscar nod.
ReplyDeleteWhere I really get struck is more on the directing side. I can still remember seeing Boyle's Shallow Grave or Jackson's Dead Alive or Nolan's Memento and thinking I had to see what comes next. I'm currently dying to see what Duncan Jones does with Warcraft and hoping someone gives Christopher Smith a budget.
Good choices.
DeleteHmm...sometimes! I remember I was watching a TV show here called The Hollowmen, and I was struck by the lead actor and thought 'need to watch more of him' and now he's gotten quite well known here!
ReplyDeleteApart from that, it's never reeeally happened to me. I might see someone in something, then see them in something else at random and think to myself 'They're doing quite well for themselves!'
Thanks for your input.
DeleteAs much as I was obsessed with Moulin Rouge and Ewan McGregor's character in it, I think I truly fell for his genius in acting when I saw Trainspotting.
ReplyDeleteAlso Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network.
Mm, good choices.
DeleteI think this happens to be frequently. Ellen Page in Hard Candy, Evan Rachel Wood in Thirteen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Mysterious Skin, Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson.
ReplyDeleteMore recently it would be Bradley Cooper. I never thought of him as anything other than eye candy until I saw him in Silver Linings Playbook. Then it was like a light bulb went off in my head and said "Hey! He can act!"
That was my response towards Cooper as well! Come to think of it, I'm fairly certain that was everyone's response.
DeleteGreat question! Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Manic, Ryan Gosling in Lars and the Real Girl, Andrew Garfield in Boy A.
ReplyDeleteOoh, great choices!
DeleteBruce Willis in Moonlighting...
ReplyDelete