I Can Feel It Coming

Like a storm.....on the....horizon. Like a curious sensation - oh whatever. I suck shit at metaphors.

Another "Actor Obsession" is heading this way. I may or may not find Michael Fassbender extremely intriguing right now. After watching him woo Mia Wasikowska passionately and walk around tight pants (bless the costume designer) for two hours, I suddenly find him to be a really really really interesting person. Isn't that strange? How original of me.

But thank god. It's been too long.

UPDATE: Oh shit! I guess it's not meant to be. The problem with these crushes of mine, is that the actor and the person are always inextricable for me. I love the actor because of the person and I love the person because of the actor and oh, it's just always a stupid mess. I always have to google them and I can only really fall in love with them if they prove to be an equally gorgeous human being, and most of the time they ARE (or so they seem so). Ralph Fiennes, Paul Rudd, whatever - just come off as classy and intelligent people. It just enhances the illusion of the actor when I feel like I can love the person behind it. In my process of falling-into-obssession, two things happened: 1) I thought he wasn't very good in a certain movie (granted, the movie of question itself sucked and he was slightly miscast) and 2) He dissed a movie that I esteem very highly. This is where my inner snob emerges - I think you just have to have good taste to like this movie. Cue hurt feelings and shattered fangirl illusions and what I recognize as collectively silly behavior, but the budding Actor Obsession melted right there and then. Oh Michael, it's too bad. But you're going to have a billion other fangirls, so I'm sure you'll be fine. We'll always have JE.

Looking Out For Eddie Redmayne

*All right, my original Eddie Redmayne post mysteriously popped up in the drafts after I published the second post, of course it does.

I've been terrible with these actor posts. I fall in love with actors so frequently that I would have expected to have a half-dozen names in my canon of fangirl posts. Strangely though, no actor after Ben Whishaw has really captured my attention. Mark Ruffalo caught my eye in this summer's "The Kids Are All Right" with his manly, vegetable-hauling sexiness, but alas! The draught of inspiring actors is no longer limited to Americans.

That reminds me - I thought Joseph Gordan-Levitt - aka American Actors' Only Hope - was wonderful in "Inception". Chris Nolan was smart, as he always is in his casting decisions - to pick such charming young actors of frenetic energy to play the near-thankless supporting roles. Unlike Leonardo Dicaprio (see Gangs of New York), Ellen Page and JGL have very easy, relatable charisma. Ok, so I suppose I have to thank Marion Cotillard and the lovely Cillian Murphy for that too - so much passion and earthiness to ground the frigid mechanisms of Nolan's dreamworld.

The only actor I've been vaguely enamored with for a week is Eddie Redmayne, and unfortunately, more of that has to do with his offscreen antics than his actorly skill, much like Ben Whishaw.

The bod or the head? Always, always, the head.

So this is a love entry, methinks. Oh, whatever hell! That's what personal blogs are for, anyways. Let's begin rifling through the sweet, albeit extremely brief, history of Me & Eddie Red-ma(y)ne.

2006: I encounter Eddie Redmayne for the first time in "The Good Shepherd". Am transfixed in an subjective manner by what I later learned was the term "jolie laide". A bit like that-guy-from-Twilight-whose-name-I-will-never-mention-on-this-blog-whilst-I-breathe. Classically, aristocratically handsome on some angles, slightly....odd in others. His eyes were distractingly wide. His voice was a little weird. Overall, an intriguing but not entirely positive first entrance. Very decent performance. Though it was totally unbelievable to see the 24 year old Redmayne play college son to Matt Damon, who I believe was like, twelve years older at the time.

2007-2008: Spot him frequently in the usual up-and-coming roles, from indie leads to oscar-movie cameos, like the assassin guy in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (the shittiest attempted assassination ever. Couldn't they have him at least shoot and miss? Blinded by her radiance? I'm sure it must have happened in real life to anyone lucky enough to encounter Cate Blanchett, but sheesh!).

I also see the trailer for Savage Grace, though the reviews scare me off. I absolutely do not notice him in The Other Boleyn Girl.

2009: I get a whiff of Eddie's radar but again fail to take notice, since at the time I was feverishly pursuing all traces of Ben Whishaw, the "other up-and-coming" Brit actor. The New York Times took note at least, featuring both actors in a screen-test termed "The Heartthrobs". The video also features Rupert Friend and Aaron Johnson. Rupert Friend comes off as more shy and intelligent than anyone would have given him credit for and Aaron Johnson acts like a pretentious ass, but both Eddie and Ben steal the show with their lively good nature and rambling humor.

