Blogathon: Top 10 Actors I Would See In Just About Anything

Super cool Brit and Shitfest winner Abbi, from Where the Wild Things Are, has started a national blogging phenomenon with her top 10 lists. If you check out her site, she has lists ranging from the best vampire flicks to the most villainous couples in screen history. Her top 10 actors list though has taken the cake and the baton to make your own list has been passing around the blogs like wild fire.

The lovely Lady Ruth over at FlixChatter has passed it to me. Yippee! Here is my list of actors I would watch in anything from a Kool-Aid commercial to an Oscar-worthy flick.

1. Robert DeNiro
Out of everyone on my list he would have to be my favorite. He is one of the first actors that made me realize I loved movies. I will always remember watching Once Upon a Time in America as a kid and being mesmerized by that film and his role. I probably shouldn’t have been watching mobster movies as a kid, but I did without my parents knowing. DeNiro is just that DENIRO, there is no other actor like him. He is magnetic and enthralling and supremely talented. I especially love it when he plays mobsters and badass crazy dudes. He will forever go down in history as one of the best actors that ever lived.
Fave Role: Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver and James Conway in Goodfellas

2. Kevin Spacey
Ugh, I die! He is so freakishly talented and amazing. He creates dramas and personas like it is nobody’s business. I would watch this man sell me a Snickers bar and I would so totally buy it. Can you imagine him selling it in his Frank Underwood voice? If you haven’t watched his portrayal of Frank Underwood in House of Cards, go switch on your Netflix and watch that right now!
Fave Role: Roger ‘Verbal’ Klint in The Usual Suspects and Frank Underwood in House of Cards

3. Tom Hardy
Not only is Tom Hardy my crush of the year, super beautiful (those lips!), gorgeous and oh wait, what are we talking about here, I lost track of my thinking? Oh yes… not only is he gorgeous, he is undeniably talented. He takes on gritty roles like in Bronson, where he looked almost unrecognizable, super villains like Bane and has even thrown in his hat at corny movies like This Means War. Which for this purpose, we won’t even ding him for that one. My point is he is the type of actor who can’t be pigeon holed as just a pretty face or type cast, he is an actor paving his own way.
Fave Role: Handsome Bob in RockNRolla

4. Jake Gyllenhaal
Not only is Jake a gorgeous, sexy dude, he is a seriously good actor. He first caught my attention in Donnie Darko and from there I knew I would become a Gylly fan. He can vascilitate between charming and enigmatic to disturbed and tortured. In all the characters he has played, he seems to emanate an air of sensitivity and is truly able to embrace the character he plays. I am looking forward to his upcoming film, Nightcrawler, where he will play a man who is willing to do anything to get the perfect shot of a crime scene that he can sell to media outlets. Sounds fascinating, I will definitely be watching that one!
Fave Role: Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain

 

5. Michael C. Hall
I absolutely love, love him! Michael is a theater enthusiast and started out in Broadway, this was definitely evident in Six Feet Under where he played a gay mortician. Sometimes he would randomly bust out in song and dance as David Fisher and it was obvious he did well on stage. Most known for his role as Dexter, he could easily switch from being a nice, nerdy guy to a murderous serial killer with ease. There is something about him that always make me root for him or sympathize with his plight like in Kill Your Darlings. A small part for him, but he still stood out. One of my favorite things about him though is his voice. I don’t know what it is, but I love it. Anyone else agree?
Fave Role: Dexter Morgan in Dexter

6. Leonardo DiCaprio
I have loved Leo since Growing Pains back in the day. I knew he would become a star, he was just too good and stood out on that corny TV show. He is the type of actor who has never done just one type of role, he has played a heroin addict, a rich guy, an autistic person, a gang member, an OCD freak, anything you name it, he has done it. He didn’t let himself get boxed in as a teenage heartthrob and that served him well as he was able to transition into serious roles. His best work though, hands down is when he pairs with the genius force that is Martin Scorsese. I’d watch Leo sitting on a chair doing nothing, but twiddling his fingers, yes I’d pay money to see that!
Fave Role: Arnie in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street

 

7. Jack Nicholson
If there was ever an actor who could play mischievous, charming and scary in one role, it would have to be Jack. His career has encompassed decades and that sinister voice and smile is now iconic. He was creepy in The Shining, loving in Terms of Endearment, a jerk off in Something’s Gotta Give and fear inducing in A Few Good Men, his ability to play any and every role with ease has been evident through the years.
Fave Role: J.J. Gittes in Chinatown

8. Stellan Skarsgard
Everything that this Swedish born actor does is pretty undeniably great. Whenever I find out that he is going to be in a film, my interest is piqued. He never disappoints. He has a tendency to play that overly smart, not ever humble type of guy and he has this intense look that serves him well when he plays a villain. Also, if I could give him extra points for being Eric Northman’s dad in real life, I totally would!
Fave Role: Seligman in Nymphomaniac

9. Colin Firth
I first fell in love with Colin when he played his infamous character of Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary and Pride and Prejudice. He played quirky, intelligent and misanthropic perfectly. He has the ability to draw in viewers with his ability to show brooding emotions and similarly he is able to capture an essence of romance in everything he does. He is a true romantic and he always seems to make sense in a period piece. On another note, I think he would do great in a Woody Allen film and would be a great addition to one of his ensembles.
Fave Role: George in A Single Man

 

10. Mark Ruffalo
At the moment, Mark is one of my absolute favorite actors. There is something about him, he has charisma and has the ability to pretty much play any type of character. When I saw him in The Kids are All Right, he probably was the best character in the movie. He can be suave, chill, and laid back, but there is something to be said about someone who can play that type of character. I just saw The Normal Heart recently and I was blown away by his performance. If you have any doubts about Mark, just watch that movie and you will see his range of abilities.
Fave Role: Paul in The Kids are All Right

**Corey Stoll
I just want to throw in one extra guy here. I am really loving him and can see him turning into an actor that will have a long career. Watch and see. He was harrowing in House of Cards and he is pretty bad ass and cool in the show The Strain. He will be in the new season of Homeland and the upcoming Marvel movie Ant-Man. He can pretty much play any character. I am glad he is finally taking Hollywood by storm!

I pass the baton to my super cool, South African pal Natasha from Life of This City Girl , who loves her actors and book reading as much as I do (well not as much as Zoe)!

}}Melissa