Actors you've gained respect for

Pepe LeFrits

A reverseroo on the other thread and a chance to be more positive. Who has surprised you and gone on to show that they're actually rather talented and worthy of appreciation?

I'll start with some obvious ones.



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Continue! (Doesn't have to be pictorial, I was just in that kind of mood)

krudler

Great choice with DiCaprio, after the Leomania of the post Titanic months, he did the right thing by not just getting behind the teen fandom and actually doing decent movies (not that Titanic isnt a decent movie) instead of just falling into rom coms and "easy" movies, Shutter Island is the movie I'm most looking forward to in the next while, and he was robbed of an Oscar for The Aviator, which is one of the most under appreciated movies of the past decade imo

Bog

To be fair, I'd hardly pin Titanic on DiCaprio, he was amazing in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Basketball Diaries before that.

To answer the question, Josh Brolin is one actor I've really gained a lot of respect for. Before the past few years he was always, to my mind, the standard jock type character in any film but he has recently come to the fore in movies such as No Country and Harvey Milk.

krudler

Bog wrote: »

To be fair, I'd hardly pin Titanic on DiCaprio, he was amazing in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Basketball Diaries before that.

To answer the question, Josh Brolin is one actor I've really gained a lot of respect for. Before the past few years he was always, to my mind, the standard jock type character in any film but he has recently come to the fore in movies such as No Country and Harvey Milk.

He'll always be a Goonie to me:D

Pepe LeFrits

Bog wrote: »

To be fair, I'd hardly pin Titanic on DiCaprio, he was amazing in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Basketball Diaries before that.

Thought about that alright, but to be fair to myself (and many others I'm sure), he first came to my attention with Titanic. Well, actually he first came to my attention with Romeo & Juliet, but that was similarly teeny fair.

pwd

I was surprised by Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys. He was good in that and had an interesting role. In any earlier films I'd seen him in he'd been very meh and playing dull characters.

IvySlayer

Michael Sheen.

Was brilliant in Frost / Nixon and The Damned United.

fluke

Good call on Leo, he was the firat person that came to mind when I read the thread title:

Two others that spring to mind due to relatively recent movies they have appeared in -

Mickey Rourke for Sin City & The Wrestler.

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married, she was something else in that!

Podge_irl

Jim Carrey

DazMarz

IvySlayer wrote: »

Michael Sheen.

Was brilliant in Frost / Nixon and The Damned United.

I think he (Michael Sheen) is one of the best character actors of the moment. He's played such a varied collection of characters, both fictional and biographical (Tony Blair, David Frost and Brian Clough to name his 3 most famous ones). Any time he's onscreen in any of his films, he seems to have this powerful aura, and is impossible not to pay attention to. Brilliant.

Matt Damon: I always had him consigned to the pigeon hole of ''Talentless Pretty Boy''. However, since movies such as The Departed, Ocean's Trilogy, and Bourne movies... I find that I really rate him as a quality actor.

bluto63

Podge_irl wrote: »

Jim Carrey

Yea, definitely agree with that. Compare him to his earlier comedy films and then to films like Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, he really came a long way.

robby^5

bluto63 wrote: »

Yea, definitely agree with that. Compare him to his earlier comedy films and then to films like Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, he really came a long way.

He really came a long way from being one of the funniest men alive in the 90's to a shadow of his former self today, starring in some fairly average to terrible comedies and two genuinely good films in the last ten years (Enternal Sunshine and Lemony Snicket's imo)

His films still make money but critically his career has taken a nosedive over the last decade and we rarely get to see him in his element anymore. I'll always respect him because he happens to land some truly excellent films and along with Bill Murray is imo one of the greatest funny men of all time but I cant say I have faith that he'll deliver a good performance any more, too many misses not enough hits.

For me it's Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I wasn't a fan of 3rd rock from the sun and when I initially starting seeing him in films I figured this would be a temporary thing before he went back to sitcoms, but he continued to impress me with each subsequent film he's been in to the point where he's one of my favourite actors today.

larchielads

wasnt michael sheen goin out with kate beckinsale(jammy bastard) apparently they have a daughter together. thers my respet for him right there(kate beckinsale is the hottest female on the planet)

JP Liz V1

+ 1 for Josh Brolin but i think he is finally getting decent roles even though i liked him The Goonies and Young Riders

Anakin.S

Bog wrote: »

To be fair, I'd hardly pin Titanic on DiCaprio, he was amazing in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Basketball Diaries before that.