This screen-test remains one of my favorites, and is notable for considerably warming my opinion of Eddie Redmayne* while remaining completely sidetracked by the precious, unwieldy charisma of Ben Whishaw. They're both such sweethearts, which is both worrying and appealing. Appealing to me as a fangirl, but worrying me as an actorphile. Where's the subtle shades of cynicism, the guarded hints of mysteriousness or moodiness? Boyish enthusiasm hardly colors the most interesting actors.

*Eddie is clearly a pop-culture fan. I love how he unabashedly refers not only to Serious Things like Glengarry Glen Ross and Oliver Twist, but also The Hills ("please! please!") and the Disney version of Robin Hood with foxes. He immediately gained my lifelong respect for mentioning Glengarry Glen Ross though, not gonna lie.

2010: He stars with Kristen Stewart and William Hurt in the ill-fated The Yellow Handkerchief, and again I barely take note of the movie other than wishing that it would die quickly. This is all Twilight resentment, don't worry, Eddie.

I see him in "The Pillars of the Earth", and now THIS miniseries, ladies and gentlemen, is the Cupid's arrow. He plays the painfully shy, inordinately talented mason/sculptor/architect Jack the Builder, a total color-by-numbers heartthrob. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've totally fallen for his character. It's not just because I really want to see him get it on with Hayley Atwell (whom I coincidentally discovered with Ben Whishaw in "Brideshead Revisited"! She was always so extreme in her affection towards Ben in interviews and videos that I seriously think he could have had her if he rolled that way).

I seriously digress. The point is, I loved his acting. Honestly. So many actors would have been all about interpreting shyness as "stoic and severe". It's a popular trend, and I don't mind when it's done well. Michael Corleone is the best example of this acting choice. The downside is, less-gifted actors just come across as wooden and humorless. Either way, it was totally refreshing to see Jack having a typical case of shyness. Having experienced severe bouts of shyness as a kid (I know, so atypical for a writer), I thought Redmayne was completely spot-on. The little blinks. The way of walking, the ever-present uneasiness, the rapt absorption of thought. He had everything down to a T, and remained beautifully vulnerable. I thought he did it with finesse, and he had me by the end of the first episode.

Then of course I had to google him in everything, analyzing microscopically. I rewatched his bits in The Good Shepherd. I watched Savage Grace, and was disappointed by the ho-hum reviews - IMO, everything they criticized was on part of the writing or directing, but I thought Redmayne was truly excellent as Anthony Baekeland. Ennui is always difficult to pull off without being irritating, and Eddie Redmayne nailed both the despair and shallowness of the character, without resorting to angst. He never overplays it, which is something I like. That's a valuable skill (my poor Christian Bale!) And I absolutely loved his arch, brittle narration.

Next on the list was Tess of the D'urbervilles, which I mainly spent (from the few clips I could gather) wondering why Gemma Arterton was so terrible and gazing at the dreaminess of Eddie's Angel Clare. I've never read the book, I admit. For some reason I thought it was about a hound....from some description I read when I was eight. I really don't know.

After that, there's not much on his filmography to look at, other than adorable clips of him winning a Tony for Red, being ignored in The Yellow Handkerchief interviews in favor of Kristen-whoring, and being completely joyful, humble, funny, and exuberant at various venues, explicating on an apparent love for Al Pacino and De Niro ("have you seen the Devil's Advocate? Amazing film!" [while tossing his head back]) and showing an appealing offscreen persona that has been as far from his rather internalized characters onscreen as possible.

So far I haven't really figured out a technique - he hovers between the natural and calculated, the charismatic and normal, resulting in a very good actor, which I suppose leaves room for potential. Like all theatre types, he's a natural with lines. He delivered this particularly well from "Tess of the D'urbervilles" well, considering the florid nature of it - every actor's nightmare:

"I'm devoted to you with all my heart. I love and adore you in all sincerity. And I shall need a wife, someone by my side. And no one better, more beautiful, more virtuous than you. Marry me, Tess. Be my wife."

Crickey-Christ.

Like Ben Whishaw, he's the type to work reliably, consistently, perhaps without ever reaching superstardom or dismal failure. Perhaps an oscar nom in the future. He's not a Heath nor an Orlando. Starring in Spielberg's "War Horse" is not necessarily a guarantee of making the A-list, the way everyone thought Ryan Phillipe would be after signing on for a Clint Eastwood vehicle ("Flags of Our Fathers"). But, he's making smart choices and immersing himself in different opportunities, so I think it's safe to say that we can expect a lot more from the classy, talented Eddie Redmayne in the future.

