Rising stars
Okay, folks, another question to pose:
Who are your favorite up-and-coming actors/actresses, and why? And what are their best performances to date?
I think the rising actresses of today are extremely promising. Most are beautiful, and many are extremely talented to boot. The two young actresses that come immediately to my mind when I think "leading-lady material", have to be Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.
Now, these two are well-established by now. They've been acting since their pre-teens, and have managed to escape the common pitfalls of child actors. They're obviously gorgeous women, but the sheer talent they possess make them more than pretty faces.
What I find most admirable about these two is their willingness to take on roles most rising starlets would shy from; Scarlett and Natalie are not solely focused on taking the "bombshell" parts. Scarlett has recently costarred in Woody Allen's dark Match Point, and Natalie suffered the indignity of having her head shaved -- ON FILM -- for the V For Vendetta adaptation. How many young actresses would willingly shave off their luscious locks for a role?
The fact that these two continue to expand their repertoire and experiment with different characters/styles is applaudable. As to their best performances to date, I must cite Girl With A Pearl Earring for Scarlett -- it was a wonderfully understated yet emotional performance -- and for Natalie, her first movie, The Professional. Sure, she hadn't fully come into her own as an actress, but it was a fantastic breakthrough performance that promised bigger and better things. The nuances and emotion she controlled in her role as Mathilda -- the 12-year-old brutally orphaned and forced to seek help from her neighbor, a professional killer -- was utterly breathtaking.
And as for up-and-coming actors, of the many new bods on display, I have to go down a less obvious path.
Since his performance in The Sixth Sense, Haley Joel Osment impressed me with his unforced air. He completely embodies the characters he plays; his lines come across as completely natural. Though he's best known for The Sixth Sense, I also applaud his work in Secondhand Lions, an adorable family-accessible film that has the wit, whimsy, and charm of a fairy tale. The adorability and innocence of Walt is such a central part of the film, and with a lesser actor the movie would have faltered.
He's sort of fallen off the map since Secondhand Lions, but luckily the upcoming Home of the Giants will showcase an older, more matured Haley. And I for one, am anxiously looking forward to it.
Who are your favorite up-and-coming actors/actresses, and why? And what are their best performances to date?
I think the rising actresses of today are extremely promising. Most are beautiful, and many are extremely talented to boot. The two young actresses that come immediately to my mind when I think "leading-lady material", have to be Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.
Now, these two are well-established by now. They've been acting since their pre-teens, and have managed to escape the common pitfalls of child actors. They're obviously gorgeous women, but the sheer talent they possess make them more than pretty faces.
What I find most admirable about these two is their willingness to take on roles most rising starlets would shy from; Scarlett and Natalie are not solely focused on taking the "bombshell" parts. Scarlett has recently costarred in Woody Allen's dark Match Point, and Natalie suffered the indignity of having her head shaved -- ON FILM -- for the V For Vendetta adaptation. How many young actresses would willingly shave off their luscious locks for a role?
The fact that these two continue to expand their repertoire and experiment with different characters/styles is applaudable. As to their best performances to date, I must cite Girl With A Pearl Earring for Scarlett -- it was a wonderfully understated yet emotional performance -- and for Natalie, her first movie, The Professional. Sure, she hadn't fully come into her own as an actress, but it was a fantastic breakthrough performance that promised bigger and better things. The nuances and emotion she controlled in her role as Mathilda -- the 12-year-old brutally orphaned and forced to seek help from her neighbor, a professional killer -- was utterly breathtaking.
And as for up-and-coming actors, of the many new bods on display, I have to go down a less obvious path.
Since his performance in The Sixth Sense, Haley Joel Osment impressed me with his unforced air. He completely embodies the characters he plays; his lines come across as completely natural. Though he's best known for The Sixth Sense, I also applaud his work in Secondhand Lions, an adorable family-accessible film that has the wit, whimsy, and charm of a fairy tale. The adorability and innocence of Walt is such a central part of the film, and with a lesser actor the movie would have faltered.
He's sort of fallen off the map since Secondhand Lions, but luckily the upcoming Home of the Giants will showcase an older, more matured Haley. And I for one, am anxiously looking forward to it.