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Fun Stuff => ENJOY => Topic started by: no one special on 06 Mar 2008, 22:49
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Who do you think is the greatest 'chameleon' in tv/movies today? That is, the actor (male or female) who blends in most with the film that surrounds them, who can best completely discard their own persona and embody another?
To me, it has to be Gary Oldman. No one else can completely disappear into a character like Gary Oldman can. Just think about some of his roles, from Dracula to The Fifth Element, from True Romance to Batman Begins... it's crazy ridiculous - he's an absolute chameleon!
So what do you guys think? Who else is a true chameleon?
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(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/jimmy5times/Predator20Camo_Large.jpg)?
Christian Bale has done some pretty stellar work in his career. Everything I've seen him in has basically just been incredible, American Psycho, The Machinist, The Prestige, Batman, hell even Equilibrium was watchable simply because of his performance.
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Christian Bale usually plays a pretty stock role, though. Most his characters don't deviate too much from one another. Don't get me wrong; I love the guy's work and go see movies just because he's in it.
I'd have to go with Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was one of "those guys" up until he won that Oscar. You know, one of the guys that showed up in a lot of movies that you just said "Oh, it's that guy! From that one movie!"
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I'd have to go with Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was one of "those guys" up until he won that Oscar. You know, one of the guys that showed up in a lot of movies that you just said "Oh, it's that guy! From that one movie!"
I agree entirely, he went from being that recognizable guy you love to being referred to by me and my friends as "yo dude its chipotle"
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I know he's all the rage right now, but Daniel Day-Lewis is good at this.
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Christian Bale has
See, with Christian Bale, at least ever since the Machinist, I tend to be looking at him and thinking "What absurdly extreme method acting madness has he put his body through this time?", which rather distracts from the film I'm trying to watch.
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Yeah, I'd say Christian Bale is a little too recognizable to be considered a true chameleon. Hoffman and Day-Lewis both are good examples, but I'm gonna have to agree with no one special and say Gary Oldman is pretty much the best ever at blending in.
And, since no chicks have been mentioned yet, I would like to point out Emma Thompson. That woman is my hero. From Sense and Sensibility to Nanny McPhee, from Wit to the Potter films. Also, the few moments she was in I Am Legend completely made the movie for me. Seriously - if the world had to be destroyed, at least it was destroyed by someone as classy as Emma Thompson.
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She was also in Angels in America, which was awesome.
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Gary Oldman is a good one. Val Kilmer was pretty good back in the day. Jim Morrison and 'Doc' Holiday are two roles that come to mind.
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I wouldn't say Emma Thompson is a chameleon, really, but she's a great actress.
I can think of more TV actors and actresses that just show up for everything. The guy that is now the law firm's head guy on Eli Stone, for example. I don't even know his name, but he's in like EVERY new drama series on television ever.
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Pretty much any character actor. A lot of them end up on Law & Order as judges or lawyers. Sometimes, like in Philip Seymour Hoffman's case, they can strike it big, but most of the time they're the "that guy"s.
Ex.:
Kenneth Welsh (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0920564/)
Harry Dean Stanton (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001765/)
JT Walsh (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000687/)
Christopher McDonald (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001520/)
etc.
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Christopher McDonald OWNs. Hehe.
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Gary Oldman is a good one. Val Kilmer was pretty good back in the day. Jim Morrison and 'Doc' Holiday are two roles that come to mind.
I have to say, I never quite found Val Kilmer all that attractive... until he played Doc Holiday. I kind of couldn't believe that was him. Anyway, sorry for the distraction, carry on.
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Christopher McDonald will forever be Shooter McGavin in my books.
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John C. McGinley, from Scrubs. He was also in Platoon, one of the Highlander Films (2?), and Se7en
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You realise that "being a chameleon" isn't the same as "fading into the background"?
(http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/1998/storyar0.jpg)
Why who is that guy on the left? I have never seen him before, nope. No way.
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On the idea of people who can play a lot of different roles and do them well I would have to say that character actors such as Gary Oldman, Robert de Niro take the prize. If you're looking for people who rise, or sink to the level of the movie, then I would say that Christopher Lee takes the prize.
Mr. Lee's acting resume is impressive with movies that you can say "Damn, that's one great movie." (Say, the Horror of Dracula, the Wickerman, The Lord of the Rings)
, or "Meh, that's kind of average" (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Mummy, Return to Witch Mountain), and finally -
"Man, did they have nude pictures of you with some kind of farm animal?" (Howling II, Taste the Blood of Dracula)
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(http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/1998/storyar0.jpg)
Why who is that guy on the left? I have never seen him before, nope. No way.