Trivia:

He has known that guy from Twilight for a long time (according to him, "British actors stick together in LA"), along with Tom Sturridge and other members of the Hot Young Brits club. He shot The Yellow Handkerchief before Kristen Stewart had begun filming "Twilight", and Kristen recalls Eddie telling her that her future costar and alleged love "[was] a good boy...he's kind of weird." hee.

He would rather live in a Manhattan penthouse than an English castle. He wants one like Al Pacino's from "The Devil's Advocate".

He had a crush on Maid Marian from the Disney Robin Hood, along with Nala from The Lion King.

He was an Art History major at Cambridge. That follows in nicely with the recent discovery that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a French major at Columbia.

Actor Obsession #2: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

This is Day #2 of my new actor obsession, and an official foreign ones firsties! Some day I'll expand more about Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as an actor... that some day will probably come after I've seen more than three movies from him. That's right; I've only seen him in three movies - first, a solid performance in one of my all time favorite movies, Hero (2002), and the unforgettable, voluptuous, heartbreaking, now-classic In the Mood For Love (2000). I saw Hero when it first came out and liked him, but nothing came of it. After I saw the second feature, however, I was officially hooked. It's no secret that Robert De Niro was a fan of his work in In the Mood For Love (as any any English article will tell you, in order to establish a familiar reference base. See? You're already intrigued) and it makes sense. His acting, so reticent, open, revealing shades of emotion with a glance of the eyes - minimalist acting at its most haunting and best, is something De Niro would have surely appreciated. In this day and age of flamboyant monologues and "gritty vulnerability", the ability for silent performing is a rare gem.


I finished In the Mood For Love at 3 in the morning, but I was craving more, so I ended pulling an all-nighter. Thanks a lot, Tony Leung. I turned to Lust, Caution, the Ang Lee movie that I've always wanted to watch in a "oh yeah, some day I will" way, mostly because of the praise I've heard about Tang Wei's debut.

I don't want to launch into a review of the movie itself, which is flawed but still psychologically fascinating, as was In the Mood For Love (in fact, in the middle of ITMFL, I actually said aloud, "the is the most mindfuckery movie ever". My mother would have liked it. It falls into the Atonement category, with ripe costume-period porn with underlying eroticism and danger. Tony Leung plays Mr. Yee, who again doesn't talk very much, but whose alternating sadness and viciousness I found more terrifying due to its capricious nature. I was constantly mulling over whether the sadness allowed for a soul capable of true love and the viciousness just an unrestrained uh, manner of showing this love, or the other way around.

Anyways, his razor-sharp movements, sudden bursts of ferocity, and immediate presence (when he first enters the opening scene, there is never a trace of a doubt in your mind that he isn't a vastly distinguished and powerful personnel) makes for a truly fantastic performance. It's not great, because the lackluster writing doesn't make up the basis for a great character, or even half a character, but when Tony Leung inhabits the character, you can't take your eyes off him. From romantic-borderline-psycho to Mr. Loneliness, the charisma is unshakeable, subtle. No scene chewing necessary. At all.


It seems that he's one of those Great Movie Stars that is currently an extinct species in Hollywood. Can I just point out how unfair it is that in places like Hong Kong and Spain, the best actors also happen to be the most popular, while here we have so-called stars like Brad Pitt and Robert Pattinson? Even Leonardo Dicaprio in the long run will be viewed as a solid but nevertheless undistinguished and unoriginal actor, you mark my words. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, on the other hand, is more along the lines of Humphrey Bogart, who possesses a trademark personality in all his films, but should NEVER, EVER be condemned for any "lack of versatility". All of Tony Leung's character are different. They have the trademark melancholy of his shy eyes perhaps, but even his most radically different character is not the 180-degree "transformation" that is so admired in today's acting, via crazy accent and complex makeup, but rather feels like an extension of his natural character. His Mr. Yee felt both a natural Tony Leung type character and an unexpected departure. This way, he retains a degree of his own authenticity while coloring the darker shades of the character, breathing Mr. Yee to life. That's such a fine, fine talent.

Mr Yee's rough wooing.

I especially love the minutes preceding the first sex scene. He's watching Tang Wei with unrestrained lust. She's aware of it. She coyly does all the right things; straddling his leg, impetuously tossing the cigarette he offers to the ground, slowly reveals her thigh. The effect is, quite literally, maddening. But we sense what we're dealing with when he not only submits to his desires but does it on his own terms - he dismisses her coy seductions with a hissing "are you playing hard to get?" and within a minute we get a glimpse of how exactly Mr. Yee rose through the ranks to become one of the top interrogators for the Japanese. He sits in the chair, watches, flexes his fingers once, and then goes berserk. I actually covered my eyes in shock from the force of the near-rape/sadomasochist sex that follows.