This Boy's Life is another great performance by Leo, holding his own on screen with De Niro.
I think Tobey Maguire is in the movie too

MagicMarker

Di Caprico is one of the finest actors of his generation tbh.

marwelie

I think Clooney is a great actor. Always thought of him as just a pretty boy actor especially after ER and then stuff like Revenge of the Killer Tomatoes and One Fine Day and Batman and Robin. However since then he seems to not be able to put a foot wrong with the notable exception of Oceans Twelve.....even Leatherheads was pretty good! And he's won an Oscar so someone else must think he knows what hes doing

Ironman76

Bog wrote: »

To be fair, I'd hardly pin Titanic on DiCaprio, he was amazing in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Basketball Diaries before that.

Was going to post this. Always rated his acting ability. His performance in What's Eating Gilbert Grape was brilliant.

aleybert

Never really liked Will Smith, but after performances in eg. Pursuit of Happyness, I am Legend (dodgy effects aside), seven pounds etc, I am now officially a fan.
Incidentally, Leo's performance in Gilbert Grape was nothing short of incredible.

Basq

Ryan Reynolds - not just a chick-flick actor but a hell of an actor!

Ben Foster - tends to get supporting roles, but just a downright superb actor.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - another ones of those actors who is just immensely likeable and has made good choices in his roles (maybe not all movies picked were commercial successes, but not failures either).

L'prof

Ryan Gosling is really good, I'd seen him in a few films before but after The Notebook, I couldn't take him seriously at all.

Check him out in Half Nelson, Fracture (can't remember how good he was in this) and Lars And The Real Girl for some great performances!

Ironman76

My choices would be

Heath Ledger - Dont even have to explain that one.

Robert Downey Jr. - Always rated his acting ability (Chaplin anyone) but to bounce back from the brink of meltdown the way he did was inspiring. He is now my favourite actor.

Basq

jasonorr wrote: »

Ryan Gosling is really good, I'd seen him in a few films before but after The Notebook, I couldn't take him seriously at all.

Yep, absolutely stunning actor!

Especially given the fact he starred in Breaker High.

L'prof

basquille wrote: »

Yep, absolutely stunning actor!

Especially given the fact he starred in Breaker High.

Haha, think I remember that show being on tv!

Apolloyon

As PWD mentioned earlier in the thread. I also was very impressed by Brad Pitt's performance in 12 Monkeys. Up until then I had thought of him as un over-hyped 'pretty boy' actor. That movie totally changed my mind about him! Also Matthew McConaughey after his role in Frailty. Which is an excellent movie by the way!

gagiteebo

robby^5 wrote: »

For me it's Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I wasn't a fan of 3rd rock from the sun and when I initially starting seeing him in films I figured this would be a temporary thing before he went back to sitcoms, but he continued to impress me with each subsequent film he's been in to the point where he's one of my favourite actors today.

Completely agree on this one '500 days of Summer' is one of the better films I saw last year

Josh Brolin as well, although like someone mentioned earlier he'll always be a Goonie - great film :P

Nichololas

+1 for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, for making the transition from teen sitcom actor without putting a foot wrong really. Pretty much everything he's been in the past few years he's been great in; The Lookout, 500 Days of Summer, Brick, even Killshot (terrible movie but he was pretty good in it).

irishh_bob

pwd wrote: »

I was surprised by Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys. He was good in that and had an interesting role. In any earlier films I'd seen him in he'd been very meh and playing dull characters.

IMO , bradd pitt nearly always gives a solid performance , its been said before , he is often dismissed because of his looks

Fiskar

1st place Denzel Washington, ( Glory, Training day, Bone collector, man of fire, american gangster, Inside man (no 2 on the way and many more!)

