Actors I like Part 1

I’ve been working on a long, serious post.  It’s coming along but I’ve just not got the energy to finish it.  I want it to be right it’s not a 'newsy' thing so there’s no deadline really.

Instead, after seeing Iron Man 2 and some cool trailers, I’ve been thinking about actors I really like.  So I’ve made a list.  These guys aren’t my favourite of all time and some of them might not even be all that ‘good’.  I’m not sure.  But they are people I really enjoy watching.  People who will make me watch a film, even if it looks crap.  (I typed shit and then decided it felt wrong, even though it’s what I’d have said.  Thoughts on blog swearing anyone?)  I’m putting the girls and boys together in the interests of equality. 

So here goes…

1.     Robert Downey Jr

No surprises here…  He’s pretty much perfect as far as I can see!  

I even loved him when he looked like this.

The first film I remember seeing with him in was Home For The Holidays.  It’s amazing what an impact seeing him playing Holly Hunter’s gay brother can have on a 14-year-old girl!  Chaplin and Only You followed and I was smitten.  I even had 2 Guys and a Girl, One Night Stand and Black and White on VHS, which are pretty terrible films!  But Downey is always watchable.  When he joined the cast of Ally McBeal I was in heaven.  He can SING for goodness sake.  Since his well-documented drug problems ended, he’s put in some amazing performances and been in some of my favourite films.  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, A Guide to Recognising Your Saints, Zodiac, Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes are all excellent.

He is always charming and full of energy but can portray sadness with a look.  I know, I know, all actors do that.  That’s why they’re actors.  He just does it better than most.

Rachel McAdams

I actually really like her.  She is always the unexpected highlight of a film.

Recently she's been great in The Tim Traveler's Wife and Sherlock Holmes (even though she didn't really have much to do).  I think her best performances though have been in Mean Girls and The Notebook.  As much as I can't stand Mr Sparks, I can't help but think The Notebook is great. It's the performances that lift it from cliched mush though.  Not the writing.  She's got a really watchable quality.

Ryan Gosling

This is probably rather predictable after my last choice but I LOVE Ryan Gosling.

The Notebook made him a heartthrob, which he seemed to be uncomfortable with but he's made excellent choices since then.  He was nominated for an oscar for Half Nelson and Lars and the Real Girl is one of my favourite films.  Lars could have turned out to be creepy or tragic but Gosling's performance is amazing.  Showing real empathy for the character and making the audience believe completely in the changes he goes through.  He makes us wait in between films but I think, if he carries on like this, he'll end up on those "best actors ever" lists.

Mark Strong

Mark Strong's pretty bizarre.  He seems to play a different race in every film and I'm not sure I know exactly what he looks like.  But he's always stupidly entertaining.  

He seems to have crept up on audiences and now it feels like he should be in everything.  Sunshine, Stardust, Flashbacks of a Fool, Rocknrolla, Body of Lies, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes and Kick Ass all show what great range he has.  He's also really commanding.  I always seem to be drawn to him in any scene.  He's playing another baddie in Robin Hood too, which I'm sure he'll be awesome in.  

Here's the coolest Mark Strong scene - must have been a bitch to shoot.

I'm going to to a part 2 tomorrow because it's time for me to go and find food.  Let me know who you guys love to watch!