Tony Leung Chia-Wai has like a contractual agreement to chain smoke in all his modern movies, but that's fine. In fact, it's perfect. Like Humphrey Bogart, he was designed to smoke, or cigarettes were designed for him. Either way. There's something about the qualities of both that complement each other.....the subtle sensuality, the slow-burning movements and shadowy, charismatic spirals, the elegant languor....

My favorite shot of him from Hero (2002), partially because it comes as a stunning revelation. If you haven't seen it, Fucking. See. It. Now.

Next up: I really want to see "Infernal Affairs". Also because according to the message boards it's far superior to The Departed.

He's so gifted and reliable that after these three films he can officially join my All Times Favorites Club. Welcome to the club.

Al Pacino

Geoffrey Rush

Ralph Fiennes

Gene Hackman

Paul Rudd

Harvey Keitel

Daniel Day-Lewis

Edward Norton

Michael Sheen

Cillian Murphy

Viggo Mortensen

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

Note: An actor obsession does not necessarily equate to an automatic entry into the all-time favorites list. For instance, I will always love Ben Whishaw dearly but he's hasn't really gotten there. The boy is talented but lacks that sensual It quality that I search for in all my beloved leading men. In fact there's something rather asexual about him.

Actor Obsession #1: Ben Whishaw

So I will be introducing the honorary Actor Obsession file, which will be a long blog post dedicated to - obviously - the actor I am currently infatuated with. The criteria is based off the following:

1) His talent

2) His persona (deduced from various quotes, what his costars and workers say about him, and interviews)

3) His looks (call me shallow, but I am still a heterosexual girl and need to satisfy my cravings for eye-candy)

I've had various obsessions in the past, and I may bring them up again, but the current nominee is Ben Whishaw.

Where to start?

Ben Whishaw:

Born: October 14, 1980, in England

Current Age: 28

Notable traits: His chameleon abilities, waif-like stature, ethereal delicacy

Notable trivia: Has a twin brother

Ben's a graduate of RADA (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, one of the most well-known acting institutions in the UK. It accepts only 28 students each year, and past alumni include Kenneth Branagh, Peter O'Toole, Michael Caine, Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Staunton and Vivien Leigh).

From an early age, Ben started burning up the stage in various production like Hamlet and If This Is A Man. He earned rave reviews for Hamlet, which I think very impressive considering that that role has been inhabited by nearly every illustrious actor in the UK.

And to be honest, I'm not terribly interested in every chronological step in Ben's life after that. I just know know that he's a young and talented actor. Wow. How many of these do we have right now? Ryan Gosling (can someone please tell me where that man's disappeared off too?) and Heath Ledger (sigh.....) That's IT.

No major awards yet, but he did get a nomination for Orange Rising Star Award at the 2007 BAFTAS, losing out to a well-deserved Eva Green:

So let's begin!

Layer Cake (2004):

Ben had a very brief performance in Layer Cake, as a bumbling nephew of a gangster who ends up whacking Daniel Craig in an unexpected twist. It's amusing to think that I watched the movie a couple years ago without any previous knowledge about Ben. I think he pulled off that desperate I-think-I'm-so-cool role very well. The part where he pathetically bobs his head to the music is hilarious:

I'm Not There (2007)

The first movie I saw Ben in was I'm Not There, the

fittingly bizarre biopic about Bob Dylan, and as

you might remember, where Cate Blanchett was one

of six actors (including Ben!) to play Bob.

Another excerpt from "I'm Not There"

At the time I was watching the movie for Cate Blanchett's much ballyhooed performance. I thought him impressive but was slightly irritated, because he looked like the kind of actor who equated "intense, coked-out" to great acting. But obviously I was quite wrong as he has never repeated the same performance.

"I do think Dylan's incredible.I sort of fell in love with him. I became obsessed. But I've moved on now. I always do."

The role that most people, if they've heard of him, seemed to know him for:

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006):

He plays Jean Baptiste-Grenouille, this sort of asexual, animal-like young man with an exceptional sense of smell, and embarks on this homicidal journey to find the perfect scent - out of the bodies of beautiful young woman. You can tell a lot from an actor's first leading-role film debut. Whishaw was mesmerizing in this and though he impressed me with his characterization, I feel like he didn't bring a lot of empathy to the role, something I fear will dodge his future performances.