2nd place Clooney gets my vote, his new film "up in the air" worth checking out.
Check out http://www.gclooney.com/filmography.html for the rest (3 Kings, Syriana, O Brother where arth thou, the perfect storm etc) shown how versatile he is.

third, / joint third are the trio (M Freeman, G Hackman, Clint Eastwood)

4th Brad Pitt, 12 Monkeys, meet Joe Black, legends of the fall

5th, Edward Norton, Fight club, American History X,

That's about it or it will take all night.

magma69

Fiskar wrote: »

1st place Denzel Washington, ( Glory, Training day, Bone collector, man of fire, american gangster, Inside man (no 2 on the way and many more!)

2nd place Clooney gets my vote, his new film "up in the air" worth checking out.
Check out http://www.gclooney.com/filmography.html for the rest (3 Kings, Syriana, O Brother where arth thou, the perfect storm etc) shown how versatile he is.

third, / joint third are the trio (M Freeman, G Hackman, Clint Eastwood)

4th Brad Pitt, 12 Monkeys, meet Joe Black, legends of the fall

5th, Edward Norton, Fight club, American History X,

That's about it or it will take all night.

Ed Norton is a strange pick imo. He busted onto the scene with a magnificent performance in Primal Fear and followed it up with the movies you mentioned. If anything I have lost respect for him as he hasn't been in a great movie for ages. Well, losingrespect for him is a bit harsh but you know what I mean. Norton deserved respect from day 1.

Good choice with Clooney. Once he became an A list actor he has chosen he roles really well. In lots of underrated gems like, O Brother and The Thin Red Line.

MagicMarker

magma69 wrote: »

Ed Norton is a strange pick imo. He busted onto the scene with a magnificent performance in Primal Fear and followed it up with the movies you mentioned. If anything I have lost respect for him as he hasn't been in a great movie for ages. Well, losingrespect for him is a bit harsh but you know what I mean. Norton deserved respect from day 1

+1

Le King

Fiskar wrote: »

4th Brad Pitt, 12 Monkeys, meet Joe Black, legends of the fall

Fight Club, Se7en... two of his best movies...

Sanjuro

Phillip Seymour Hoffman. From doing bit parts in Twister and Boogie Nights, to becoming one of the greatest living actors. That's not to say he wasn't as excellent in those smaller roles. But it's great to see him be able to stretch those thespian muscles so much more these days.

Similarly, Paul Giamatti. It's weird to see him pop up in tiny roles in The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, Deconstructing Harry and Donnie Brasco and then watch films like Sideways and John Adams, which is outstanding television. I remember seeing him in The Iceman Cometh in 1999, before he really broke out, and thinking he acted everyone off the stage, including Kevin Spacey, who was playing Hickey. He's an incredible actor.

tony1kenobi

Woody Harrelson?

Anyone think the dopey barman from cheers would turn out to be able to play any character in anything and be awesome? Comedy/drama/horror/blind call centre worker.....

Is there anything he can't do?........all while shmokin the reefer.

tech77

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

A reverseroo on the other thread and a chance to be more positive. Who has surprised you and gone on to show that they're actually rather talented and worthy of appreciation?

I'll start with some obvious ones.



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Continue! (Doesn't have to be pictorial, I was just in that kind of mood)

Re. DiCaprio.
He was great in his (first?) film, This Boy's Life.
Lost respect with Titanic.
What else was he in- That Frank Abigayle junior thing- he was OK in that.
The Beach, none of these films are that remarkable tbh.

So, for me his first film was probably the best.

Edit: Re. Jeremy Piven:
He's one of those actors that i have mixed feelings about.
Great in Grosse Pointe Blank (everyone in that was great tbh).
I know he's enjoyed a resurgence in popularity with that TV series where he plays that agent (my mind's gone).
But i even liked him in things like Ellen (mainly because he played an interesting character- uncertain doctor Spence).
But yeah he's someone who has gone up in my estimation.
(I love the TV exec conference scene in The Simpsons where they discuss whether they should get Jeremy Piven for their new series).

MagicMarker

First off, did you have to quote the first post?

Secondly, lol, you should watch more films.

Basq

My opinion of Piven is similar to those I have of close friend and common co-star John Cusack.. they always put in a great performance!