Haha, seriously - Matthew McConaughey scared the crap out of me in that movie! The crazy-killer-psycho had me convinced! Reign of Fire was a fun movie with good perofrmances, I watch it every time it's on TV.
Also, Christian Bale FTW, he's another guy I'll watch anytime, anywhere - definitely a chameleon.
Question though - how is Gary Oldman considered a 'character actor' ? I'd disagree, he's a big-timer! I mean, Clint Howard is a character actor; Oldman, not so much, he's bigger than that.
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Charactor Actor just means someone they bring in to play a unique character, someone that's more driven AS a character than as a plot centerpiece. Johnny Depp, for example. He's big time, but he's a character actor.
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Charactor Actor just means someone they bring in to play a unique character, someone that's more driven AS a character than as a plot centerpiece. Johnny Depp, for example. He's big time, but he's a character actor.
I was always under the impression character actors were people who played the same realm of character in every piece of work they do like Brian Dennehy.
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You're actually both wrong. But Narr is more wrong than Beat Mouse*. A character actor is a person who plays a very narrow range of characters, usually somewhere in the background of a movie. So, Johnny Depp is NOT a character actor, as he doesn't portray similar rolls in all his movies. He's also usually the leading man.
By definition, a character actor can not really be 'big time'. Recognisable, yes. But not hugely famous. So to clarify...
A character actor can be become an A-List actor depending on their roles in movies.
Steve Buscemi is an example of a character actor. Johnny Depp is not.
Danny Trejo is a character actor. George Clooney is not.
*Edit: Upon closer inspection of the post, Beat Mouse was actually 100% correct. Ooops!
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I wouldn't say Buscemi plays the same sort of characters all the time though.
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I would argue that Johnny Depp, despite the highly-paid leading man status, is a character actor (that this falls outside a definition of character actor is okay with me). I mean, I like him as much as the next person, but I don't think range is his strong suit.
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Robert Fucking Downey Jr.
(http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/spotlights/news/tropicthunder.jpg)
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Normaly, I'd say Tom Hanks, but I can't watch a movie with him in it without first thinking of Forrest Gump or "Wilson!!!"
I'd like to say Russel Crowe because his performance in "A Beautiful Mind." Damn good movie, go watch it.
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You're actually both wrong. But Narr is more wrong than Beat Mouse*. A character actor is a person who plays a very narrow range of characters, usually somewhere in the background of a movie. So, Johnny Depp is NOT a character actor, as he doesn't portray similar rolls in all his movies. He's also usually the leading man.
By definition, a character actor can not really be 'big time'. Recognisable, yes. But not hugely famous. So to clarify...
A character actor can be become an A-List actor depending on their roles in movies.
Steve Buscemi is an example of a character actor. Johnny Depp is not.
Danny Trejo is a character actor. George Clooney is not.
*Edit: Upon closer inspection of the post, Beat Mouse was actually 100% correct. Ooops!
Just so I know I have this right in my mind, William H Macy would be a character actor, yes?
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I don't remember ever finding Kevin Spacey not convincing.
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While I hate to say this because in text it looks wrong, but I'd have to almost say Jim Carrey. Between Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine, and Dumb and Dumber and Lemony Snicket... the characters he plays in those movies are very different and he fits right into the role. I think.
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I can agree with you about Jim Carrey.
And I think Tom Hanks, too. There's so much he can do, I mean look at the difference between say, The Terminal and Cast Away, just to name 2 pretty wide extremes. He has a pretty big range.
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Christian Bale usually plays a pretty stock role, though. Most his characters don't deviate too much from one another. Don't get me wrong; I love the guy's work and go see movies just because he's in it.
So the paperboy, psychopath, gun-fu master, and superhero didn't deviate from each other? I have only seen him in Newsies (about a decade ago), Equilibrium, Batman Begins, and The Prestige, do all the others seem to run together or something?
I haven't seen much with Gary Oldman in it (that I remember), but he was the lead DEA guy in Leon, right? What I saw of that movie, he was very in character, either that or he was on leave from the looney bin while filming.
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Aside from Newsies, which I haven't seen, and American Psycho, Christian Bale tends to run with very dour characters. Although I hear his Rescue Dawn character was quite manic.
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Guy Pierce!!!!
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Huh. I always thought that character actors where just actors they'd go out of their way to find to play a certain element of a character. Like how Johnny Depp almost always plays some slightly crazy, slightly effeminate yet masculine character.
