Characters

As a bit of a lighter moment and in honour of the Oscars coming up, I thought I would give my list of the actors and actresses that, while not the most famous around, I find to be consistently amazing no matter what they are in. They are usually the supporting players for the stars but are often shine brighter than any headliner.

Toni Collette

OK, I fell in love with her in Muriel’s Wedding and have always held a soft spot for her ever since. She has the ability whether in comedy or drama to evoke the most real sentiment in just a glance. Her ability to evoke emotion is second to none and at its best when showing that base human feeling of sadness. I’m not talking about the weeping sadness of tragedy, but the slowburn devastation of a life not quite up to what her character wishes.

Dan Hedaya



Known to many as Carla’s husband on the TV show Cheers, Dan has been in countless movies. Whenever I see his name in the credits I am assured that not all can be wrong with the film. He has the ability to be consumed by his characters that I forget that he is acting. For someone with such a distinctive look and voice this is a remarkable feat. The Internet Movie Database lists 109 different roles and in each one of them that I have seen (Clueless and the Usual Suspects being among my faves) he is a completely different person.

Patricia Clarkson

There is some sort of mysterious draw that redheaded women have that I find hard to resist and Patricia is no exception. But it is not only her physical allure that compels my interest in her but also the height of her craft. While I had probably seen her in numerous movies before, I first took note of her as Julianne Moore’s best friend in Far from Heaven. The moment that Moore reveals that she was actually in the presence of a black man, Patricia’s metamorphosis is remarkable. A slight change in visage that shocked me in its power of evocation and simplicity. Her turn as Ruth’s sister in Six Feet Under could only solidify my respect for her work.

Oliver Platt

Oliver’s a strange one for me in that what I most remember him from is being the non-famous person in Flatliners when I was younger. Since that time he has worked in both television and film, but he came back on my radar with his appearances on the West Wing. The only problem is that with the early writing on that show, anyone could look good. However it is his portrayal of a sleezy lawyer on Huff, a little seen but remarkable piece of television, that has put me in his corner. He plays a drug addict bastard with few redeeming characteristics (he sleeps with his best friend’s mother!) but something about Oliver makes you care about him nonetheless.

Maggie Smith

OK, Maggie Smith may be a star to many, but its not like she is going to open a film to box office records. But I have never seen Maggie do anything remotely wrong on screen. From her flighty school teacher in the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to her role as a Hollywood actress with a gay husband in California Suite to her absolute brilliance in Gosford Park I love seeing Maggie on screen, any screen any time. And I recently caught a little cable movie called My House in Umbria where she solidified her reputation, in my books at least, as the finest actress out there today.

Jonathan Pryce

Jonathan first came to my attention when I watch Terry Gilliam’s oddly prescient Orwellian masterpiece Brazil (if you haven’t seen it in awhile I suggest you watch it again with post-9/11/Bush eyes and be amazed). Jonathan is an incredibly prolific actor who is typically in the supporting area rather than the lead like Brazil. And he plays the villain with as much panache as the hero. Automatically recognizable both in face and voice, he still manages to blend perfectly into character whether its in Pirates of the Caribbean, Madonna, I mean Eva Peron’s, husband in Evita or the Bond villain in Tomorrow Never Dies. But it will always be to Brazil for me – his portrayal of a man cocooned by the bureaucracy that eventually consumes his is an astonishing feat.

Kathy Bates



Is Kathy Bates ever bad in anything? Is any movie not made better just by her appearance in it? I ache for Ms. Bates to be in more films. Thankfully Misery put her on the Hollywood map so that we were not subjected to prettier and far less talented actresses taking parts away her over the past fifteen years. Her full physical exposure in About Schmidt stands as a highlight for me of an actress who can always surprise me.

And finally, I offer an off one. Yes, this guy may be a star, and is not exactly the best actor around, but he is skilled in that all important characteristics of being in really interesting movies. I am never exactly salivating at the thought of him in a movie, but he has nevertheless been in an inordinate number of films that I consider to be remarkable works. While his acting is never a highlight of any of the films that he is in, there is constantly something compelling about them.

Ah ...... Bruce Willis.




Look, I loved Moonlighting. The witty banter of the show always got me going. When I saw my first poster for Die Hard though, I laughed my ass off. “Ya right, Bruce Willis in an action movie.” Well, I ate those words. Great action movie.

Then came Twelve Monkeys (yes I apparently have a hard-on for Terry Gilliam, but even that couldn’t make me like The Brothers Grimm). Its one of those dark movies that play with perceptions of reality and doesn’t exactly end in all smiles and love. Easily one of my favourite movies of the nineties.

The Fifth Element is easily one of my all-time sci-fi tops-of-the-charts movies for me. Its one of those shows that if I ever come across it on the TV I find myself drawn in again. The good ole rule of sci-fi applies here (Sci-fi is either good or bad, when its good, its amazing. When its bad, its worse than anything else).

For me, The Sixth Sense can’t hold a candle to Unbreakable. And here is where Bruce actually makes a decent go at acting. He plays it understated when it could have so easily been over the top. The entire movie reminds me of a comic book in so many ways (yes, I was a childhood comic book geek) that every frame has a purpose.

And my last treat with Bruce was Sin City. Beautiful revolting movie, but down right thrilling.