Even if the projects (films / TV shows) are not. I should mention I loathe Entourage!

tech77

MagicMarker wrote: »

First off, did you have to quote the first post?

Secondly, lol, you should watch more films.

Jaysus.
I gave an innocuous opinion on two relatively insignificant actors.
Where do you get "you should watch more films" from all that.
How can you infer from that how many film i've watched.
Are you getting the impression they're my favourite films/actors or something?

What in my post provoked such a nasty reply?

Gillington

Sanjuro wrote: »

Phillip Seymour Hoffman. From doing bit parts in Twister and Boogie Nights, to becoming one of the greatest living actors. That's not to say he wasn't as excellent in those smaller roles. But it's great to see him be able to stretch those thespian muscles so much more these days.

Similarly, Paul Giamatti. It's weird to see him pop up in tiny roles in The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, Deconstructing Harry and Donnie Brasco and then watch films like Sideways and John Adams, which is outstanding television. I remember seeing him in The Iceman Cometh in 1999, before he really broke out, and thinking he acted everyone off the stage, including Kevin Spacey, who was playing Hickey. He's an incredible actor.

+1 on both of them

Mine is John Turturro.Its not that I neverf liked him and like him now its just I've watched a couple of films recently(Quiz Show and O Brother where art thou) and I've found even more respect for him.He even made Mr deeds watchable!! Well,not quite but you know what I mean!

longshanks

Gillington wrote: »

+
.He even made Mr deeds watchable!! Well,not quite but you know what I mean!

i am extremely sneaky...

he's good in everything though, always has quotable lines, or .ines he delivers so well they become quotable

MagicMarker

tech77 wrote: »

Jaysus.
I gave an innocuous opinion on two relatively insignificant actors.
Where do you get "you should watch more films" from all that.
How can you infer from that how many film i've watched.
Are you getting the impression they're my favourite films/actors or something?

What in my post provoked such a nasty reply?

My post was in reference to DiCaprio, you edited your post after mine. You should watch more films because you clearly haven't seen that many that he's in.

Fiskar

Osu wrote: »

Fight Club, Se7en... two of his best movies...

Almost too numerous to mention! watching Benjamin button at the moment!

Alicat

Ditto for Leonardo DiCaprio, first actor that popped into my head when I read the thread title.

Sanjuro wrote: »

Similarly, Paul Giamatti. It's weird to see him pop up in tiny roles in The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, Deconstructing Harry and Donnie Brasco ....

Or as a hotel porter in My Best Friend's Wedding!

paddy kerins

brad pitt is someone im glad didnt do pretty boy roles after thelma and louis. instead he films like se7en, fight club, inglorious basterds

paddy kerins

longshanks wrote: »

i am extremely sneaky...

he's good in everything though, always has quotable lines, or .ines he delivers so well they become quotable

hes the only reson i went see transformers 2

Sir Gallagher

paddy kerins wrote: »

brad pitt is someone im glad didnt do pretty boy roles after thelma and louis. instead he films like se7en, fight club, inglorious basterds

He was the second worse thing about Inglorious basterds imo, the worst thing about the film was the clown next to him in this picture.

Sir Gallagher

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

He was the second worse thing about Inglorious basterds imo, the worst thing about the film was the clown next to him in this picture.

THE BEAR JEW!!!

what's so bad about him? Thought he was quite funny. Although I can see how he would irritate others...

paddy kerins

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

He was the second worse thing about Inglorious basterds imo, the worst thing about the film was the clown next to him in this picture.

ah now, he wasnt that bad. he was hilarious with his thick kentuckian fried accent. although i do agree that eli roth was the worst thing about an otherwise great film

Flamed Diving

Di Caprio and Damon.

Elmo

Micheal Cain.

jaykhunter

I've had no respect for the longest time for Jimmy Smits. I thought he was just some schlock b-movie actor that stars in Stephen King's TV movies.... His role as the effeminate Bail Organa in Star Wars didn't help; I still thought he was useless...

until he appeared in Season 3 of Dexter as Miguel Prado.



Maybe it was because his character was so well written; strong, passionate, interesting, but i really saw the actor in a different light. He was a fantastic character in Dexter and so Jimmy Smits is alright by me.