Or like how they always get Nicholas Cage to be a dry flake of a man.
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I haven't seen much with Gary Oldman in it (that I remember), but he was the lead DEA guy in Leon, right? What I saw of that movie, he was very in character, either that or he was on leave from the looney bin while filming.
Yes. Other things Gary Oldman has been in:
Jim Gordon in Batman Begins. Zorg in Fifth Element. Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Sirius Black in Harry Potter. Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy.
Dude is totally a chameleon.
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See, it was my understanding that "character actors" were just actors who were too ugly to be lead actors.
Maybe I've been brainwashed by Hollywood?
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They've gotten to you! Noooooooooo!
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I haven't seen much with Gary Oldman in it (that I remember), but he was the lead DEA guy in Leon, right? What I saw of that movie, he was very in character, either that or he was on leave from the looney bin while filming.
Yes. Other things Gary Oldman has been in:
Jim Gordon in Batman Begins. Zorg in Fifth Element. Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Sirius Black in Harry Potter. Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy.
Dude is totally a chameleon.
Drexl in True Romance. Wiggerest performance ever. And he's British, so watching him act like a thug is even more hilarious.
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See, it was my understanding that "character actors" were just actors who were too ugly to be lead actors.
Maybe I've been brainwashed by Hollywood?
Psssh, Patton Oswalt is just bitter because he can't be as awesome and sexy as Harry Dean Stanton.
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Gary Oldman was also brilliant in The Professional.
The dude can do no wrong. I have no idea why he hasn't won an oscar yet.
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For those not in the know, Leon is the name of the French release of The Professional. They are the same film!
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Gary Oldman was in Lost In Space, which was a massive turd. So was Sid & Nancy actually
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*facepalm*
I knew that about Leon/the professional, I am just a lazy thread skimmer and missed the first mention of it.
He's still brilliant, though. ^_^
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I wasn't having a go, I was just pointing out for anyone who didn't know that they are the same film.
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Gary Oldman was in Lost In Space, which was a massive turd. So was Sid & Nancy actually
Since I still don't know what chameleon is supposed to mean in this context, I'm just going to say that even though those movies sucked, he was still acting pretty damn good in them.
And Jean Reno is also pretty good.
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I'm going to have to agree with a lot of people in this thread and say that Gary Oldman takes the prize.
I have never been dissapointed with his work, even if what he was in sucked, his part in it usually made it watchable (if only for his performance)
And good movies just make him stand out as a character even more. His role in 5th Element was amazing, his role in Leon/Professional equally so.
He took both of those roles, playing a much more sadistic character, and yet he played Gordon 100% believable.
The dude could probably play anything you put in front of him.
On a semi-related note, I wonder how many people know that he is british?
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Guy Pierce!!!!
ooo, good call! Totally forgot about Guy Pearce, he's definitely up there. Two movies of his that I absolutely love are L.A. Confidential and Memento. And don't forget The Prestige !! Yep, up there with 'chameleon' status.
Also, related to Statik's point about country of origin: since L.A. Confidential was the first Guy Pearce movie I ever saw, I didn't even know he was Australian for the longest time! Imagine my surprise when I first saw him do an interview :laugh:
For the people who were kind of confused as to what 'chameleon' meant - think of the definition by anti-example: Jeff Goldblum. Man does the exact same mannerisms, exact same voice, exact same everything in every role he does. He is the complete opposite of a 'chameleon'.
BUT this is not being negative, not actor-bashing - only having one 'character' can be a very good thing! Case in point - Vince Vaughn. Does he do basically the exact same thing in every movie? Yes, but what he does is so damn funny, I'll go see him in just about anything!
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Gerard Butler has, in his short career, starred in some pretty weird flicks.
I mean yeah Mr. Big Tough Action Dude in Tomb Raider 2. But then to fuckin' Phantom Of The Opera?? And into some leather for 300?
And have you actually read or seen anything about his latest film? I wouldnt say he's a great actor, but he really likes to genre-hop!
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Guy Pearce wasn't in The Prestige...
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I would have to disgree with Jim Carrey, because so far in his career he has played all sorts of characters because they're in each movie in a different context, but he is always a meek character. The same thing goes for Christian Bale and a lot of the other actors mentioned. This doesn't mean that they aren't good actors though. They just aren't character actors.
By character actor, we mean different kinds of people, and by different kinds of people, this is not meant trash-truck driver to superhero. To get into different people, they have to be differently thinking people.
