Welcome to the Shrine to Actors

I realized as I was scanning the list of actors in the Shrine that the majority of them are British, Irish, or Australian. Apparently accents are a big deal with me, and well, there does tend to be a trend towards long, straight noses which I have a thing for. Maybe it’s that a lot of these actors turn up in the period films, Jane Austen and Shakespeare and the like, that I really enjoy. Maybe it’s the excitement of exotic men from different continents. Or maybe it’s a combination of all of the above.

I feel guilty, however. Surely there must be some men from my own country I find appealing. I know there are a few, and you’ve seen some of them here in the Shrine. To ease my guilt, I decided to do some posts on American actors worth watching. So here are three to consider for tonight. We’ll start with an American that’s really a man of the world who speaks several languages and has lived in a number of different countries, including this one.

Viggo Mortensen is a talented and ridiculously versatile actor who can play the sweetly seductive gentleman or the cold, ruthless killer, and everything in between. When romance writers go on for five pages about a man’s eyes, with azure pools of emotion that make a woman swoon, they’re writing about Viggo. I love actors who keep things small, who give you hints through subltle shifts in their eyes or a quirk of their lips or a gentle sweep of their hand–and that’s Viggo, too.

Viggo Mortensen made a splash as Aragorn with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as more recent art house favorites History of Violence and Eastern Promises. David Cronenberg definitely found his muse in Viggo with the latter films, creating characters that play to all of Viggo’s strengths and drew out the performances of his career. If you’re looking for some good vintage Viggo, check out A Perfect Murder with Gwyneth Paltrow, where Viggo plays an artist and uses his own real life artwork in several scenes. GI Jane caused a stir when it first appeared due to Demi Moore’s buff body and shaved head and female empowerment–there’s all that plus a Viggo as a poetry-spouting Master Chief who wears really short shorts and trains Moore’s character to be the best soldier she can be–maybe even better than he is. Moore and Mortensen had fabulous onscreen chemistry and created something meaningful out of what could have been cliche.

Jake Gyllenhaal has probably become most famous in recent years for his role with the late Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, and perhaps for the much buzzed-about war movie Jarhead. Gyllenhaal’s done a wide variety of films, his unconventional good looks, wide, expressive eyes and crooked grin working well in quirky projects like Donnie Darko, Bubble Boy, and The Good Girl. Considering his taste for unusual films, I hadn’t actually seen him in anything until Brokeback Mountain. I knew a lot of women found him attractive, but I just didn’t see it until I actually witnessed him in action. The immediate and powerful sensuality he exuded from his first frame in Brokeback Mountain just took my breath away. When Jake’s onscreen, you can’t tear your eyes away.

I’ve started catching up on Jake films, now. For vintage Jake Gyllenhaal, Bubble Boy is an absolute hoot. It’s pure insanity and nonsense, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun. The Good Girl offers amazing acting by both Jake Gyllenhaal and Jennifer Aniston. They have wonderful chemistry, and Jake is both adorable and unsettling at the same time. Unfortunately I think the film lost its way at the end and took the wrong path, but it’s still worth seeing for the performances. For more big budget fare, The Day After Tomorrow was surprisingly entertaining. I’m not too keen on disaster flicks in general, but this one’s got Dennis Quaid being his charming, heroic self, and Jake being adorable and heroic, and there’s great suspense and even some humor, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

Okay, I had no idea that Brad Pitt appeared on episodes of Head of the Class, 21 Jump Street, and thirtysomething in the 80s. All I remember is seeing him on the big screen in Thelma and Louise, and feeling the air leave my lungs all in a rush. He was just this sudden tornado of youthful beauty and energy that appeared out of nowhere. Gorgeous, swaggering, and sexy, and playing boytoy to Geena Davis? I was in looove. As much as I adore and admire pretty actors, I didn’t have that same kind of intense, breathless reaction to an actor again until Orlando Bloom’s Legolas came over the top of that hill in the Fellowship of the Ring trailer. (When they did Troy together, along with Eric Bana and Sean Bean, that was almost too much pretty for a girl to bear.)

Like most actors, Brad Pitt has done some good films and some bad ones, and as much as he’s often maligned by the press, I enjoy his acting. He chooses roles that suit his style, and he does equally well in dramatic, action-oriented and comedic films. He’s ridiculously charming in the Ocean’s Eleven movies and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and can be quite compelling in strong roles like A River Runs Through It and Twelve Monkeys. There’s that permanent fiery glint to his eye that can be dangerous or passionate (or both), and turns to mischief with the twist of a sly smile.

For vintage Brad Pitt, I confess I enjoy Meet Joe Black a great deal. The movie’s languid pace is intoxicating to me, all quiet whispers and long, lingering looks, and Brad and Claire Forlani are a fantastic, incredibly tender and sensual couple. Add in the always wonderful Anthony Hopkins and poignant performances from both Marcia Gay Harden and Jeffrey Tambor, and you’ve got a delicious guilty pleasure of a film. Brad is mesmerizing, giving us a character with mystery, wonder, sensuality, danger, and a wicked sense of humor. I loved every minute of his performance.

There’s also Interview With a Vampire, of course, along with Tom Cruise who did a surprisingly good job despite his being an odd choice that Ann Rice herself originally derided–but later recanted once she saw his performance. Cruise and Pitt are delicous together, sexy and violent and angsty, as all good vampires must be. And be sure to check out Thelma and Louise, both for the lovely girls as well as Brad’s young drifter con artist. Yum.

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Viggo Mortensen, Chicago International Film Festival, October 2008 photo, c2008 Valerie David.

Jake Gyllenhaal, The Good Girl screencap, c2002 Flan de Coco Films, Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Brad Pitt, Meet Joe Black screencap, c1998 City Light Films, Universal Pictures.

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