Most of all, the off-screen relationship between him and Dustin Hoffman (who plays a perfumer who briefly employs Grenouille) fascinated me the most. A young intense British actor in his first major role, against a light-hearted American legend like Dustin Hoffman. I think out of any of the actors in his generation, Dustin Hoffman has been the most generous to younger actors. Unlike his fellow screen titans like Deniro and Nicholson, he's forgone the leading-man status to act in quirkier, independent character films, boosting the young actors with small jewels of performances while Nicholson and Pacino insist on roaring and tearing through the scenery in leading-man, conventional high salary (and boring) flicks.

Apparently Hoffman gave Whishaw some advice about spontaneity:

"In the very first day that I shot with [Dustin Hoffman], I was totally freaking out because it was the first time that I was seeing him in his full regalia. I couldn’t get something and I was getting really frustrated [and] Tom [Tykwer] is directions at me. I, sort of, started to lose it and then, sort of, quite and dropped the ball and he said “Cut!” and Dustin said, “In that moment, you really came alive, but it went wrong. You should have kept going! It’s about the accidents, Ben, it's all about the accidents."

"I didn't really get much [paparazzi]. I was with all these beautiful girls who I've murdered, all looking gorgeous, and I was the spare prick at the wedding." - About the Perfume premiere in Germany

Brideshead Revisited (2008):

Anyhoo, the role from Ben that really won me over was his gay-as-a-rainbow, charismatic dandy in

the adaptation of Brideshead Revisited.

He plays Sebastian, who comes from a wealthy family and has a bit of a drinking problem due to the pressures from his domineering religious-fanatic of a mother, played beautifully by Emma Thompson.

The movie itself isn't all that great, but Whishaw was an absolute scene stealer in this.

Ironically, this was the movie in which I noticed how good-looking Whishaw was. Without the usual grime or unfortunate facial fuzz that Whishaw seemed to acquire for all his other roles, he was just incredibly good-looking with a clean shaven face. His costars on Brideshead Revisited seem to agree. I read that Emma Thompson occasionally flirted with him and Matthew Goode onset (oh, Emma!) but when asked about it, Ben said he rarely noticed when other people flirted with him. That's just adorable.

As mentioned above in "notable traits", Ben's delicate good looks and intangible presence have been mentioned in a lot of his articles, so I thought it was good to note it. It's funny because he's certainly not handsome in your conventional tall, ripped, Ryan Reynolds/Brad Pitt fashion, but everyone who's met him seems to have fallen head over heels. Read the following:

Jane Campion: 'And then, when he came to do a reading, I opened the door and there was this beautiful, fragile boy; he had that magical quality that people who have written about Keats say he had. There is a fragility about Ben that is inspiring."

*There was another quote I read from Hayley Atwell, in which she called Ben absolutely physically beautiful, but I couldn't find it....:(

And my favorite:
Matthew Goode: "They gave [the role of Sebastian] to Ben because when the camera settles on him you gasp at his beauty. I mean I have a girlfriend and all but still…"


Love Hate (2009)

A short twenty-minute film with him and Hayley Atwell. It will premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival and I'm sorry I won't be able to see this. He and Hayley have great chemistry and both seem hilarious in this:
Love Hate:http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/whats-on/2009/uk-shorts-1/full-details

You'll have to scroll down and click the trailer, but it's well worth it.
Speaking of which, I wish he would just go out with Hayley Atwell. They clearly adore each other (platonically) but they look ridiculously good-looking next to each other. That is, if it weren't for some of the online rumors that Ben doesn't roll that way..... :(

Bright Star (2009):
And finally, the film that I am just desperate, desperate to see. It premiered at Cannes earlier this year and was hailed as the return of Jane Campion. It's none other than Bright Star, about the real-life romance between the poet John Keats and his neighbor Fanny Brawne. I admit I don't know shit about Keats but since I kind of drool for Campion and Whishaw, this is currently #2 on my Must-Watch Movies list.

Doesn't it look ravishing? There's Oscar buzz for Abbie Cornish, none for Whishaw sadly. Nathaniel from The Film Experience blog commented that Oscar rarely notices men in sensitiveroles as Whishaw will be playing, which is true if you think about it. But some critics weren't raving about him either, and I think it sort of comes back to the empathy thing. I suspect that the whole tortured-poet aspect will go a little overboard. But I'm still dying to watch this.

"I sort of fell in love with Dylan and Keats. But I've moved on. I always do."