A character actor could be Bill Murray. In Caddyshack he played a paranoid, drug-addled man. In Broken Flowers he was a rundown, tired-of-it-all ladies man.
A character actor is not Arnold Schwarzeneger.
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Guy Pearce wasn't in The Prestige...
LOL what a dumbass I am! You're absolutely right.
...see how much of a chameleon Christian Bale really is? :laugh:
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Gary Oldman played a pretty excellent Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears. I recommend it.
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Guy Pearce wasn't in The Prestige...
LOL what a dumbass I am! You're absolutely right.
...see how much of a chameleon Christian Bale really is? :laugh:
though, you may actually be thinking of Death Defying Acts.
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hehe... naw, I appreciate the help, but I was just plain wrong. When does that come out in the US - or has it already?
question for ImRonBurgundy? - what does your avatar refer to? i crack up every time I see it! LOL
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It's a mario kart DS commercial.
I've also been really impressed with the versatility of ryan reynolds, to be honest. Say what you will about him but I've found him generally pretty fun to watch and while he's the witty wisecracking cat in most of his movies he's done some very broad work with amityville horror and smokin aces (sure amityville sucked but aces was AWESOME) so i'm willing to give him credit for doing a pretty big range of work.
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It's funny that you say that - I've been finding myself enjoying his work lately as well. Van Wilder is actually a better movie than you think it's gonna be, and he was the only watchable thing in Blade: Trinity. Hell, I allmost saw Definitely, Maybe just 'cause he was in it.
(Shut UP, I can see that movie if I want to, and if you try to confiscate my man card, I will knock your hand away and punch you in the face.)
Also, he's apparently gonna play Deadpool in the Wolverine: Origin movie. He's definitely got the comic chops to do it... but can he master the accent? :-)
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As much as I know he fits Deadpool, I have nothing but fears about Origins. Liev Schreiber playing Sabertooth (http://www.cinemablend.com/images/news/8055/_1204678610.jpg) is just inherently wrong, and Wil.I.Am playing Kestrel is another question I don't think has a decent enough answer. The Origins series were by rights pretty awful, the art was awful and was simply just one of 1200 different backstories for wolverine.
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Surprised I haven't seen a mention of Ed Norton.
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He's a good actor, but I haven't really seen him in any part where he sunk into the role to the point that we were forgetting it was him.
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Yeah, he plays Ed Norton roles, which fluctuate between "the smart squirmy guy" and "the normal everyday squirmy guy". He's got only slightly better range than, say, Sam Jackson.
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Then you need to see Primal Fear and American History X
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In that case, we can attest to the fact that Ed Norton just really likes phoning it in, except in his early years and those cases in which he gets to seize control of the film.
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Or he wasn't recognized enough for his talents in those two movies and was given crap movies like that Ben Stiller comedy. Or Italian Job.
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I didn't like him that much in American History X. He was good for the Nazi half, but then the second half he went back to being Edward Norton. Which is why I don't think of him as much of a chameleon.
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I would have to disgree with Jim Carrey, because so far in his career he has played all sorts of characters because they're in each movie in a different context, but he is always a meek character. The same thing goes for Christian Bale and a lot of the other actors mentioned. This doesn't mean that they aren't good actors though. They just aren't character actors.
By character actor, we mean different kinds of people, and by different kinds of people, this is not meant trash-truck driver to superhero. To get into different people, they have to be differently thinking people.
A character actor could be Bill Murray. In Caddyshack he played a paranoid, drug-addled man. In Broken Flowers he was a rundown, tired-of-it-all ladies man.
A character actor is not Arnold Schwarzeneger.
I thought a character actor was someone that plays the same type of character, gets recognized for that type of character. Think Morgan Freeman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_Actor
Yes, I realize it is wikipedia, but I am not an actor, or someone that studies acting.
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Yeah, he plays Ed Norton roles, which fluctuate between "the smart squirmy guy" and "the normal everyday squirmy guy".
Well this is certainly different for him...
(http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/M/@@/QM/2M/DM/1A/DO/wc/TZ/tF/kX/nB/na/B5/lM/B5/lN/yk/DO/yA/jN/4c/DO/B5/VM._CR139,0,206,206_SS100_.jpg)
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That is still an Ed Norton role.
I will not argue that he doesn't turn into the character, because there are movies where I've been immersed in who he is playing.
Ed Norton is a great actor, but all of his characters can be boiled down to the same pretty basic formula for the most part. This does not mean he isn't a great actor though. I really like him as an actor. Chameleon though? No.
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Christopher Walken. (http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MMPH/239816~Christopher-Walken-Posters.jpg)
Now there are some people who would content "Hey! He's stopped trying to do legitimate acting and instead delivers over-the-top performances that somehow all end up coming off as extremely similar!"
To those people, I say: don't be a stiffly stifferson
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Also, Helena Bonham Carter gives me the chameleon feeling.
Not sure about this one, all her recent roles have tended to revolve around the quirky or eccentric character template.
I know there is a big difference between her merchant ivory stuff and what she’s done lately, but her newer stuff pretty much comes from the same mould.
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I have to disagree with Walken, he doesn't really disappear into his character, he just has too strong a presence.
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Another actor I totally forgot about of which the turn in conversation reminded me: Cate Blanchett. Elizabeth, Hepburn, Bob Dylan - all very interesting turns, all so convincing and with such strong character choices. Cate Blanchett's another one.
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I could say anyone who played Bob Dylan last year but it seems kind of sketchy.
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Not least because one of the people who played Bob Dylan last year was (shudder) Richard Gere.
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Didn't get to see "I'm Not There" does Richard Gere spend his portion of the film doing the same two facial expressions that have carried him through every other movie he has ever featured in?
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I didn't see it. I find the incessant Bob Dylan hagiography that persists even to this day exceedingly tiresome.
But I'm going to hazard a guess on your question and answer "yes".
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I reckon Heath Ledger is a bit of a chameleon :)
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Edward Norton is definitely not a chameleon....have you EVER seen a movie with him in it where you didn't see him and go "wow....that's Edward Norton...I'm going to be thinking about whenever I think about this movie from now on." He stands out in every movie he's ever been in.
People I know get Guy Pierce and Christian Bale mixed up A LOT. 4 different people have told me that Christian Bale is the lead actor in Memento....which isn't true, it's Guy Pierce. I haven't seen Guy in anything recently...so he's probably good at hiding.
Gary Oldman is easily the greatest chameleon. The dude commits himself so completely to the movie and EVERY character is so completely different. Watch Batman Begins, Dracula, and then Leon.....and be astounded. The guy is probably one the best actors out there...too bad he only does supporting roles.
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4 different people have told me that Christian Bale is the lead actor in Memento....which isn't true, it's Christian Bale.
I can see how easily they could mix that up.
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4 different people have told me that Christian Bale is the lead actor in Memento....which isn't true, it's Christian Bale.
I can see how easily they could mix that up.
Thanks.
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No problem. Seriously, though, I've made that mistake before. Up until a year or two ago, I really did think Christian Bale was in Memento.
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A similar thing happened to me recently, actually. I kept seeing the previews for that Shooter movie and thinking "oh cool, a new Matt Damon movie that isn't The Bourne Whatever, I'll probably see that." When it came out on dvd I ended up renting it with a friend of mine and we were both incredibly disappointed and surprised to find out that it was fucking Marky Mark Wahlberg. I spent like a year thinking it was Matt Damon, despite the posters in the cinema and the video store not having any mention of his name.
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A similar thing happened to me recently, actually. I kept seeing the previews for that Shooter movie and thinking "oh cool, a new Matt Damon movie that isn't The Bourne Whatever, I'll probably see that."
You mean "HEY! It's a movie that tries so hard to not be the Bourne Legacy and yet ends up feeling exactly the same but with a terrible ending that doesn't even work well for the book." I honestly think that Matt Damon would have done an amazing job in this role....but Mark Wahlberg does a good job too. And he's done some good work man, I don't care what anyone says....Planet of the Apes wasn't entirely his fault.
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for a long time I confused toby maguire and jake gyllenhal; I thought Toby was the star of October Sky for years.
Also, on topic, I gotta go with the Gary Oldman vote.
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You mean "HEY! It's a movie that tries so hard to not be the Bourne Legacy and yet ends up feeling exactly the same but with a terrible ending that doesn't even work well for the book." I honestly think that Matt Damon would have done an amazing job in this role....but Mark Wahlberg does a good job too. And he's done some good work man, I don't care what anyone says....Planet of the Apes wasn't entirely his fault.
Oh I totally enjoyed the film, it was pretty cool. I was just in the mood for matt damon.
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for a long time I confused toby maguire and jake gyllenhal; I thought Toby was the star of October Sky for years.
Also, on topic, I gotta go with the Gary Oldman vote.
My mom still does, I know what you mean. I'm also fairly positive they wanted to use Jake if they couldn't get Toby for the Spiderman movies.